In the midst of all these glorious Easter celebrations — however appropriate they are — it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Easter calls for humility and repentance.
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06 Articles
Lance Armstrong and fallen heroes
Fallen heroes teach us that we need more than an earthly hero. Throughout biblical history, God gave us fallen heroes and failed solutions to prepare us for the only solution that works.
Solomon’s wisdom and last resorts
Solomon had real wisdom to offer a broken world. Yet, he failed to learn the most important lesson: Solomon valued the gift of wisdom more than the Giver of the gift.
The Vow of Jephthah
The story is tragic in part because he expected an animal, but also because his vow reveals his lack of faith in God.
Where was the manger and what was the inn?
You have seen, heard, and sung the Christmas story so often you can recite the details by heart. Most of what you know is likely “cultural mythology.”
Are congregations a means to an end or a flock to shepherd? 3 examples
What happens when pastors start looking at their congregation as a means to an end instead of a flock to shepherd? Consider these real-life examples of the ways 3 different churches went about seeking volunteers.
NT Wright and Eleanor Bramwell
Are we to believe NT Wright, like Dr. Bramwell, is the first to get it right? Should we so easily brush away “centuries of theological tradition”? Chronological snobbery cuts both ways.
Prayer and rain: Does God answer prayer?
Why should I have confidence that God answers my prayers? According to James, I have confidence that my prayers will be answered because of who is answering my prayer, not because my prayer is perfect, powerful or articulate.
Questioning desire
Desires play a key role in the life of faith. The question is how we handle our desires and whether we are willing to listen to what God says about them.
Should I marry a man with pornography struggles?
A recently engaged woman learned her fiancee has “ongoing struggles with pornography.” She isn’t sure what to do. Assuming sin usually runs deeper than we care to admit, my advice would be postpone the wedding until the she can answer “yes” to two questions.
All hardship is not harmful
When did we learn that all hardship is harmful, that every unknown is dangerous, and that even the tiniest failure must be avoided? It is a logical conclusion if we alone are responsible for everything, but James would say otherwise.
Finding the Will of God
If we accept the fact that God is our Father, our Provider and our Redeemer, does it make sense that He would hide His will from us? Yet many Christians talk about the “will of God” as if finding it is a version of the con man’s three-shell game.