NUGGETS
The Heartbeat of My Social Media Addiction – “I sat down for my morning devotions with the Lord, opened my Bible, and immediately heard a ding on my phone alerting me that I had received an email. My mind began
Continue reading“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
Joel Beeke: Take Hold of Yourself and God in Prayer
Yesterday, I was blessed and convicted by a message Joel Beeke preached at the Desiring God 2011 Conference for Pastors. As Beeke reflected upon the prayer lives of the Puritans, he expounded on seven principles for private prayer. TAKE HOLD
Continue reading3 Disastrous Dating Mistakes: Learning from Samson’s Bad Example
One way of learning how to do something is by watching someone else do it poorly. When I swam in triathlons, I had a friend who worked out in the same pool. In his freestyle stroke, he had a habit
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Racism, Sin & Scripture: A Response to Thabiti Anyabwile – “Any teaching or encouragement to look on any human as less than an image-bearer of God who has dignity and is worthy of respect is guilty of bearing false witness
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40 Questions to Help Discern Factors Contributing to Depression
Last week, I was blessed to teach a two-hour seminar in our church’s discipleship counseling training center on the subject of depression. First, I shared my own personal experience with depression and anxiety, and then drew attention to the experiences
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Leaders Are Readers – reading is a pipeline for ideas Strength for Today, Hope for Tomorrow – encouraging thoughts on holding on to God You Were Born to Fight – “It is time to stop being surprised that you and
Continue readingEvery Member Ministry
One of the unique qualities of a biblical church is the understanding and application of what we may call every member ministry. Let me briefly explain what I mean. According to Scripture, every person is uniquely created by God, and every believer
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Does Your Heart Run on Hype? – “In corporate worship we find something far better than a typical rush of feeling.” Jonathan Edwards and Why I’m a Cessasionist – “Scripture demands we test the spirits to discern if they originate
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The Holy Spirit Is Praying for You
We need God’s grace in our times of weakness. But we also need the Spirit to pray for us because our knowledge is not complete—we are ignorant of some things. Matthew Henry writes, “We are not competent judges of our
Continue readingPondering the Horrors of Hell
“A lot of Christians today want to say, ‘Surely it is better to think of hell as a place where there will be some temporary punishments until eventually people simply lose all consciousness: annihilation.’ Others think that it is manipulative
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3 Attributes of the Truly Victorious Christian Life – “Victory in Jesus is not equivalent to an exemption from trouble.” If They Fell, So Can You – “Our sinful weaknesses need not lead us to despair. Instead, they can lead
Continue readingRaising Teens in a Hyper-Sexualized World
Raising Teens in a Hyper-Sexualized World is a simple, 45-page book that gives parents immediate help. The author, Eliza Huie, is a parent and Christian counselor who takes us through, practically, how to walk with our teens in the midst
Continue readingFor the Love of Discipline
Sara Wallace, a mother of five, has written a new parenting book that I’m excited about. In For the Love of Discipline: When the Gospel Meets Tantrums and Time-Outs brings you a personal, frank account of her own journey with
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The Power of Daily Meditation
Our spiritual growth in holiness, and breaking free from sin’s dominion, are directly dependent upon our daily interaction with Scripture. As ingrained sin habits are being cast aside through the Put Off/Put On process, the follower of Christ must also
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Anxious for Nothing – Philip De Courcy reflects on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6, and shares five angles of attack in the battle with anxiety. Complementarianism and the Single Man – “After long day at work, he sat down and
Continue readingWhy God Killed Jesus
When the Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted the suffering of Jesus Christ he said, “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief” (53:10). Why? Why would God the Father be pleased to kill His only begotten
Continue reading7 Ways Grief Becomes Sinful
Slowly, I’ve been reading Facing Grief by the Puritan, John Flavel. Chapter 4, When Sorrow Becomes Sinful, was especially convicting and helpful, as I reflected back upon a time in which I allowed sorrow to overtake me and lead me
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Evaluate Your Definition of “Discipleship”
“Disciples, discipleship, discipling, disciple-making. These words are such an established part of conversation about ministry and church life that we rarely pause to consider what we actually mean by them,” write Colin Marshall and Tony Payne in The Vine Project:
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