Where we’ll talk about things the Bible talks about and maybe seek to apply them deep into our lives.
It’s a bold claim to say that you aren’t entitled to your day of rest when so many Americans think they are entitled to their weekends and vacations. It is bold, but it isn’t without reason or distinction. To understand this, we need to understand the historical reasons for the Sabbath and what Jesus has called us to with the Sabbath.
If you want to read the article and reference them as I do, go ahead, it may save you 6 minutes.
Moralism is more about the compulsion for doing moral things whereas Morality encompasses the hopeful impact of moral actions.
A common by-product of our increasingly complex lives, as modern citizens of the world, is that we have available to us hundreds of perspectives and deviations of any sort of thought; in an instant. Suppose you were to research the science behind a new diet. Jump over to Google or maybe Youtube and what you would find are hundreds of people providing their 2 cents of anecdotal reasoning and the pontifying of that given method, fad, or diet. And again, you may find another hundred people demonizing the very same thing. Interesting enough, they often use the same words, the same sources, but just have different slants or opinions which causes even more confusion for us.
This makes wading through the massive amount of data out there, cumbersome, to say the least.
Key Working Idea: There are Complex Thoughts that are Butchered through Simplistic Thinking
One of the Continue Reading
We live in a consumed age. Those from the city busy themselves with nightlife and high-stress careers. Simpler folk from Rural Town, USA gorge themselves with fishing trips and fried foods. Introverts take to their books and movies; hardly ever looking up. Extroverts plan for parties and dinners. Men with sports and ladies with fashion.
Generalities, yes, but the picture is sure. Every ounce of our American culture has taken on various forms of self-indulgent behaviors and habits. We are consumed with our desires and sooner or later wake up realizing the slaves that we’ve become. Continue Reading
I stumbled across this refreshingly nuanced explanation and defense of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. In a day and age where the Bible is taken less and less seriously (most notably among Christians!) it is of utmost importance that we think deeply and dialogue well with people and culture. God has always spoke to His people but we don’t listen all that well or often.
50 Crucial Questions is a short read going over many of the questions that come up when talking about this subject. It is both thorough and concise. Something that I’ve grown to enjoy about Piper and Grudem.
The issue we face in this book is how men and women should relate to each other according to the Bible. We are concerned especially with how they relate in the home and in the church. The position we take affirms the complementary differences between men and women and spells out the implications of those differences for the way men and women relate to each other in the most fulfilling way.
We defend what Larry Crabb calls “enjoying the difference,” namely, that “the sexes are distinct in what they were fundamen- tally designed to give and in what brings them the greatest joy in relationship. . . . At the deepest level, a man serves a woman differently than a woman serves a man.”
Asking for more faith is a prayer that’s not outrageous. It’s been answered before.
Imagine you’re one of the teenagers running around the church at the tail end of a potluck. Your mom is picking up the last of your families contribution to the holy banquet and your dad is talking shop to some of the guys on the worship team. You look back over and your mom needs some help carrying the casserole to the car. You roll your eyes. Only a few more minutes to hang out with friends and now you have to clean up after the grown ups, great.
You take what you can, but you missed something. “Honey, can you grab the umbrella we brought in this morning too?” mom says in the distance. You keep walking; pretending not to hear. She speaks a little louder. You turn around, “Oh my God mom, give me a second.”
Suddenly, your moment of teen rebellion hits a high note. You’re getting stares from the old church ladies. They roll their own eyes and mumble something about using The Lord’s name in vain. Really? Is that really a big deal?
It’s truly amazing. Us humans Continue Reading
It’s a rare thing to ask someone in church if they would like to be better able to talk about their faith, and then hear them say, “No, I don’t.” The majority of church goers would at least humor the question asker and say that they would actually be really relieved if they knew a bit more on the subject. I think most of you really do want to know how to share your faith, it just comes down to the fact that you don’t reel prepared. Therefore, this resource is for you!
The question often arises, “but where do I start?” A lot of churches are able to offer classes on such matters but are poorly attended. Many smaller churches aren’t even resourced enough to be able to offer them. Real Life is at that size where we would love to offer classes about such things, but it would be a big thing to ask one of our already volunteers to head one up. Not to mention it’s hard to get 10 people to all be able to commit to a single time during the week. Soon enough, but it’s tough!
I’m an avid googler and internet crawler, whatever that means, and I’ve come across an old gem that may just help. It’s a book that Billy Graham and his team produced back in the 1980’s. Old, sure. Useful, probably. Continue Reading