I was on vacation last week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2016 on the afterlife.
What do you believe happens when you die? LifeWay Research uncovered some surprising contradictions in people’s views about the afterlife and salvation. Why are so many confused, and what does the Bible really teach?
A recent LifeWay Research survey reveals that almost half of all self-identified Christians believe that God accepts the worship of all religions. Are they right? And if not, why not?
I was on vacation last week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2016 on shame.
While guilt can be a clear-cut response to something specific we’ve done, shame is often a vague attack on our identity and value. And we don’t just feel shame over bad things we’ve done but we’re also affected with shame at the circumstances we experience. That’s why abuse and trauma are often accompanied by shame. And also why just asking for forgiveness doesn’t take it away.
I’m on vacation this week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2016 on the people who have never heard.
I was 20 years old when I first raised the objection against Christianity: “If Jesus is the only way, what about all the people who have never heard?” I was pretty proud of my logic. And I think I half-believed that I was the first one to come up with the argument. “Had I single-handedly proven the inconsistency of a religion that spanned thousands of years and had duped hundreds of millions of followers?” It felt like it at the time, but I eventually came to think otherwise. I now believe I had a number of things wrong. Let me explain.
I was on vacation last week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2017 about a lesson I learned when a church member unexpectedly showed up on my doorstep.
When I lived in Japan, one afternoon, without warning, I got a hurried call from a church member. She was in the area with her daughter and wondered if they could stop by. I sensed that there was some urgency to the visit, but she wasn’t giving me any clues as to what it might be. I didn’t know what to say, but it was one of those times when you take a chance, not knowing how the person will respond or what God might do.
Jesus said that the Scriptures pointed to Him but for a long time, I wasn’t sure how. It seemed as if the Bible mostly told stories about people like Noah, Moses, and David. I came to learn that one of the ways that the Old Testament points to Jesus is by laying down patterns that foreshadow Him. Those parallels can be seen clearly in the account of Daniel in the lion’s den.
I was someone who avoided the Psalms. I couldn’t figure out what to do with them. They don’t contain great stories or many commands, principles, or warnings. And there’s lots of repetition and emotion that feels like it gets in the way while you’re reading. But as I’ve continued to learn about them, I can now say that I love the Psalms. Let me share three things that helped me along the way.
People often assume that the temple is just an Old Testament church and essentially the same as the building Christians go to on Sunday, or they think it’s so foreign to their experience that they can’t relate to it at all. The temple is such a prominent theme in Scripture that having a sense of what it means and why it’s so significant helps in understanding the Bible's message.
Almost everybody has heard of the story of David and Goliath. But what is the story about? What does it mean? And how do we apply its message? Getting these questions right can help open up our understanding of many other parts of Scripture. Let's consider the message as it's told in 1 Samuel 17.
We love biographies of successful business people, great inventors, and glamorous celebrities. When we read stories about people in the Bible, we tend to read them in the same way. We assume that the central figure must be a hero, and we look for ways to imitate them. But that usually isn’t a great strategy.
Most people read the Bible for practical principles and spiritual encouragement. When you come to a section like the plagues of Egypt in today’s E100 reading, you find neither. How are you supposed to read passages like this and what can you learn from them?
This week’s E100 readings looked at the life of Abraham. By any standard, Abraham is a person of incredible influence. Honoured by Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike, he is an important individual. But why is he so important? What’s the significance of his life? Consider how the clues in the context of his story make the significance of his life clear.
I can’t speak from the perspective of Jewish identity, Jewish history, or Jewish rabbinic tradition. But I do love the Jewish Scriptures. And I believe they contain a compelling reason to read what Christians call the New Testament, and it’s a reason that’s often overlooked.
I’m on vacation this week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2016 about a marriage assessment Jennifer and I did.
Couples that are dating will often talk about having a great “connection.” But in a survey developed by a doctor in psychology and family science and refined through over 4 million surveys in the last 35 years, there wasn’t a single question about connection.
I have a confession to make. Over the years, I’ve watched more of those Hallmark Christmas movies than I care to admit. Even though the movies are cheaply made and incredibly unoriginal, people can’t stop watching them. I think it’s important that we stop to ask why.
While I was away at our Fellowship’s National Conference, I wanted to share an article on parenting which is so foundational, I felt it warranted repeating.
What do you do when your child has disobeyed you or broken your rules? The temptation is to play the part of a sentencing judge. Lying to your sister? Go to your room! Stayed out too late? You’re grounded. If all we do is hand out sentences and demand obedience, there is no good news in our parenting.
This week, I’ve been processing the death of Kevin Kerswell, someone whose passing was so sudden and unexpected, that it stunned me. He joined as usual for the morning prayer meeting one week. The next week he was gone. As I attended his funeral, my thoughts went back to a seminar on grief and mourning that was put on by Glenn and Roslyn Crichton, the founders of The Coping Centre. Let me share some of the insights that I learned.
I’m on vacation this week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2019 about how to be slightly less angry with your children.
While some parents treat anger as a discipline strategy, Scripture has convinced me that getting angry at children usually does more to model the parent’s lack of grace than it does to help build grace in children. This article looks at what you can do to be slightly less angry with your children.
I’m on vacation this week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2017 on How Funerals Help Us To Live.
When David Bowie passed away, according to his wishes he had a “direct cremation” without any funeral service. He was just gone without an opportunity even for family to mourn his loss. Are funerals outdated traditions? Should we replace them with happier substitutes? Or maybe just do away with them altogether?
I was on vacation last week, so I wanted to share an article I wrote back in 2016 on how to lead children to Jesus.
As a Christian parent, the greatest desire should be to see your child trust in Christ. But how do you do that? And how do you know what is happening in your child’s faith?
