God

Doers of the Word

Jeremy McKeen
7 Aug 2013
no comments

One of the most frustrating things in the Christian life is wanting to change but feeling like you can’t. Have you ever wondered why you’re not growing as much as you’d like to? You believe the gospel and rejoice in God’s grace, yet you look at the practical descriptions of a Christian in the Bible and they often seem so out of reach. What gives? What’s the solution? The quick fix Christians often turn to is simply acquiring more knowledge. After all, Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17). The truth will set you […]

-Read More

Who is the Good Samaritan?

Tullian Tchividjian
6 Aug 2013
no comments

For every good story in the Bible there’s a bad children’s song. This is the one I remember for the Good Samaritan: The man who stopped to help, right when he saw the need; he was such a good, good neighbor, a good example for me. On the surface, this little ditty may seem harmless. The problem, however, is that Jesus wants us to identify with every person in the parable except the good Samaritan. He reserves that role for himself. “You should be like the Good Samaritan.” If you grew up in church or Sunday School, you probably heard […]

-Read More

21st Century Peacemakers

Terry Morrow
4 Aug 2013
no comments

  “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Every day, most of us are bombarded with new opportunities to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27), feed the hungry (Isaiah 58:10), care for the poor (Psalm 82:3, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 21:13, Proverbs 22:9, Proverbs 28:27, Matthew 25:34-46, James 2:14) , defend the oppressed (Psalm 10:18, Psalm 146:7, Psalm 103:6, Psalm 9:9), and reach beyond stereotypes and divisions (Luke 10:25-37). Although it is important to be aware of what is happening around us and of opportunities to serve, it […]

-Read More

Where Injustice & Justice

Lori Harding
3 Aug 2013
no comments

I came to faith at age forty. I remember how I longed to experience everything my new Christian life had to offer. I knew God saved me for a purpose. I was not exactly sure what that purpose was, I just knew I was anxious to make my stand for Jesus. I labored to produce the good fruit that I knew would please God. I actually called my step-sister, the only Christian in my family at the time, and asked her if she would join me in evangelizing all of our family members over the course of a thirty-day period. […]

-Read More

When God Gives Vision

Doug Sauder
11 Jul 2013
no comments

  Has God ever given you a vision? If he has, it probably started with a burden – something you saw that was terribly wrong with the world. The kind of overwhelming problem that made you think, “we could never solve this.” Fifteen years ago, South Florida news headlines often covered a story about the broken foster care system. Children were removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect and abandonment, and then they experienced more abuse by the very system that was supposed to help them. The stories kept getting worse, and then, in the late 1990s, God brought […]

-Read More

Learning To Read Your God Story

Jeremy McKeen
10 Jul 2013
no comments

God loves stories, which is probably why most of the Bible is made up of parables and other kinds of stories. So what is the purpose of all these stories? Are they just interesting Sunday School lessons for children? No. Everything in the Bible is written for you. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to when he says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4,) Themes and chords By learning to faithfully read […]

-Read More

Stay Connected!

Cory Nickols
7 Jul 2013
no comments

Have you ever taken the time to observe a vine that has grown over a fence, shrub or tree? Depending on the vine species, the vine can grow quite vigorously. Some vines are so strong, people can even swing from them. But what if someone were to cut the vine, then what? Within hours, the entire branch that was cut off would wither and die. In the same way, when people get cut off from the main part of the Vine – God – they begin to wither and no longer produce the life giving fruit they were intended to […]

-Read More

Between “Once Upon a Time” & “Happily Ever

Knox Seminary
4 Jul 2013
no comments

By: Dr. Warren Gage “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son…” (Matthew 22:2). Children love fairy tales. Grown-ups, too, never seem to outgrow the charm of folk tales. We are made that way. Simply read a bedtime story to children and watch the magic and the music in their wide-open and wonder-filled eyes. Stories teach us to imagine. They take us to far away kingdoms and to “once upon a time.” The best stories are always about a wonderful love that wants to happen. We share the dreams of a maiden […]

-Read More

How to Reap A Harvest

Jeremy McKeen
8 Jun 2013
no comments

Doing good for others can grow old. Doing the right things can become tiring, especially when you do not see any tangible results, and especially when it seems like the people who do not do the right things are the ones actually achieving success. In the final chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote to Christians who were tempted to go back to their old way of doing things and give up doing the right thing. They were growing tired of supporting the church, helping the weak, bearing with one another’s burdens and doing good in the lives […]

-Read More

10 Truths About Heaven

Dabney Hedegard
5 Jun 2013
one comments

God created earth and every natural wonder within it. Why then are some not excited about Heaven? Why have we bought the lie that earth is the grand finale and that glory will look like believers sitting on clouds, strumming harps and singing thousand year-old hymns because we have to? This fallacy needs an overhaul. Imagine limitless energy, a glorified body and inhabiting a timeless paradise beyond any dream vacation we could purchase. Now dream bigger. That is a small taste of what Heaven is like. Re-wiring our preconceived mental image of eternity will help us gain a different perspective […]

-Read More