Looking back, he was unsure how he ended up here. He was working too many hours in a career he didn’t respect, with people of questionable integrity, but he was one of the privileged few. He had worked his way into the inner sanctum, but now that he had some time to get outside of himself, he began to question why he wanted it in the first place. CLICK TO READ MORE
In our church services, we go through all the external bodily motions, but as to the prostration of the soul, we are, for the most part, oblivious and unconcerned. We think that we have done our duty to God if we have gone through the appointed external rituals, though our heart has not accorded with … Continue reading When Church Becomes an Empty Ritual
Some Christian doctrines are weightier than others. When discussing Christian theology, many of us have heard the helpful quote attributed to Augustine, "In the essentials, unity, in the non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity." There is much to be learned from this quote, but did you know that many Bible teachers identify four different … Continue reading 4 Categories of Doctrinal Weight in Christian Theology
He sat in church while the pastor delivered eternal truths but could not stay awake. Soul-saving exhortation was coming at him, but he was busy catching his head every time he nodded off. It wasn’t that he had had a busy week or even stayed up too late the night before; it was that he … Continue reading Stay Awake
We are consumers at heart. Many people today believe that life's goal is to strive for abundance so they can consume abundantly. The underlying assumption is that this is the way to happiness. However, possessing contentment is better than possessing anything you believe will make you happy. It is common to think, "If I only … Continue reading 4 Reasons Possessions Do Not Lead to Contentment
Those who teach that works must be added to faith as a condition for salvation can never tell you when you have done enough. This fact alone exposes why you will never find assurance of salvation in their systems. The problems with believing our right standing before God is a result of Christ’s work, plus … Continue reading The Pitfalls of Faith Plus Works
The first thing to enter her mind as the veil of sleep lifts is her recent diagnosis. She looks down at the book in her lap and remains cradled in the easy chair. She runs her fingers over the book cover—treasuring how it feels in her hands. She lets her fingers linger over the spine … Continue reading The Lifted Veil: A Short Story
Everything short of hell is mercy. This one truth should change the way we view our hardships and frustrations, no matter how terrible they may be. If we, as sinners, are not facing the wrath of the infinitely Holy God at this moment, our life is better than we deserve. That is true for every … Continue reading Everything Short of Hell is Mercy
In the parable of the tenants, the temptation faced by the workers is still faced by many churches today. The tenants wanted the vineyard for themselves. They wanted complete control of what did not belong to them. They desired to build their own kingdom, not someone else’s. They had been working the vineyard for years … Continue reading A Warning to Churches from the Parable of the Tenants
Last night, I woke up thinking about something I had witnessed long ago that had disturbed my young faith. The years have stolen most of the details of that night from my memory, but the impactful aspect of the event still lingers. It was one of those moments when the simplicity of youth is confronted … Continue reading A Disturbance at the County Fair
The Fight of Faith 