Search results

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” - Jesus (Matt. 24:9 NIV) In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, - Paul (2 Tim. 3:12 NIV) The Bible warns us that we will be...

I don't mean the question sarcastically. I believe it is great. But I would love to hear your thoughts about WHY it is great!

There are so many things to think and pray about after a tragedy like this. The topic I'm bringing up here I do not view as the first or necessarily even most important issue related to this shooting. Certainly things like praying for the families of victims and healing of the injured and...

Sometimes when I’m reading the Bible, a verse will grab my attention. That happened when I read Exodus 23:2a this morning: NIV Exodus 23:2a "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. I got to thinking about examples throughout the Bible where people either courageously stood apart or else gave...

Pharaoh is infamous for being hard-hearted. But aren’t we all hard-hearted sometimes? Consider the frogs. Frogs are the second plague which God brings on Egypt to prompt Pharaoh to do the right thing and let God’s people go free. The frogs come out of the water and go everywhere: ESV Exodus...

Every morning Sadie takes me for a walk. The fact that it was frigid cold and the ground was covered with snow does not excuse me from this exercise. Sadie is ready to go! Sadie doesn’t have to do anything to be dressed for winter. God magnificently designed her to grow a thick layer of fur...

In the greatest sermon in the history of the world, the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly speaks about God rewarding us. While we experience many blessings and much help from God in this life, Jesus is focusing on future reward for those who suffer for God. "Blessed are you...

There’s a lot of things we can’t control in life, like the weather. It’s been frigid cold recently and there’s snow on the ground. But my dog Sadie is still eager to take me on a walk each morning. I walked with her in some of our favorite fields this morning. We only walked about half as far in...

I went to the Bible Museum on Wednesday (Jan 3, 2018). I went with some family and my best friend from High School. The first thing I want to say is: I thank God for the Museum of the Bible and for everyone who contributed and worked hard to create it. I do recommend going if you can. You...

“I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.” – Jeremiah, speaking the Word of the Lord (Jeremiah 1:16 NIV) “And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon god they made.” –...

The recent news reports of wide spread protests in Iran combined with the reports from multiple sources over a number of years that Christianity is spreading among Iranians despite severe persecution have motivated me to pray for God’s people in Iran. We don’t have to know people personally to...

I shared this testimony and these thoughts in a post on my blog on Dec 27, 2016. At the bottom I give an update relevant for 2018. Shortly before Christmas, I finished reading through the whole Bible. I started on January 4th of this year. What a blessing reading through the Bible has been...

Some people obsess over a hobby. Some are obsessive sports fan. Many obsess over getting more power and control. Not a few obsess over sex. Others obsess over a relationship. Then there are those who obsess over politics. And a lot of people obsess over various forms of entertainment. We are...

I think of this as my Christmas present to my "internet family in Christ". It is a "Little Drummer Boy" type of present. I could never afford to give you all a present that cost money, but I can use what God made me good at to hopefully encourage you in your prayer lives. This past summer I...

When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the wonder inspiring truth that God became flesh and lived among us. This glorious event was celebrated by angels singing on that first Christmas night, and is now celebrated around the world by billions of people each year. The theological term...

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures . . ." (Genesis 1:20a NIV) The sea is his, for he made it . . . (Psalm 95:5a NIV) Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. (Psalm 96:11 NIV) This photo reminds me of snorkeling at Bira...

Note: The numbering of the points continues from parts 1 and 2, so that everything is this section is 3.something. 3.1 Review Universalists believe that no one will be punished or destroyed eternally, but rather that everyone will eventually be redeemed and live joyfully in God’s eternal...

Having explained the positive case for aionios meaning “eternal” in part 1, let’s now look at a popular argument Universalists put forward to defend aionios meaning “lasting for an age”. I plan to look at other Universalist arguments in future posts. Note: The numbering system for the outline...

Recently I’ve spent a fair bit of time interacting with some of my brothers and sisters in Christ who are Universalists. I’ve read some of their material, including one of the best books supporting their view. I have engaged with them in debates on forums. The Universalists I’ve been engaging...

I want to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer (James 1:22). Let’s DO 1 Timothy 4:13! There are many ways one might put 1 Timothy 4:13 into practice. In 2018 I want to put it into practice by reading through the Bible together with other Christians. While there’s nothing at all wrong with...