Posts Tagged ‘Christian Life’
Fading Joy: Am I Seeking an Experience or a Relationship?
The lights dim as the music begins to play. The energy in the crowd seems to almost crackle audibly. You feel a surge of anticipation for the songs you know, the empowering words you always hear, and the inspirational, larger-than-life people you see standing before you. At a well-designed worship service, Bible conference, or summer…
Read MoreSpiritual Dryness: Is the Volume Up Too High?
“Why are these people so slow?” I fumed as I weaved my way between shoppers at Walmart. I had just returned to the U.S. from urban Asia where the throttle of the pace of life is always wide open. Go! Go! Go! My to-do list burned a hole in my pocket. There was no time…
Read MorePositive Holiness
I was raised in what is called a ‘holiness’ denomination (of the Pentecostal variety) which meant that our church took seriously the Bible’s commands to live distinctive lives (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 1:16). While I am genuinely thankful for this emphasis and the character-shaping effect it had on me, unfortunately the form…
Read MoreDo You Know What Time It Is?
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let…
Read MoreWe Need Shepherds and Our Great Shepherd
If you had to choose an animal which you believed best represents you, what would it be? Would it be a tiger? A golden retriever? A stallion? An eagle? A dolphin? A gazelle? When answering this question, we tend to envision an animal with some extraordinary quality, like speed, flight, beauty, stealth, or an easy-going…
Read MoreWorking with Christ in Mind
Our jobs and careers are a major part of our lives. In 2019, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted an American Time Use Survey. It found that employed Americans spend significantly more time per week working than in any other activity besides sleep. If you’re employed, I don’t need to tell you this since…
Read MoreWalk by the Spirit
The “fruit of the Spirit” passage is one of those so familiar to us that we often take little time to think about it. When we do think about it, we concentrate on getting all the terms just so. We are either blowing past it in our Bible reading or analyzing it to the nth…
Read MoreNo Taste or Smell
Not having taste or smell has been one of the strangest experiences of my life. I had no symptoms of Covid until I couldn’t smell garlic bread! It’s been three months. I have resorted to drinking tea in the mornings and really praying over certain foods I trust are still good. It has been nearly…
Read MoreLive As Obedient Children
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13 This is obviously written to believers, obedient children in verse 14. The unsaved cannot think in terms of the vertical, only…
Read MoreBe a Truth-Lover
I understand that passions are at an extreme high right now. I also understand that the political conversation space is over-saturated and at this point, simply exhausting. I also understand that my voice has little to offer the conversation and even if it did, very few people are still forming opinions. So I’m going to…
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