My Love is Not Pure Enough
Do I love Christ purely enough to be saved. Of course not. But his love for you is more than enough. ...
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Prayer for the First Day of School
A prayer for parents to pray on the first day of school. ...
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Your Father in Secret
When our faith is only lived out in front of others, then the respect and love of others is all we get for it....
The Final Four: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell
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. ...
What Is Lent and Why Can't You Eat Chocolate?
Lent reminds us that suffering is not pointless, that there must be a death in order to be a resurrection....
On Guilt and Anxiety
Your sin is no match for God’s love. He has overwhelmed and forgiven it. ...
Church Should be Easy - new
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, Revivals, and RiverOaks
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. ...
What is Holy Week and How do I prepare for it?
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....
My Faith is Not Strong Enough
Maybe you have no peace because your faith is not strong enough. Much more likely, you have no peace because you are looking to your faith to give you peace instead of looking to Christ alone. ...
Keep ReadingJesus Only part 1 From God’s Way of Peace by Horatius Bonar Updated to modern usage by Ricky Jones
What keeps Christians from enjoying the peace God wants them to enjoy? If you understand the gospel, but still do not have peace, I would invite you to go back and examine the gospel again. You are probably resting peace on yourself and not on Christ. In this Chapter, Bonar looks at every reason you might think God rejects you and corrects your understanding of the Gos...
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Thank God for Arguments
Many couples assume conflict means they have marital problems. It is truer to say conflict means a marriage exists. By pressing into conflict we learn how to love each other better and move toward the goal of marriage: oneness. ...
Keep ReadingLeftover Questions
The resurrection is proof of God's radical commitment to his creation. He loves all of it, and is committed to redeeming it completely. ...
Keep ReadingThe Unexpected Legacy of Divorce
My review of Judith Wallerstein's important book: "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce." On my 45th birthday I have much to be thankful for: family, friends, work. My entire life has been one example after another of falling backwards into grace. Yet with all those blessings, I am still haunted by my parents' divorce. Having deep instability at that point in your life sha...
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Law -- Words You Thought You Knew
The law goes far beyond our outward, bodily actions. We must keep the law from our hearts or we do not keep it at all. ...
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Putting Testosterone to Work
Why did God give men all this testosterone if He didn't want us to use it? We still have enemies we need to fight. Identify them, and fight to win....
Keep ReadingNever By Yourself
Week 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 ReadingLike a Man: Why Even Try?
God 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. ...
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