An intelligent but dependably maddening uber-liberal Facebook friend recently posted a thought on “traditional marriage.” Ordinarily not one to quote the Bible, he nonetheless cited 1 Kings 11:3: “(Solomon) had seven hundred wives … and three hundred concubines.” My friend expresses “a lot more of a problem with that” (Solomon’s nuptials) than with modern “marriage equality.” Why shouldn’t two people [...]
As deeply as I believe God made mankind in His image, I am similarly as convinced God’s life is very different from ours. This does not require deep theology. I simply believe Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His image” and God’s declaration in Isaiah 55:8-9, “… my ways are higher than your ways.” But, to paraphrase, if we are [...]
The weekly church sign read: “Who will be in heaven because of you?” Great question. My inner reaction, embarrassingly, was a spontaneous jumble of off-point, defensive, legalistic, self-centered, arrogant, judgmental questions. I wondered … am I doing enough? Is my walk straight enough? Is my witness true enough? Is my writing about Christ affecting anyone in a positive way? And, [...]
Exactly how any one of us might come to faith in Christ is, to me, one of the great mysteries in life. All of us as believers have family, friends, associates – shoot, everybody we encounter – with whom we want to share this great gift. And that’s what the Bible tells us to do – make “disciples of all [...]
Most people in our culture know the basics of the Christian story. Jesus was born peacefully in a manger, died violently on a cross, came back unexpectedly from the dead, and somehow because of all that our sins are graciously forgiven and we can go eternally to heaven. And, oh yeah: Jesus Saves, Jesus is the Son of God, and [...]
Early in the project, “The Bible” miniseries producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey – both life-long Christian believers and successful secular entertainment figures – sought advice from noted pastor and author Rick Warren, who offered: - Tell the Story. The Bible is a love story, not a documentary; take some chances. - Let the story stand. The Bible explains and [...]
Tip: Watch “The Bible,” History Channel, Sundays at 8 p.m. throughout March. The truth is I don’t watch a whole lot of TV. And while I am good-naturedly chuckling as I think about this, I especially have no interest in reality shows like “Survivor” and am offended by the “historical Jesus” nonsense routinely offered as “documentary” programming. The manufactured predicaments [...]
Even people who are not especially close to God are often quick to blame God when things – health, relationships, jobs, money, dreams, etc. – fall apart in their lives. “If God loved me, He wouldn’t let this happen …” Conversely, believers are quick to blame Satan when things fall apart in theirs. “The enemy is attacking me,” they piously [...]
Recently I heard an earnest ESPN radiodiscussion about idols and later that day saw an unrelated online post from a long-ago friend about open-mindedness. The sports talk was about whether current basketball player LeBron James would ever be “idolized” to the same extent as Michael Jordan. My long-ago friend extolled the joy of living near San Francisco where everyone is [...]
Valentine’s Day is a great holiday to have in the middle of winter – the passionate warmth of love imprinted on our minds and bodies amid the frost and desolation of mid-February. The great chapter about love in the Bible is generally considered to be Paul’s 1 Corinthians 13 in the New Testament, but it has nothing to do with [...]
