One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is “but God.” The phrase is peppered throughout Scripture. And it makes my heart smile every time I come across one of those verses. They bring a vertical perspective to my horizontal circumstances. They remind me that my...
If there’s one thing in short supply these days, it’s hope. Politicians promise, but fail to deliver on their promises. Family members make commitments, but disappoint us. Terrorists strike with seeming impunity. Jobs are scarce, money is tight, and the more we wish...
How many magnets grace the front of your refrigerator? One? Five? Twelve? Refrigerator magnets can be silly, serious, or snarky. They can be cute, corny, or classy. Refrigerator magnets have also generated much theology that sounds good…but isn’t. Consider these...
The title of this post is probably not what you might expect from a Bible teacher. Bible study is important. No, it’s more than important, it’s critical. But studying the Bible for the purpose of quoting it or making memes or posters with Bible verses isn’t enough....
The last time I logged onto Facebook, several connections joyfully shared a wonderful discovery: a $75.00 Safeway coupon toward a minimum purchase of $80. Who wouldn’t be excited to find a coupon like that? Fraud. Hoax. False. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a...
’Tis the season of graduations…and graduation speeches. And almost every speech will encourage the graduates in their pursuit of success. A recent search for the word “success” in the Amazon books category yielded 269,946 results. At the click of a button, more than a...
Did you know there’s a National I Am in Control Day? Really. And it’s observed annually on March 30. When I first learned of this dedicated day, I laughed. After all, I’m a self-confessed recovering control freak. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that...
I love finding Bible verses that apply to my circumstances. I love it when others find verses to encourage them in their specific situations, too. But what about when those verses are taken out of context? In Part 1 and Part 2 of these blog posts, I reviewed 6 verses...
Censorship. It’s an ugly word in a country whose citizens pride themselves on protecting every kind of freedom. However, over the decades, the way we apply censorship has evolved in America. Free speech has become a casualty of an even greater priority: political...
These days there seems to be no end to scandals. Celebrity scandals and political scandals. Corporate scandals and sports scandals. From the original “gate”—Watergate in the 1970s—to the Patriots’ Deflate-gate in 2015. From Josh Duggar to Jared Fogle. From Volkswagen...
Four Reasons Why Christians Should Read the Old Testament Between teaching a Bible study on ancient Israel’s...
Context is King One of my favorite scenes from The Princess Bride includes a conversation between a character...
A Favorite Bible Verse I Don't Always Love The world around us is becoming increasingly challenging....