Shnide

We live in the age of "cheap grace", and as a pastor I often hear Christians suggest that God doesn't really care if you still stumble around in sin -- it's all forgiven anyway.  So, they not only make little effort to be godly, but they believe that God doesn't insist on it anymore ("cause it's legalistic!").   But the Apostle Peter puts the lie to that: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to... Read Full Story

It's painful to look at, isn't it? Some of you may have lost loved ones there (let's not forget the Pentagon, etc, too). And now, nine years later, we're still trying to sift through the emotional debris. Why did God permit this? Why have Islamic fanatics become our enemies? Why do they scream such hateful chants? As I've read through the prophecy of Isaiah again, God has been reminding me that when a country claims to be in covenant with Him certain principles come into play. And as you... Read Full Story

      It has become very popular in some Christian circles today to argue that science has trumped the creation account, and that now we must fit God's Word into the "proofs" of science, rather than the other way around.  Let me tell you why, as believers in the salvation of Jesus Christ, we must reject that completely . 1.  First,  if we are to suggest that man simply evolved out of the dust of the ground, we are striking at the the very heart of Scripture and its entire teaching... Read Full Story

I can't tell you how often I've wrestled with disillusionment in ministry.....just as many of you have probably wrestled with the hypocrisy you see in yourself and other Christians. We tend to enter church (and its ministry) with many pre-conceived ideas of what church should look like -- what fellowship "ought" to be; what Christians "ought" to act like, etc.   And before long our dreams are shattered, and we either retreat to another church to try all over again, or we just simply leave... Read Full Story

     It's very popular in some circles to recount "near-death experiences" as proof of the after-life:  "I saw a light"  "I was taken at supersonic speed by angels through a dark tunnel up into heaven" .  Even my late father-in-law (an unbeliever) had one of these Peaceful Light experiences, and was convinced from that point forward that he didn't need Christ to get to Heaven.      But have you ever noticed how deafeningly silent the Bible is about this so-called phenomenon? Wouldn't you... Read Full Story

      Are you aware that God will judge us for every talent He has given us, but which we haven't used?      In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the story of a man who entrusted his servants with his property.  One received five talents, one two, and one received one talent.... "each according to his ability" (vs. 15).  Then the master went away.  Upon his return he discovered that the men who had received five and two talents had used them well and wisely, but the man who only received one talent... Read Full Story

      According to the website TOP10 Reviews internet pornography is a multi-billion dollar business, which affects not only men and women in our secular culture, but also many families in our churches:   The statistics are truly staggering. According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. In that same second 372 internet users are typing adult... Read Full Story

A provocative new study posted in 2008 suggests that the brains of heterosexual and homosexual persons are significantly different.  It has given ammunition to the humanists who would argue that homosexuality is a genetic condition which is as natural to men as heterosexuality; "Therefore , they assert, it is no longer a moral issue. One can hardly be condemned for being born a certain a way!"  Of course, at face value when looking at this study we have to question which came first, the... Read Full Story

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility...." Col 2:16-18 In his book The Grace Awakening , Chuck Swindoll tells the almost absurd story of a... Read Full Story

       I've been reading the runaway bestseller by Francis Chan called "Crazy Love" , and it has been smacking me upside the head like I haven't been smacked for a long time. You see, I've been getting lazy lately.  Spiritually lazy.  I turned 50 a couple of years ago, and have found myself increasingly stepping back from the spiritual passion that consumed me in my younger years (including this blog).  "Been there. Done that.  Feeling bored."           Part of it, I think, was the death... Read Full Story