The Language of Christmas // Part 1: Physical Touch
The God Who Gives For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 The sentence from the Gospel of John above is the most famous Bible verse of all time. It reveals so much about…
Read MoreStories of Thanksgiving
The Grumbling Israelites The Lord led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He sent ten plagues over Pharaoh’s land, and protected the Israelites by allowing their homes to be passed over (Exodus 12). Even as the Egyptian army pursued the Israelites, God parted the Red Sea so they could make their escape (Exodus 14).…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 5: Invite
Send Invitations for Christ When we invite someone to an event or place, it’s because we want them to be there. We send out invitations telling people what the occasion is, and everything they need to know: who, what, when, and where. We spend much time making sure the details are right and the invitation…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 3: Intercede
Defining Some Important Words The words intercede, apologetics, and evangelism might not come up in your everyday conversations. You might even feel a little overwhelmed when you hear them. But these aren’t things that should be left to pastors and theology professors alone! In fact, you’ve probably engaged in these things this week! So, let’s…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 2: Invest
Be Prepared to Give an Answer But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 1: Identify
What is an intentional Life? Every day we’re given from our God is a gift. He wants us to enjoy this gift, but that’s not the main reason He’s given it. There’s a reason that God does not take us into heaven the moment we’re saved! Even though living in heaven and in the presence…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 9: Self-Control
What is Self-Control? When you think of self-control, what do you think of? For many, an easy illustration is of the calorie-counter who passes on a second slice of cake. But self-control goes much further than managing our physical hunger and love of sweets. Below is a more expansive definition. Self-control: the virtue of one…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 8: Gentleness
It’s Tough to Be Gentle In today’s culture, it can be a serious challenge for us to be gentle. Just think about how harshly people respond to one another’s politics: convincing others that we’re right and “righteous” often comes before respect for them as people! This is the standard that is set for us in…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 7: Faithfulness
Faithfulness is Counter-Cultural Some near-synonyms for the word faithful are loyal, constant, devoted, unwavering, steadfast, and committed. One way to define the word might be “to remain steadfast, holding true in your words and actions to a commitment you once made.” To be faithful means to be unshaken by the wind and waves, prepared to…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 6: Goodness
Are People Born Good? Before we think too much about what goodness is, we need to understand the difference between “goodness” and “kindness.” The late theologian and Bible scholar, John Stott, notably pointed out that the nine characteristics of the fruit of the spirit can be placed in groups of three: Love, joy, and peace…
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