My depression forced me to see the worst version of myself, and allowed me to see the true nature of God's love for me....
Exhaustion and depression feel eerily similar. Often the two come together. ...
Christians suffer with depression like everyone else. Some Christians let their faith make the depression worse by beating themselves up or hiding it. The good news is that depression can be managed and treated. ...
Over the past 18 months, I went into a deep depression, and God steadily pulled me out. This series of blog posts will describe how I got there, what if felt like, and how I got out. I hope it helps you who struggle with depression, and you who love someone who does. ...
Depression lied to me. It told me I had never been happy, and never would be happy. ...
As depression started closing in on me, the unaddressed trauma of my past began to weigh heavily on my heart. ...
The 7th Commandment not only prohibits adultery, it also prohibits all sexual immorality and it commands all efforts towards purity and love. Sunday's sermon was not long enough to cover the many topics that spring out of a discussion of this commandment. Here is a beginning list of resources for further growth in grace....
Today we look at the new covenant instituted by Jesus, and how it is the fulfillment of all of the other covenants in the Bible....
The covenant with David is about how God rules and protects His people....
Today, we look at the covenant God made with Moses and Israel surrounding the Ten Commandments and the law of God....
This week, we learn about the covenant God made with Abraham, and what circumcision has to do with God's promises....
This week, we look at the third covenant in the Bible, the covenant God made with Noah (and the animals)....
Today we look at the covenant that God made with Adam....
A deeper look at the different parts of a covenant, and why Abram fell asleep before the ratification of God's covenant with him....
God created the heavens and the earth in a personal, covenantal way....
Celebrating Holy Week during social distancing makes us feel a pronounced longing. We long to be together, and to have God make all things right. ...
My recommendations for films that will help illustrate the meaning of Holy Week events....
What do we know? We know that we have each other, a church body that cares for us and misses us. We know that Jesus, the true Son of God, is a light that shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overwhelm us. We know that our God has promised to walk with us through the valley of dark shadows, so we fear no evil. We know that Jesus was raised from the dead, so we have the hope of life eternal....
This world is not what we expect it to be. Sometimes we do everything right, but still get run over. Jesus knew that was coming. He lived a perfect life, and got run over worse than any of us. But that is not the end of the story. He overcame the world. His victory gives us hope. ...
A prayer for parents to pray on the first day of school. ...
When our faith is only lived out in front of others, then the respect and love of others is all we get for it....
Join us for the next four weeks as we take the journey every church must travel. We will study death, the judgment, heaven and hell. We will answer our questions, feel our fears, and emerge more ready to enjoy life than ever. ...
Lent reminds us that suffering is not pointless, that there must be a death in order to be a resurrection....
Your sin is no match for God’s love. He has overwhelmed and forgiven it. ...
According to Harold Best, God created worshippers. We were created pouring out worship. Each member of the Trinity continually worships the others. God created us in his image. We were created to pour out worship upon the Trinity, but since we are fallen we worship created things rather than the creator....
Awakenings occur within the church. People who have continued to come to church for years realize that they have never known Jesus, never felt his love, never hated their sin, never really believed. ...
The last week of March, starting on Palm Sunday, March 25th, and culminating on Easter Sunday, April 1st, is known as ‘Holy Week.’ Some consider this week the most important week in the entire church year. During this week, we follow the timeline of Jesus’ last week before His resurrection. You can read about this ‘final week’ in all four of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with each gospel writer giving slightly different perspectives on the events of the week....
When you set out to correct a besetting sin you will fail, often. The key is to keep getting up, keep asking for Jesus forgiveness, and keep trying. Some people feel so much guilt with each failure, they are tempted to give up completely. The only way to fail is to quit trying. ...
Keep ReadingWhen we confuse the order and priority of biblical truths, we often lose the good news. ...
Keep ReadingWhen we look at the slow process of growing in holiness, sometimes we get discouraged or even doubt our salvation. Remember the work of the Spirit in you does not alter or take anything away from the finished work of Christ for you. Christ's work for you is the ground of your peace. ...
Keep ReadingWe easily get led astray into thinking of the gospel as a new law. Now all we have to do is believe and be saved. Not only is this completely untrue, but it is unhelpful. This idea just throws us into the never ending loop of wondering whether or not we have believed sincerely enough. Jesus did not come to make it easier for us to save ourselves. He came to save us. ...
Keep ReadingWeek in and week out, we make promises to ourselves. We will never commit this sin again. We will throw away the phone number, the liquor bottle, or block the website. We make deals with ourselves, "I will let it slide this time, but if I commit that sin again, I'm going to confess. In truth, with the Holy Spirit you can put any sin to death but you will never do it b...
Keep ReadingGod has saved us from sin and all its effects. As we strive toward holiness, he works in us making us desire what is good and empowering us to do what is good. ...
Keep ReadingClearly we have a sense that being a man means something. Even that a man is a noble thing to become. The bible shares that sentiment by the way (For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God . . . 1 Corinthians 11:7 ESV). We even seem to come into the world with an implicit knowledge that being a man involves hard and worthwhile tasks. So w...
Keep ReadingWhen we accomplish some goals and conquer some bad habits we feel a healthy sense of joy. How do we keep pride from ruining those accomplishments?...
Keep ReadingSanctification always hurts, because we must continually face what we cannot do. Only then do we repent and fully embrace the love we have in Christ. ...
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