where?
I should probably confess that prayer is one of the most difficult of all the means of connecting with God. In fact, right now I prefer to sit in silence than squeeze out a prayer. Wait. Maybe those are one and the same. Maybe. I wrote this in my journal recently: …the truth is that [...]
complacency and counting your blessings [the heart of thanksliving]
![complacency and counting your blessings [the heart of thanksliving]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/count-your-blessings-150x150.jpg)
OK, so yesterday I started off by saying that one of the keys to a heart of Thanksliving is learning the secret of contentment. Today for Thanksgiving, I want to share with you two other quick thoughts: First, it’s about Kicking Complacency. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of [...]
[reverend fun] something to believe in
![[reverend fun] something to believe in](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/reverend-fun-08082011-150x150.jpg)
We all do this, don’t we? We create our own systems based on what we think is best. But what if our kids started doing that too? It seems obvious that we are to follow the ways of God and not our own. When we come to salvation, we are to put off our [...]
the hard work of forgiveness [part two]
![the hard work of forgiveness [part two]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/mushroom-150x150.jpg)
“The only thing that takes more work, tears and sweat than division is reconciliation.” – Shane Claiborne You are not sure where to begin. You’ve forgiven another person’s words, actions and misdeeds, but you can not decide if you want them in your life anymore. There are so many parts of being together that you find life-draining, [...]
pursuing your passion
“Make your vacation your vocation.” That’s the advice that I received many years ago from a leader that I had come to respect. In this nugget of wisdom, he’s not talking about goofing off, or trying to make a living doing nothing. Rather, he’s talking about finding a way to make a living pursuing the [...]
the hard work of forgiveness [part one]
![the hard work of forgiveness [part one]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/forgiveness1-150x150.jpg)
I had bruised her heart and battered our friendship without reason, other than the immature excuse: “That was what everyone else was doing.” When it finally came time to back away from that swirling group of toxic and all of the same accusations and actions of hate were thrown my direction, I finally understood what [...]
what would you change?
If God gave you the ability to instantly change one thing in the contemporary church what would it be? Now when you answer the question think about the word church. It could refer to your local church group, your denomination, your church community, the North American church, the Asian church, etc. Most churches are different [...]
[the truth about evolution] tough questions that nobody is asking
![[the truth about evolution] tough questions that nobody is asking](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/creation-thumb-100x100.png)
The look of judgement that came when the question was asked indicated that she already had her mind made up that my position was unacceptable. She had a secular humanist worldview, and I had (and still have) a strong Biblical Christian worldview. And yet regardless of these fundamental differences, we were still friends. I forget how [...]
the truth about evolution: what separates us from the animals
Note:In honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, I plan to dedicate much of the month of February to a new series called ‘the truth about evolution’. In this series, I hope to present a respectful, yet challenging dialogue on the evolutionary argument. For me, one of the key questions in the discussion on evolution vs. [...]
do all gods point to the same god?
I say that all are calling on the same God…it is not good to feel that my religion is true and the other religions are false. All seek the same object. A mother prepares dishes to suit the stomachs of her children….God has made religions to suit different aspirants, times and countries. All doctrines are [...]
life on mars?
When we think about the possibility alien life, we usually think about life that comes from a planet in some distant system or other galaxy. But imagine that the one of the planets closest to us had a whole population of other life forms on it. Imagine a completely different race of “people” living there… so [...]
the truth about Jehovah’s Witness, part 5
As I wrap up this series about the Jehovah’s Witness faith, I would like to take the opportunity to address one of the most important points that I can about interacting with people in this faith-system. Much has been said about their bible (the New World Translation), their publications (The Watchtower), and many of their [...]
the truth about Jehovah’s Witness, part 4
So far in this series, I have discussed the Jehovah’s Witness belief system focusing on problems in translation of their “bible”, flawed interpretation of core beliefs, and flawed interpretation of religious practices. Now I want to take a look at one of the essential doctrines of Christianity, and that is regarding the God-nature of Jesus [...]
the truth about Jehovah’s Witness, part 3
In this series, I have already pointed out some flawed interpretation that leads to some of the core beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witness faith. I have also discussed how the quality of translation of the “Scriptures” used also gives reason to doubt the fundamental doctrines of this belief system. This time I’d like to take another [...]
the truth about Jehovah’s Witness, part 2
In my first article about the shaky foundation of the Jehovah’s Witness belief system focused on the credibility, or lack thereof, of their Bible (the New World Translation). Basically we’ve identified how other modern translations used techniques and scholars in such a way that anyone using these versions of the Bible can have confidence that they [...]
the truth about Jehovah’s Witness, part 1
I have had a recent visitor to my home. It is someone that most people are familiar with. A Jehovah’s Witness man and woman stopped by my house to deliver me a copy of Watchtower, and let me know that they would be happy to talk to me more about it. I looked at the “cover story” [...]
the truth about prayer in school
I am encouraged by recent stories from the “See You At The Pole” day on September 26th. To me there are few things as cool as seeing younger generations standing up for what they believe in, and making a public statement such as this. However many believe that prayer, and God, is being forced out [...]
the truth about abortion
Ronald Reagan once said, “I’ve noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.” There are few topics that are more sensitive, and that divide us more than that of abortion. The National Abortion Federation reports that, “One in three American women will have an abortion by age 45. Abortion is one of the [...]
the truth about tragedy
Why is there so much tragedy in the world today? Between terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and even personal tragedies like a loved one being diagnosed with a terminal cancer, we seem to regularly face adversity and tragedy. You cannot turn on the news without hearing about a tragic murder or some pedophile who taunts society [...]
the truth about global warming
There has been a great deal of debate recently over the whole global warming issue, and some may force it to become one of the major political issues in the 2008 elections. Meanwhile, the church has either been hesitant to pick a side in this debate, or has simply rejected the idea altogether because of [...]
what is truth? (part deux)
In a previous post, I spoke about how all “sources” of truth are valid. Truth exists, and at various times throughout history, we “discover” it. I believe that the Bible presents absolute truth, and that nothing in science that has been defined as absolute truth has yet to contradict it. There are also scientific theories [...]
what is truth?
Pontius Pilate asked these words, and since then the answer to this question has eluded many a great minds. But isn’t the Word very clear on this point? The Word of God is truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. But when you look at the world around you, how can so [...]
memoirs from the christian bubble
Have you ever been rocked so hard by a book that you start to rethink everything that you believe in? Well that’s what is happening to me right now. I am reading a phenomenal book by Dan Kimball called They Like Jesus but Not the Church. This book has helped me to realize that despite my best [...]
[epistle of james] chapter 5
Read James 5 (NASB, ESV, MSG) I’m watching a line form in the foyer. My belly is swollen 8 months large over our third child. It’s the annual church camping trip sign-ups. The line is getting long as I watch the early birds select their campsites. If you invite a friend, someone who doesn’t go to [...]
May 06, 2011 | Categories: authentic christianity, bible literacy, the latest | Tags: bible commentary, confession, distractions, epistle, hope, james, james 5:1-3, james 5:9, new testament, patience, prayer, truth, wealth | 3 Comments »