A lot of people don’t want to be in a church because?
Because the church is full of?
Hypocrites.
Churches are filled with hypocrites. Continue reading “Hypocrites in church isn’t the issue. Faithless pseudo-Christians are the issue.”
Category: Culture
John F. Kennedy was the Steve McQueen of presidents. His family were the reality stars before the Kardashians.
He would have turned 100 years old today. But he’s forever frozen in time as the vibrant, handsome president of the early 60s.
Ever since I was a kid, the presidency has fascinated me and JFK has been part of that fasciation. He’s often considered to be one of our ten best presidents. He continues to have one of the highest favorability ratings among former presidents. Kennedy biographer Robert Dallek Continue reading “JFK at 100”
There are two ways to go. The way of the wise and the way of the fool. This is based off of the wisdom tradition of the Old Testament. Which often talks about these two roads.
In James 3:13, he asks a rhetorical question, “Who is wise in understanding among you?”
Who’s wise?
James has much to say about wisdom.
There’s a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is knowing facts. Wisdom is living out a life that is applying what God has revealed.
Knowledge is knowing that you have brownie mix in the pantry. Wisdom is making brownies. Continue reading “Wisdom is as wisdom does “
I was in Florida several years ago and Florida was having wildfires. Some areas were evacuating. If a person smoked a cigarette, they were told that they couldn’t throw it on the ground or it would start a fire.
Something so small, such a small amount of smoke, could start a huge fire.
With our words, the tongue, a relatively small part of the body, can be hugely destructive if a person isn’t careful.
James uses fires as an illustration for the destruction that our words can cause. “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:5). Continue reading “Only you can prevent forest fires: the destructive force of our words “
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he says “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel” (Galatians 1:11).
That is one of the most fundamental misunderstandings that 21st century American society has with Christianity.
It is not man’s gospel. Continue reading “Not man’s gospel “
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins the sermon with a section called The Beatitudes, 8 statements, most of which seem counterintuitive at first glance. But these are much deeper than pithy statements. They point us to the ethics of Jesus.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Continue reading “Why does Jesus say “the poor in spirit” are blessed?”
The Bible is clear that we are justified by faith. Jesus died on the cross. Jesus’ life was enough, his death was enough, the blood that he spilled was enough, his body that was broken was enough, the life he was resurrected to was enough. We could not earn God, we could not be Godly, and from his mercy and goodness, Jesus came for us, to live for us, to die for us, to save us from our sins. And all you have to do is to trust in that, to have faith in that.
And when you do, God gives you his Spirit. Like the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Continue reading “Faith that works “
