Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 3:13-14 NIV, emphasis added We…
Peace With God at Last
And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. — Revelation 21:4 We now know what it means to be a Christian. We know the price that was paid to get these elusive things called peace and…
Sin and Other Gross Things
Editor’s Note: Today’s blog features an excerpt from The Jesus Is _______ Student Edition by popular speaker, author, and pastor Judah Smith. Adapted from his New York Times bestselling book for adults, this compelling student edition will get younger readers thinking about what Jesus means to them and help them understand the character of Jesus. This book makes a great Bible study for…
You Can Move On!
Watch the Move On Trailer “I don’t make messes. I make catastrophes!” To some degree, we can all agree with this statement. Jesus lived a perfect life. The rest of us miss the mark. This is why God’s grace and mercy is so important. Sadly, though, we hold on to our messes, trying to hide…
52 Scriptures Every Kid Should Know
I sat there, feet dangling off the edge of my bed. My ruffled pajama bottoms hung past my ankles and hovered over the top of my toes. Bedtime was my favorite time with my father. I was a young girl, maybe 3 or 4, but he made it a practice to have my sister and…
Death: The End of Construction
The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. – John 5:25 I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon. – John Newton Death is inevitable! No one can outrun death. It will catch up to all of us eventually. When…
Human Nature: A Proper Diagnosis and Remedy
Just as a proper diagnosis is essential before treatment is prescribed, a proper diagnosis of human nature is necessary before a remedy can be prescribed. Our sophisticated age doesn’t like the word sin, but it most perfectly diagnoses our real problem. Sinners are who we are (see Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-11, Romans 3:23). We might grudgingly accept…
Community — Everybody’s Weird
To make a start where we are, we must recognize that our world is not normal, but only usual at present. — DALLAS WILLARD Community is the place where the person you least want to live with always lives. — HENRI NOUWEN We are tempted to live under the illusion that somewhere out there are people who…
What Is Sin?
While it has become politically incorrect to talk about sin, the Scriptures make it crystal clear that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But what is sin from a biblical perspective? First, sin is not just murder, rape, or robbery. Sin is failing to do the things we should…
Forgiveness For All
I came across an interesting online article this morning. The headline read “38 Stars Who Were Arrested in 2012.” My curiosity compelled me to click on the link. The article showed some of our beloved Hollywood A-listers, B-listers, even C-listers in a less than flattering light. We’ve seen them in movies. We’ve listened to their…