Day by Day
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) God sings.
Continue reading“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
6 Ways to Love Others in Everyday Life
“To have love as the guiding principle of our lives means that our continual mindset in all we do should be “What will serve the other person?” So writes Matt Perman in his excellent book, What’s Best Next. “It is
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Make Charitable Judgments
If you love someone, you discipline your mind to assume the best about that person’s words or actions until you have the facts to prove otherwise. While such mental discipline may not seem to fit modern sentimental concepts of love,
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Helping Students Fail Well – “A biblical worldview proposes hardships and failures as designed instruction by which we learn about our God, ourselves, and the world in which we live.” Economic Consequences of New York State’s Reproductive Health Act –
Continue readingWhen God’s Provision Seems Impossible
When anxiety overtakes us, we become bound up in the small stuff of life, the passing, transitory things, when we should be focused on the eternal. [In Matthew 6] Jesus is saying, “Look, God has taken care of the birds
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By His Wounds We Are Healed
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, NKJV) Jesus was tragically wounded, but not every injury was
Continue readingWorry May Indicate You Need to Reassess Your Values
In Jesus’ teaching on worry, Philip De Courcy writes, “Jesus prescribes a reassessment. He asks, ‘Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?’ (Matthew 6:25). And then he directs them to “Look at the birds of
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Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: What’s the Best Method to Pay Off My Debt? – “There are two main approaches to paying off debt – the debt snowball and debt avalanche methods. These methods are similar and reliable to help
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Five Ways Listening Helps You Become More Gracious
For the past few months, I’ve mentioned a couple times (here and here) the profit that our church staff is receiving from reading a book together, Graciousness: Tempering Truth with Love, by John Crotts. In Chapter 7, “Cultivating a Gracious
Continue readingWhy I Wrote “Discipling the Flock”
Having been in local church ministry for close to 30 years, I’m more and more convinced of how much God’s people need comprehensive soul care, which is provided through both public and personal ministry. So, related to that conviction, here
Continue readingDISABILITY SUNDAY: Live Together in Gracious Community
Yesterday was Disability Sunday at Cornerstone Community Church. We opened our hearts and minds to 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 to see what the Lord has to say about living together in gracious community. The church is not merely like a body,
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God’s Purposes for Suffering in Ministry, Part 1 – Pat Quinn draws five purposes of God for ministry suffering from 2 Corinthians. Brokenness – Julie Lowe asks, “Does brokenness threaten to discourage or undo you? Does it cause you to
Continue readingGod Speaks Life Into Your Loss
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. (Psalm 119:150) Scripture heals. It ministers grace to your deepest hurts, since it is the voice of the one who created and redeemed you. In the beginning,
Continue readingTeach Your Kids that God Is Awesome
“Awesome” is one word which has become so commonplace it is at risk of losing its punch. Today, it’s used to describe anything from a chef’s pizza to an artist’s portrait, a baseball team’s double play to a restaurant’s double
Continue reading9 Gospel-Reflecting Ways to Respond to a Former Abuser
In his new mini-book, HELP! My Parents Abused Me When I Was a Kid, Joshua Zeichik writes, “As a Christian with a commitment to honor God, you must look to Scripture to evaluate whether your motives and responses reflect your
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Why the Counsel of “Boundaries” Can Be Unhelpful to the Christian
A challenge that complicates the journey towards a godly response to abuse is the mass of popular literature which counsels victims from a feelings-centered position. Much of the literature available focuses on self-protection, rather than holiness, as a primary goal.
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Meditate on God’s Word
Since our church service was cancelled, due to heavy snow, strong winds, and extreme cold, we gathered in our Family Room to learn from Psalm 1. Here’s the outline that I walked the family through, discussing its truths, and applying
Continue readingWorry is “Practical Atheism”
There is an important distinction we need to make between good worry and bad worry. There are matters that ought to concern us, things that deserve our immediate attention and action. Being carefree is not the same as being careless.
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