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Punk’d by Grace

During a radio interview last week, the interviewer told me a story that gets to the heart of how grace transforms. He was a camp counselor one summer and one of his responsibilities was to go around with another counselor and check the cabins every morning while the students were at breakfast. In order to motivate them to keep their cabins clean, awards were given at the morning assembly to the students who had the cleanest cabin. One morning the counselors walked into one of the cabins only to discover that it had been intentionally trashed. The students thought it […]

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Is This the Year?

Is 2014 the year that you are finally going to write that book, buy that house, become that professional or start that business you have been dreaming of? Do you have a dream? Perhaps a more important question is: Has God given you a calling for your life? “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God” (Ephesians 4:1). You’ve heard pastors describe being “called into the ministry.” But calling does not necessarily mean becoming a pastor or missionary. It may mean opening a […]

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Successful Relationships in a Social Tech Era

It is no secret that social media has revolutionized the world; the way we communicate, interact with one another, and gather information. In fact, nearly one in four people worldwide use social networks and the numbers continue to rise. According to a recent report by eMarketer, between 2012 and 2013, social network users from across the globe are grew from 1.47 billion to 1.73 billion – an 18 percent increase. Yet, despite the level of connectivity social networks have provided humanity, they have also created a real sense of disconnect in relationships – e.g. surfing Facebook at the dinner table […]

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Money Lessons to Master

One of the greatest lessons someone can learn is how to biblically handle money. Your use of money affects more than you may realize. The Bible teaches that there is a direct connection between your spending and your spiritual growth. Jesus once told a parable about the importance of faithfully handling money. A manager had wasted his master’s possessions and, knowing he was about to be fired, he quickly went to his master’s debtors and cut their debts by 20 percent and some by 50 percent. He did this so that he would have friends that would give him a […]

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Band of Brothers

It seems that, so often, when we see a man’s friendship portrayed on the big screen these days, it’s usually a pretty sorry excuse for a friendship. We are, of course, generalizing here and this certainly does not apply to every film or TV show, but in the general mainstream of movies and sitcoms, men usually have shallow friendships, while women tend to have deeper abiding ones. But why? In these mediums, male friendships break down into a few simple groups: If you are single, conversations greatly revolve around meeting and pursuing women or else a very one-dimensional topic such […]

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Joy to the World

One of the most popular Christmas anthems is “Joy to the World.” But how in the world is joy possible? Literally, how in this world that is filled with such sorrow and pain do you experience true joy? Do you just need to pretend that bad things haven’t happened or won’t happen? Just try and ignore the pain or avoid the pain? In this world of great suffering, where do Christians get off with talking about the goodness of God and the joy of life? Has Jesus really brought joy to the world? And if so, how? That’s the question […]

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The Covenant of Christmas

What does Christmas look like to you? Candy canes? Toys? Trees? Outdoing neighbors’ decorations? By outward appearances, the celebration of the birth of the promised Messiah has been changed into a commercial festival. Unfortunately, what has happened to our holiday is showing up in the kinds of relationships we have with one another. Consumer relationships About 130 commercials air during an NFL football game, taking up one hour of airtime. The ball is in play for only about 11 minutes. The average consumer is exposed to 3,000 ads daily telling you what you need to eat, drink, wear and look […]

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Navigating Obamacare

As we approach the year 2014 and the upcoming changes in the health care sector as mandated by the Affordable Care Act (informally known as ObamaCare), we as Christians are faced with decisions to make as to how we will comply with the federally mandated health care requirements. In some cases, Christians may feel that they will be forced to participate in health insurance that supports policies they may find objectionable and against their conscience, such as paying for elective abortions, the morning after pill, and other reproductive issues. But there are in fact options that are available that will […]

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God is like Jesus

By: Dr. Jono Linebaugh During a battle on the European continent in 1944, a chaplain came upon a fatally wounded solider. The dying man only had enough life left to ask one question. Starring into the chaplain’s eyes in that final moment before his would forever close, he asked, “Father, is God like Jesus?” Before we rush to the obvious answer to this question, it’s worth pausing to ensure that we hear it at its proper pitch. The question is not simply an intellectual test, a pop quiz asking you to write “true” or “false” next to the statement “God […]

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Jesus & the American Dream

Many American believers find themselves struggling with integrating their faith and their culture at times. This is especially true when it comes to the idea of success, ambition and goals in their lives. Culture influences everyone including Christians. Every American is indoctrinated in the concept of the “American Dream,” as well as in capitalism early in life. Can these philosophies co-exist with biblical Christianity? After all, Jesus taught humility, servanthood and principles such as, “The last shall be first.” America is a materialistic society with the negatives that come with that philosophy. Many wonder, “Am I compromising my faith by […]

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