Why Christians Should Care about the Facts (But Often Don’t)
Our church has been going through a study of the book of James. Last week we came upon a verse that is mightily convicting in this digital age: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; James 1:19 (ESV) You don’t have to parse the […]
Three Lessons for Christians from the Debt Crisis
I as I write this late at night, it still appears there is a stalemate on the debt crisis in Washington. Will the leaders come together and get a deal done? Will the markets react? We don’t know. But what can Christians learn from this crisis? I see three lessons: 1) When You Put Off […]
Friday Five – Bob Hostetler
Bob Hostetler is an award-winning writer, editor, pastor and speaker from southwestern Ohio. His twenty-six books, whichinclude The Bone Box and American Idols (The Worship of the American Dream), have sold millions of copies. He has co-authored eleven books with Josh McDowell, including the best-selling Right from Wrong (What You Need to Know to Help Youth Make […]
Friday Five: Sarah Pulliam Bailey
She’s interviewed everyone from Barack Obama to Billy Graham and her work is featured by news organizations such as USA Today. Sarah Pulliam Bailey is the Online Editor of Christianity Today, where her interviews with newsmakers often make news themselves. She’s also a monthly columnist for the Indianapolis Star and a contributor to Getreligion.org. I’ve […]
Faith at the Field Museum
This past Monday my wife convinced me that it was important to take our kids to the Field Museum in Chicago. Monday is typically my day off and this week the museum was free. So we packed the kids in the van and drove downtown. We live in the suburbs and like it that way, […]
Special Offer from Covenant Eyes
A few months ago I signed up for Covenant Eyes, what I consider the best Internet filtering system available. I signed up for three reasons: I love my marriage enough to protect it. I love my family enough to protect them. I love my church enough to protect what God has given me in them. […]
Christians and Conspiracy Theories
Most of Americans rejoiced at the swift justice we unexpectedly witnessed on Sunday with the capture of terrorist mastermind, Osama Bin Laden. Many gave important cautions against too much celebrating about the eternal damnation of a soul once created in God’s image. In the days since, as with any news story, there are conflicting accounts […]
Friday Five – Alex Chediak
Today more kids go to college than ever before and yet many wonder if kids are truly ready. How do parents and pastors and influencers prepare young people for this important phase of their lives? Today I’m blessed to chat with Alex Chediak, author of the newly released book, Thriving at College. Alex is an […]
Friday Five – Tim Sinclair
One of the ongoing conversations in the evangelical church is about marketing the gospel. There’s a tension. On the one hand, the gospel is decidedly countercultural. On the other hand, we want to contextualize the gospel to a modern world, so more people hear the message in their language and come to faith in Christ. […]
Why the Internet is Full of Temptations (and what we can do about it)
A few weeks ago, I signed up for the service, Covenant Eyes as a way of holding myself accountable for my online activity. The reason I chose Covenant Eyes is because it came highly recommended by pastors and Christian leaders. I like Covenant Eyes because it’s more than simply a filter, it’s accountability. Today, Luke […]
Christian Handwringing – A Favorite Pastime
Along with potlucks, bad hair, and cheesy TV, another favorite past time of Christians is hand-wringing. I say this as a lifelong Christian and a pastor. For some reason, we think we’re more spiritual when we’re beating up ourselves. The easiest sermon to preach for a pastor is the one that beats up on “the […]
How I Read the News
The news comes fast and furious these days, from a variety of sources. Online, on the phone, someone texting you, Twitter, Facebook, cable news. We’re long from the days when news came from three TV sources, the all-news radio station, and your daily newspaper. Truthfully, I’m getting most of my news these days from Twitter. […]