NUGGETS
How Much Do You Need In Your Emergency Fund? – Since we own two old, high-mileage cars, the establishment of an emergency fund years ago has been a life-saver. Staring at Dementia, Fighting for Joy – This older article was
Continue reading“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
The Features and Fruits of Hellish Wisdom
Continuing from yesterday, we are considering a key New Testament passage on wisdom, James 3:13-18. We already noted that meekness is a key mark of the wise person. Today, we examine the features and fruits of worldly wisdom explained in
Continue reading14 Steps to Financial Freedom
This past weekend, Jim Rickard from Stewardship Services Foundation taught four times at our church. Here’s a quick bullet point list from his workshop on financial freedom. The 38-minute audio file is here (If you are a Firefox user and
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The Meekness of Wisdom
The difference between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom is the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, heaven and hell, God and Satan. The contrast is that great. Yet God has made His wisdom readily available to those who seek for it.
Continue reading8 Action Points When Facing Terminal Illness
Our life in this fallen world will be filled with many expected and unexpected forms of suffering. The curse in the Garden announced this, Jesus confirmed it in His teaching, and the experience of the New Testament church testifies of
Continue readingIf You Truly Know God, Then You Will Love
There are many virtues we see in the Scriptures, but the highest and grandest virtue is love. Faith, hope, and love are Christian virtues, but the greatest is love (1 Cor. 13:13). Jesus summarized all the commandments of God in
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You’ve Got a Friend
The Essential James Taylor, two-disc set, was among the CD’s I enjoyed listening to (again) on our road trip last week. This singer-songwriter’s ability to craft an unforgettable melody and marry it to thoughtful words is legendary. His website biography
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Five Reasons God Prunes Us
According to John 15:1-8, our interpretation of the sanctifying work that God accomplishes in our lives—especially during times of trial—is directly related to our understanding of pruning. This, in turn, affects our response to personal suffering and to others in
Continue readingThe Throne of Grace
In our Older Testament, there is the account of a spiritual leader named Nehemiah who, in the providence of God, assumed a tough assignment. His burden was to regather the Jews who had returned to Judah after the exile to
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10 Ways Church Leaders May Cultivate Gossip-Resistance
This is the final post in a series drawn from Matt Mitchell’s book entitled Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue. Today, I summarize the Bonus Chapter written to church leaders, which gives counsel as to how to
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Unanswered Prayer Is a Means to Test Our Faith
As God performs his sanctifying work in us—conforming us to the image of his Son, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)—there will be times when answers to prayer seem out of all possible reach. When we try
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Stubbornness Closes God’s Ears
God listens to those who listen to him. The proof of this is all over Scripture. Isaiah 66:2 offers a prime example when God says, “this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite
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How a Husband’s Failure Short-Circuits His Prayers
Since my conversion from dead religion to the risen Christ in 1984, there is nothing I have wanted more than God’s profound favor upon my life. Therefore as a husband, I find 1 Peter 3:7 deeply sobering: “Likewise, husbands, live
Continue readingThe Challenge to Younger Men in the Church
As we continue to think about the admonition to Christian men, the word “Likewise” (Titus 2:3, 6) connects to the godly example we thought about in the previous post. Please note: The Bible calls younger Christian men to the same
Continue readingThe Call to Older Men in the Church
Our church’s mission is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is not merely to lead people to “make a decision for Christ,” but to bring people to Jesus and help one another grow in Christ, toward maturity
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Religious Sins
Hiding beneath the cloak of our perceived goodness are religious sins, those that feed self-awareness of our spirituality. Instead of driving us to God in humble dependence upon his grace, they blind us, fuel self-righteousness, breed spiritual apathy, and often
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Why Refusing to Resolve Conflict Hinders Prayer
Some sins are more passive than active. We may call these sins of omission rather than sins of commission because they are all about what we don’t do. These sins involve neglecting (and sometimes refusing) to do what is right
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The Problem with Pet Sins
Yesterday, I mentioned that I would post six brief articles introducing you to the six most common reasons for unanswered prayer, which are explained more fully in the book, Brass Heavens: Reasons for Unanswered Prayer. Here’s the first of those
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