Why Me, Lord?
I have friends who work with the JESUS film. If you don’t know about it, in 1979 the film was made based on the Gospel of Luke. Since that time, the film has been translated into 2,227 languages and been shown all over the world, in remote villages and big cities. Through this ministry, over 22 million people have made decisions to follow Jesus.
Continue ReadingNavigating Doubt
Doubt is often treated like a dirty secret in the Christian life—something to be ashamed of, a sign of weak faith. But the truth is that doubt is part of the journey for every believer. Even the heroes of the faith wrestled with questions. Doubt is not the enemy of faith—it’s an opportunity to deepen it.
Continue ReadingFact Checked
I was in conversation with a friend who was telling me about some Victorian queen and her reign: how she overthrew the king and took the country for herself. I asked how they knew all this to which the reply was “I read it in a book; I have a lot of books on this topic.”…The same person who told me they read all these historical facts in this book about a queen, said “You can’t believe everything you read; the Bible is just a book and Jesus is just a made-up character.”
Continue ReadingOff with the Old, on with the New
The seasons are changing here where I live in Queensland, and so is my wardrobe. The days for cool summer tops, shorts and sundresses are over. I am pulling my winter clothes out of storage. How quickly I forget the clothes I own when I pack them away for a season. I always pull out clothes I completely forgot that I have. But, as much as I used to love these pieces, not all of them make it back to the closet for another season.
Continue ReadingHow Many Paraprofessionals Does It Take…
If there is one thing I despise more than training day at work, it’s virtual training day at work. My brain processes “being talked at” as life-draining, and “sitting still” as torture; so, combine that with a Disney-esque cadence and you will find me searching for mini-toothpicks to hold my eyes open.
Continue Reading“What is that to you?”
Often when I read the Bible, I come across a familiar passage. It might be that I’ve heard a sermon on it, or that it’s recorded in another place in the Bible where I’ve read it previously. I was reading through the Gospel of John during Lent. When I came to John’s final chapter, I read some verses that startled me, because they took me back to my childhood…
Continue ReadingOn Clichés and Suffering
Our culture seems to run on tropes, mottos and trite bromides. Cute household signs are one thing, but empty platitudes that fail the common-sense test are another. Many popular slogans offer nonsensical advice such as, “you can be anything you want to be” (anything?), “follow your bliss” (what if that’s heroin?), and “manifest it into existence” (try manifesting someone back from the dead). Here’s another: “God will never give me more than I can handle.” But…is that true?
Continue ReadingHope in Jesus
The Bible is clear that we who follow Christ have a duty to raise children in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Leading by example, teaching them how to love by loving them unconditionally, helping them serve others, sharing our faith with them through scripture, and praying with them. But in our news-saturated world, it’s common to hear about teens who are wayward or in mental health crisis, without a solid family for support, chronically breaking the law or worse, willfully hurting other students or adults. This is happening to kids in and out of church environments.
Continue ReadingOn Praise
When Christians talk about “The Good News,” we’re talking about the Gospel. An interesting thing about the Gospel is that it’s as much for people who have heard it a thousand times as for people who have never heard it explained even once.
Continue ReadingPositive Competition
Not always does this “honor” refer to honoring someone through kindness or help, but in many ways, such as showing honor by choosing to seek understanding instead of judging; showing patience when someone makes a mistake; offering forgiveness when hurt; apologizing first after an argument; commending people on their hard work when you notice it; standing up for others; paying attention to things others do behind the scenes and encouraging them in their efforts.
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