I know from experience that when faced with troublesome circumstances beyond our control, our natural reaction is to fear, but we must ask ourselves, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" Have we forgotten our Father, and how many times he has delivered us? Yes, the storm is raging, but he can … Continue reading Why Are You So Afraid?
Many of our mundane moments go unnoticed, but we should pause to appreciate them occasionally because they will soon come to an end. I am sure this will sound strange to some of you, but I take pleasure in pulling out a chair and sitting next to a table or desk. The simpler, the better. … Continue reading Finding Joy in the Ordinary
Some of the most significant damage we inflict on our life together is caused by our efforts to create Christian community. If you asked 100 churchgoers to define “Christian community,” you would end up with 100 variations—many idealistic and unfeasible. Now, consider that many of those churchgoers expect their church to meet their expectations, and … Continue reading Does Your Church Lack Community? This Might Be the Problem.
To borrow a phrase from C.S. Lewis, every worldly pleasure you are pursuing is “doomed to final frustration.” These include sinful pleasures and lawful ones. One day, they will either fail to live up to your expectations, or death will come knocking on your door and steal them from your hands. This final frustration means … Continue reading Doomed to Final Frustration
The crises that test men are always small. A man is never revealed when he is prepared for the occasion of examination. We are never really manifested if we have been notified beforehand that we are going to be examined. It is true in every area of life, that the test announced and prepared for, … Continue reading Small Moments Define Us
We all struggle with sin, but we must remember that sin makes us foolish. It is never reasonable, and when we are in the throes of temptation, we often become ignorant. It is as if sin puts blinders on our eyes, causing us to forget what is important to us. These blinders are why, when … Continue reading 7 Things to Remember When Tempted to Sin
As she sat at her desk, the thought of her husband’s death stole the air from her lungs. She wanted to carry her weight, but gravity had multiplied seven times. She might as well have been physically ill, for the bodily fatigue was overwhelming. She barely had the strength to lift her arms to the … Continue reading In the Shadows of Grief: A Short Story
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. It’s interesting to see how flaccid the “new atheism” movement is today. While the infamous “four horsemen” of atheism once strode valiantly across the meager lands of fideist Christians, they now find themselves described as “cultural Christians,” even saying, “I … Continue reading Perhaps Christianity’s Greatest Weakness is its Strength
God is doing more in our hardships than we can possibly conceive. Imagine you come down with an illness, or maybe you do not need to imagine it because you are facing something like that right now. This malady is not a short illness; it is something long and troublesome, so you ask the Lord … Continue reading A Thousand Wheels of Providence
I sometimes hope at the closing hour, when I shall exchange worlds, that Jesus will help me to lay hold of every sinful serpent that has long twisted around my soul, and keeps me company all my pilgrimage; and enable me, by the hand of faith, to hold them up, crying out: Behold the heads … Continue reading The Sinful Serpents Twisted Around My Soul
The Fight of Faith 