In the end-of-the-year report, It’s common to hear churches talk about how many baptisms they had that year. Sometimes the numbers reach into the double-digits and a healthy percentage of them are kids of current members, but it’s always something to be celebrated regardless. People washing away their sins and becoming a “new creature in …
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”(2 Corinthians 11:14) Stetson Kennedy just wanted to serve his country. He couldn’t enlist in the military during World War 2 because of a bad back, so instead of fighting the Nazis, Stetson decided to focus his efforts towards a different (but also …
Have you ever wanted to start a Bible study? Maybe you want it to be an informal group of people from your local church that get together to study an in-depth topic, or maybe you’re wanting to get a community Bible study together at your local library/coffee shop/Chick-Fil-a playground area (so the kids can play). …
There are basically two types of people in this world: those who think Judas is evil, and those who think he’s the absolute worst villain in the history of humankind. There’s almost no one that thinks Judas was even slightly decent in his betrayal of the Messiah. Jesus would agree. In Matthew 26:24, Jesus says …
I’m 33 years old, which means, in that time, I’ve either preached or listened to around 2,000 sermons. In nearly every one of those sermons – at least the ones that I can remember – the preacher has always ended the sermon with something along the lines of “Come, as we stand and sing.” It …
Do you know how a piano works? It’s not simple. 88 black-and-white keys that you can press in thousands of different combinations to create a million different sounds, all amplified by three foot pedals that change the tenor or duration of the notes. But that’s not really how a piano works, is it? Not at …
Conflict is inevitable. Even in the friendliest, most loving churches, there is going to come a time when Sister Honda parks in Brother Short Temper’s parking spot. And when that happens, expect there to be an icy tension in the room. But whether it’s something as small and insignificant as that, or something much larger …
Whether it’s the actual phrase “Oh my God!,” its text equivalent “OMG” or a substitution such as “Oh my gosh!”, at some point, all of us have probably uttered a phrase that is perceived by many to be blasphemous. And if we haven’t, we’ve probably heard someone that we would consider a spiritual heavyweight say …
I love teaching Bible classes. Don’t tell anyone, but I would rather teach 100 Bible classes than do one sermon, and that’s not because I dislike sermons as much as I love teaching Bible class. I love the give and take, the camaraderie that builds throughout those 30-45 minutes, and I love the fact that …
These days, it’s hard for anyone to approach anyone with a sin that they’ve noticed without either being accused of being judgmental, hypocritical, or both. If both of those defense mechanisms fail, there’s always the trusty standby: “Yea, but God knows my heart.” So? What does that have to do with anything? It really is …
