February 2012
2 posts
January 2012
10 posts
Daily Strength for Daily Needs →
I collect old books. One of my most beat-up hardcovers has pages missing, no information on the copyright, and no information on the author. Today I opened the tattered cover, held on by a dozen fiber threads, and turned to today’s date. The book is a devotional, and it is old. But though it was the oldest of three short devotional books I opened before the sun came up this morning, it was...
November 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Bitterness, Cancer of the Heart
Bitterness is a poison, slowly tearing at our hearts until we are unable to love. It builds up a wall between two people: between friends, siblings, parents and children, and spouses. It can turn someone whom you love into your enemy. And though bitterness is usually caused by someone else hurting you, being bitter only hurts yourself.
So how do we rid ourselves of bitterness?
“Get rid...
10 tags
God is Love
One of the main reasons I think that macroevolution* is bogus is because love exists. Animals breed and take care of their young. That isn’t love, that’s instinct.
If you have seen or experienced true love, you know that it is not a mere feeling, it is a conscious decision to put another before yourself.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.—John...
October 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Fear Not! Bible verses
Have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone. Remember that you have nothing to fear if the Lord is on your side.
Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice. He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose...
The heavens declare the glory of God →
Landscape Time lapse Video
September 2011
5 posts
9 tags
What must I do to be saved?
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” –Acts 16:30-31
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
You must believe in Jesus. Believe what he says, and believe whom he says he is.
Believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Believe that Jesus is Lord.
...
9 tags
Salvation Prayer
Do you want Jesus to be your Savior, but are at a loss for words?
First, realize that a prayer isn’t a magic spell. The words themselves can’t do anything if you don’t believe what you are saying.
You don’t need to use big words or fancy speech to pray to the Lord—you just need a sincere heart and honest faith.
Still, here is an example to get you started:
Jesus, I...
11 tags
Believe that Jesus is Lord
Part of the “What must I do to be saved?” series.
BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS LORD
Jesus is the Word and was with God at the creation of the universe, because he is God. Through him all things were created, and he is Lord and Master over all.
If you truly believe that Jesus is Lord, then you will let him be the Lord over your life, too. This means living to please him and bring him...
11 tags
Believe that Jesus is the Christ
Part of the “What must I do to be saved?” series.
BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST
Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior. Only he can save us from sin and death, bringing us life, peace, and joy.
As our savior, Jesus took our sin upon himself and died a horrible death on a cross. Then he conquered death by rising from the grave. He did this so that we may be saved from sin, be...
8 tags
Believe that Jesus is the Son of God
Part of the “What must I do to be saved?” series.
BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD
Jesus is God himself, manifested in human form.
“Son of God” should not be taken literally—Jesus was not the sexual offspring of God and Mary. Rather, “son” means “human,” and “of God” means “of the same nature as God.” Therefore...
July 2011
4 posts
Good words:
Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm 4:6-8.
5 tags
Should We Get Married? (part two)
Read Part One first.
There will always be differences between people, and there will always be surprises in marriage. Your goal isn’t to eliminate differences; your goal is to be aware of as many differences as possible before marriage. If you examine your differences before you get engaged or even say the “M-word,” then you won’t feel pressured to stay together in...
5 tags
Should We Get Married? (part one)
Should We Get Married?
Though I have only been married a short while (less than two years), I have already been asked by several women if they should marry their current boyfriend or fiancé. In this age of rampant divorce and prenuptial agreements, I also wanted to be sure that I was making the right decision before taking the plunge with my now husband. Especially after I had already tested...
June 2011
1 post
2 tags
Who's Who in the Bible →
Think of it as a crash course in significant people of the Bible.
Turn it into a devotional by reading one mini biography each day. After and while reading, ask yourself why this person is mentioned in the scripture, and what you can learn from his or her story.
April 2011
4 posts
Story of God from Epic Life Church
I LOVE what Epic Life Church has to say about salvation. I've never seen it so eloquently put.
"God has been telling the story of his love for people since before time began. He communicates his desire for relationship with us in three facets, each relating to his three persons:
*Rescue – Jesus rescues us from sin and death through the Cross and the Resurrection, providing a way to relationship with himself.
*Release – The Holy Spirit’s power brings release from sin and entrance into a new kind of life filled with meaning and purpose.
*Restore – God the Father’s mission and passion are to redeem what was dead and lost, and to continue restoring and refining the lives of those who are getting to know him better."
6 tags
If God is good, how can evil exist?
Evil is the absence of God. If God is everywhere, how can he be absent? God can choose to remove his presence. Why would he do such a thing? Have you ever heard the saying, “if you love something, set it free”? God loves us, and he wants us to love him back. Yes, he could force us to be obedient to him, but love is a choice. He had to remove himself from us so we could have the option...
8 tags
Who, me?
Ever feel insignificant? That God doesn’t notice you, and that he would never chose you to do something amazing, because…well…it’s you?
Gideon was a man who lived in a time of war. Israel was being overtaken by Midianites. The people were so afraid of their oppressors, they hid in caves. And there’s Gideon, a regular guy doing chores for his dad.
But the Angel of...
March 2011
3 posts
Before I Die « Candy Chang →
This is beautiful.
9 tags
Condemning the World
Many people know John 3:16, but they forget the verse that came right after it:
(For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.) 17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus has the right to condemn the world, not Christians. And when he came, he...
1 tag
February 2011
8 posts
Luke 6:20-49
[from the ESV]
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of...
Is the Bible chauvinistic? Response →
There was a number of harrowing responses to a recent post of mine, talking about Chauvinism and the Bible.
Unfortunately these responses just prove the point that Bible verses taken out of context are where people get such terrible views of Christianity and the Bible. I am not taking scripture to fit my own worldview if I am looking at the entirety of scripture, and that the overarching theme of...
Escaping the Scapegoat Syndrome →
Altering the English translation of Philippians 2 →
Very interesting! Take a look.
7 tags
Is the Bible chauvinistic?
Context, context, context.
So you are reading the second chapter of First Timothy and you read something along the lines of “Women can’t talk. Women should be quiet.” and you get defensive/offended/confused.
Lemmexplainsomethingtochu.
You are missing the context. The context of the verse in scripture and the context of the culture of when this was written. Here’s what...
5 tags
The Two Sons
There was a man with two sons.
He went to the first son and asked him to go shovel snow out of the driveway. (I feel that many of you can relate to this scenario. But if you are in a warmer climate like myself, change it to mowing the lawn, raking leaves, etc.)
“I will not,” said the son. But later he changed his mind and went outside.
The father then went to his other son.
...
January 2011
2 posts
The faith of a child
There is nothing so devotional as having a child. My sweet baby woke me up with sounds of strained breathing. His nose was plugged and he was burning up. He was still sleeping as I gave him saline drops and a tiny dose of fever reducer. Then he opened his eyes and smiled at me with unparalleled peace and trust in me. Lord that I may have faith like him.
November 2010
1 post
5 tags
Think of it this way—James 2:10
James 2:10—
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
This is a pretty big statement. How could the Bible say that? How can you break all the laws by just breaking one?
Think of it this way.
God’s law is a masterpiece. That’s easy enough. Now consider a masterpiece created by man. Let’s say the Mona Lisa or...
August 2010
2 posts
3 tags
The Most Wonderful Story: Mark chapter 1
Inspired by the paraphrase The Message but admittedly annoyed with its dated idioms, I decided to write my own paraphrase of the Bible. At least of a couple books, anyway. My goal is to give my son a Bible that is easy for him to understand without being a simple “story Bible” that eliminates entire sections of the scripture. If you want to read other chapters of my paraphrase, just...
Pieces of a Real Heart: Hero →
June 2010
2 posts
7 tags
Soul Mate myth? →
A friend of mine posted this for me, asking me my thoughts (maybe since I am married, maybe since I am an idealist-yet-realist-romantic).
Read the article above. Think it over. These are my thoughts.
I totally agree with what Barbara Dafoe Whitehead says. And I agree with what Heather says: “Just like some notion of sexual compatibility isn’t the basis for marriage, neither is some notion of...
Watch“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer (by North Point Media)
Land of the free because of the brave.
Have you thanked a service member today?