Humility climbed off the plane a couple of decades ago in the form of David Robinson. Bigger markets offered more lights and hype, but David was content with playtime and victories. I’ve called David a friend for most of those years. I’ve seen the rings he won, the honors he’s received, but I’ve never seen a chest bump or a court side strut. I’ve seen David pray often and preach occasionally, but I’ve never seen him swing an elbow or get a coach fired. I’ve heard him brag about his wife, kids and Savior, but I’ve never heard him bemoan his salary or city.
How to Survive a Cultural Crisis
People around the world now and throughout history have suffered far more than Christians in America presently do. And we don’t assume Satan had the upper hand there, do we?
Each nation and age has a unique way to express its depravity, to attack God. But none will succeed any more than the crucifixion succeeded in defeating Jesus. Yes, he died. But three days later he got up from the dead.
God Often Does His Best Work in the Darkness
Being in the valley of trials stinks. It’s painful, disorienting, and confusing. As we stagger and stumble along we often wonder, Where is God? Why is he allowing me to go through this? We feel stuck and broken, like we can’t move forward. We are perplexed, crushed, weighed down, and in the dark. We move ahead slowly, groping and grasping, hoping to find a handhold.
The reality is, however, that God often does his best work in the darkness.
God Has Made Himself Available
In Hebrews 10:11-22 we learn that the exclusivity of the temple was temporary. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection opened the way for the whole world to have access to God. The curtain has been torn and the walls of separation between man and God have been removed by Jesus Christ. The Hebrew writer tells us that Christ’s sacrifice has made us perfect (Heb 10:14) and the result of that is our ability to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb 10:19-22).
5 Strategies to Get More Out of the Sermon
You have a role to play in helping your preacher preach better. At the top of the list are time and prayer.
A sermon, like any form of communication, can go in one ear and out the other. Worse, a sermon can find hospitality in the head and hostility in the heart. Many of us struggle with the weekly homily. We struggle applying it, remembering it, living it out, and making sense of it in a world wherein we hear so many messages all the time.
When Your Sermon Is Only A Single
Each week, we hope that our sermon will be a homerun. However, I’ve hit a lot more singles and doubles than triples. I’ve hit even fewer homeruns. In all honesty, there are many Sundays my sermon feels like a poorly executed bunt that I have to hustle out to first base. So what are you to do when you just hit a single?
Big Question: What Day Changed the Course of Christian History?
For the inaugural article in our new series “Big Questions,” The Gospel Coalition asked four Christian historians, “After AD 70, what day most changed the course of Christian history?”
How Happiness Changes With Age
They found that younger bloggers described experiences of happiness as being times when they felt excited, ecstatic, or elated — they way you feel when you are anticipating the joys the future will bring – like finding love, getting ahead at work, or moving to a new town.
Older bloggers were more inclined to describe happy experiences as moments of feeling peaceful, relaxed, calm, or relieved – they way you feel when you are getting along with your spouse, staying healthy, and able to make your mortgage payments. This kind of happiness is less about what lies ahead, and more about being content in your current circumstances.
Drought May Have Killed Sumerian Language
A 200-year-long drought 4,200 years ago may have killed off the ancient Sumerian language, one geologist says.
Because no written accounts explicitly mention drought as the reason for the Sumerian demise, the conclusions rely on indirect clues. But several pieces of archaeological and geological evidence tie the gradual decline of the Sumerian civilization to a drought.
Doctor stops accepting insurance, lowers prices and posts costs online
On April 1, Ciampi lowered his prices and posted the costs online. For example, an office visit in which patients discuss “one issue of moderate complexity or 2-3 simple issues” costs $75. When Ciampi accepted insurance, the visit would run $160, according to the Bangor Daily News