Five things we need to prioritize when we gather that often get missed
Here are the five…what would you add? 1 – Intergenerational connection. This is the primary factor for our kids having lifelong faith. Very easy to do. Less siloed ministry, more connection. 2 – Celebration! When good things happen, celebrate together per 1 Cor 12. 3 – Confession. We are told to confess but often the […]
Feeling Hopeless About Christianity and Church? This is For You!
Many are feeling hopeless about Christianity and church. You look around and you see so many problems and so many are big and unfixable. You get overwhelmed by it all. Then, because you cannot effect change, you get hopeless. But there is another way of looking at this! Hopelessness often comes when we look at […]
She Was Hard to Be Around…
She was hard to be around. Her house was a mess. She smelled like smoke and if you drove her somewhere the car would smell like smoke for a week. She would cuss to see how I would react. Always pushing buttons. To be honest, I didn’t want to be around her. But I was […]
Unity Feels Impossible, But it Isn’t!
Unity feels impossible but it isn’t! With God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). We look at the vast diversity of the Christian landscape and wonder how on earth (literally) it could ever be united. It becomes easy to give up and when you give up you can easily do things that undermine unity because […]
Can Women Teach Men?
Can women teach men? The Bible seems to say “no they cannot” and it seems to be stated very directly. Here is what Paul wrote, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam […]
Biblical Proof that those “other” churches aren’t all lost
Years ago, I was reading in the New Testament and this this very familiar three verses hit me right between the eyes…maybe you have missed it too? “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified […]
Does the Holy Spirit Help Us Understand the Bible?
Does the Holy Spirit help us understand the Bible? I got these comments over the last few days: – “I personally do not interpret it I allow the Holy Spirit to interpret it.” – “The Bible is not up for interpretation. 2 Peter 1:19-21” – How do you interpret the Bible? “I don’t, the spirit […]
Reading the Bible Better – “Work Out Your Salvation With Fear and Trembling”
It is right there in black and white – “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” It says what it says and it means what it means – I am to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. Except we have cultural and linguistic filters that keep us from hearing what he just […]
Culture & the Bible Part 4 – Why Mary and Martha Matter
I don’t want to wear this out but here is the thing about the Bible and culture – working through this takes time. I appreciate those of you taking the time to work through these posts. You can read Luke 10:38-42 two different ways and both get you to the same main point but one […]
Culture and the Bible Part 3 – “That was just cultural!” Does It Apply Today if it is “Cultural”?
Here is where the rubber meets the road on culture and the Bible…time to address something that has really had people tied up and also had people ignore various texts that shouldn’t have been ignored. My thesis has been – The Bible was written in a culture different than our own. And when you get […]