You are a sponge. And so am I. We drink in whatever we're surrounded by. And when we're squeezed too tightly, or over-saturated, we let it out again. We go through phases of soaking and seeping. We take in encouragement, then offer it to friends in need. We take in unkind thoughts, then direct those unkind words toward loved ones. We take in {you-name-it} and share it with the world. It doesn't happen like clockwork: one thing in, one thing out. It's more like overlapping waves of the sea: one-thing-after-another-after-another -- getting and giving all muddled up at the same time. Sometimes your sponge runs dry. And you go through weeks of taking in, wondering and awed by [...Read More]
Salt of the Earth
April 15, 2013 By 2 Comments
Pin this! How can you be the salt of the earth? Well, what does salt do? It seasons, adds flavor, highlights the essence of the original dish. So as a Christian, you should... Season your relationships with love and holiness. Add the rich flavor of truth to your conversations and interactions. Highlight the essence of God's character in your daily life. If you don't... if your speech tastes unloving and unholy, if your relationships highlight the world's discord, if your life is seasoned with selfish desires and lusts... then are you truly being salt in this world? Or have you lost your flavor? Question: How do you faithfully remain "the salt of [...Read More]
Social Media: a Christian Perspective
March 27, 2013 By 8 Comments
Social media has evolved rather drastically, hasn't it? Twenty years ago, hardly anyone you knew had email. Ten years ago, people were just finding out about instant messaging. Now we have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram... Email and other media sites allow us to make connections, share opinions, and voice our thoughts to the world. It doesn't matter whether you're popular or well-known: you can be heard just as loudly as the next guy. It doesn't matter if you live hours or days apart: you can chat in real-time, and keep up with every detail of a loved one's daily life. But what should a Christian do with social media? How should we interact? Are [...Read More]
Book Review: True Community
March 20, 2013 By 4 Comments
What is community? It seems to be a buzz-word lately in Christian circles. We talk about building healthy communities in our churches, and fostering good communities online. We discuss the aspects of community, like social interaction and sharing of possessions. We think about our voices being heard and our needs being met. But what does God say about community? After all, we are His people. We were created to have community with Him. So how does He define it? There's an interesting word recorded in our New Testament: koinonia. It's an ancient Greek word that is often translated as fellowship. But before you start thinking about coffee dates, ice cream socials, and potluck [...Read More]
Why We Have the Holy Spirit (part 2)
February 12, 2013 By 9 Comments
{Click here to read part 1} The world forever changed at that great Day of Pentecost. From then on, every disciple of Christ would receive His very Spirit as a permanent and constant companion. From then on, every believer in Jesus Christ would have a guarantee within his very soul of a future with God Himself. What an amazing, miraculous thing! That God Himself, the Creator of the universe and Ruler over all, would share His own Spirit with a flawed, rebellious creation. That God would give part of Himself to each one of us, to create a more intimate union and loving relationship! I think that sometimes we're not aware enough of the Holy Spirit. I don't think we notice all the ways [...Read More]
Why We Have the Holy Spirit (part 1)
February 11, 2013 By 5 Comments
I just started reading Acts on my journey through the Bible in 2013. After telling about Christ's ascension, Luke writes about the apostles, and other devout disciples, gathering together in Jerusalem to wait "for the promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4) - i.e., the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And so they waited, and prayed, and waited and prayed some more. And then the Day of Pentecost arrived, and they were suddenly baptized with the Spirit of Christ. They were filled with that Holy Spirit, and began speaking in tongues and proclaiming the glory and gospel of God. And we read how over 3,000 souls were added to God's kingdom that very day. But it kind of hit me, as I [...Read More]
Focus on Intercession: Soldiers of Christ
January 23, 2013 By 11 Comments
You're probably familiar with the passage about the armor of God. Paul compares earthly battle armor with invisible spiritual armor. Everything he lists is something a Roman soldier wore to protect vital organs or parts of the body crucial to fighting a battle. For instance, shoes -- you can't fight very well if your feet get cut off or mangled. Or a sword, to attack the enemy. Or a breastplate to protect the heart, or a helmet to protect the head. Now imagine a battlefield full of soldiers. There's mayhem all around: swords are clashing, horses are trampling over wounded men, and fierce screams overwhelm your ears. Every soldier is so focused on cutting down his enemy that he can't [...Read More]
The Gospel in Shoe Leather
January 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
What do your shoes look like? No, not your running shoes or your sandals or your high-heeled Sunday shoes. Your spiritual shoes. Even if you're barefoot {ahem}, you still wear some sort of spiritual shoes. I'm thinking specifically of a quote by D. L. Moody, that great American evangelist from the 1800's. He was also a shoe salesman, but that's not what he was referring to in this statement: "Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather." Head over to Barefoot Hippie Girl to read the rest! And have a wonderful day! Photo Credit [...Read More]
Book Review – Found: God’s Will
January 15, 2013 By 4 Comments
Have you ever wondered what God's will is for your life? If so, then this book is for you. Found: God's Will, by John MacArthur, is pretty short -- only 75 pages! -- and quite easy to read. But there's a lot of truth packed into those pages! And I guarantee, if you read it with humility and a willingness to learn, you will finish it with a greater understanding of God's will for your life. MacArthur starts the book with this logical premise: "Since God has a will for us, He must want us to know it." In other words, if we are to do God's will, then we must believe He has provided a way for us to know what it is. He has not hidden it from us, or obscured it under so many layers [...Read More]
Your Purpose in the New Year
January 2, 2013 By 7 Comments
The beginning of a new year seems like a good time to reflect and evaluate things -- where you are in life, what direction you're headed in, and what you plan to do along the way. It's also a good time to re-consider your purpose in life. Not just what roles you play, or what you do for a living, but also your purpose as a Christian. It's a good time to meditate on what you, as a child of God, are supposed to focus on during your time here on earth. With that in mind, I'd like to share something I wrote in August 2011, about our purpose as Christians. And I'd encourage you to spend some time in prayer today, after you read this, seeking God's direction and instruction for being the [...Read More]
