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“Emergence” and “Emergency” Go Hand in Hand in Life. Emergency physicians conducting a trauma resuscitation. July 9, 2016, Hoot504; Creative Commons. I love the word “emergence.” I have far more positive vibes with “emergence” than I do with “emergency,” as I suppose you would expect. Still...

Got Risk . . . Discomfort? [ 1 min read ★ ] For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere—Psalm 84:10 Years spent in luxury and comfort can’t compare to one day spent with God—in his...

Dead Christians Are of No Value To The Devil: Reflections On Joseph, Propaganda and The Church A dead Christian is of no value to the Devil. Only a Christian who is still alive is worth Satan’s time and efforts. This is an obvious truth, assuming the particular, physically deceased person in...

How to Let Go of Resentment and Achieve a Happy Marriage Sitting in my office, Felicia, 35, described the bitterness and resentment she has toward Erik, 37, because he invited his mother to visit for two weeks without consulting her. She has never felt close with her mother-in-law, who she...

Don't Forget the Invite [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . and he will give you another Helper—John 14:16 With his time on earth ending, Jesus told his disciples, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another...

What Christian Growth Looks Like What Christian Growth Looks Like Philippians 1:9-11 When you look at a person, you can estimate the biological age. A baby crawls and cries dada, mama, gaga, googoo. A child walks and speaks innocently. A teenager has grown in height and with more vocabulary and...

7 things happy couples do daily Harold and Louise have been married for half a century, but they still act like a couple of teenagers in love. When I first met them at a marriage conference where my wife Ashley and I were speaking, I asked Louise, “What’s your secret? Whatever you two are doing...

5 Purposes God Created You For We were created for a very specific purpose, and here are four specific purposes for which God created you. To Glorify God Everything was created for a purpose…including us. The Bible is clear about one of our purposes, and that is that we are to glorify God...

Let’s Anticipate the Incredible Experience of Worshipping in Heaven with All God’s People Most people know that we’ll worship God in Heaven. But they don’t grasp how thrilling that will be. Multitudes of God’s people—of every nation, tribe, people, and language—will gather to sing praise to God...

Want More Persevere(ability)? [ 1 min read ★ ] Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour—1 Peter 5:8 The ability to persevere—to remain strong and steadfast in the face of difficulties and delays and distractions—is a fundamental...

How to Destroy an Idol By definition, an idol is something that is not true. Something to which we allow inaccurate importance, improper worship, and/or undue worth. We all have idols in our lives. Some of our idols have made plain their inadequacies and we are fighting every day to rid...

A CHRISTIAN IS ODD FOR GOD: A Study in 1 Peter Most non-Christians see Christians as odd. Giving your money to God is odd. Not having sex outside of marriage is odd. Not getting drunk or high is odd. Forgiving your enemy is odd. And, having a personal relationship with someone you cannot see...

4 Things to Consider When Expressing Your Needs to Your Partner Many couples come to my office for counseling looking for advice about how to express their needs effectively to their partner. For good reason, they often express frustration about not getting their needs met. For instance, Alison...

Why do optimists live longer? Trusting God when it’s hard to trust God Here’s some good news: to live longer, focus on good news in the news. A study now being reported by the Washington Post notes that people with the highest levels of optimism enjoyed a life span between 11 and 15 percent...

We're Here, Now What? Love one another with brotherly affection—Romans 12:10 We can’t live the full lives promised to us by our King, Jesus Christ, if we’re not in regular, authentic community with other...

What Does It Mean, “Work Out Your Own Salvation?” Paul says we should work out our own salvation, so does this mean we’re saved by our own works? Salvation Jesus Christ introduced the gospel by saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the...

Brother, Today, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is to be connected with other men in authentic community. In fact, I firmly believe we can’t live the abundant lives God wants for us without connecting with our brothers. When we live in honest, transparent brotherhood, we gain...

With Whom Do You Gather? [ 1 min read ★ ] For where two or three are gathered . . . there am I among them—Matthew 18:20 We men often find it hard to gather with other men in Christian community. Calendars...

Acts 28 Paul eventually arrived in Rome (AD 60-62). There he was allowed to have his own rented apartment (16, 30), which enabled him to have all the visitors he would like. Paul remained in Roman custody for 2 more years (30). This is perhaps the setting of four of Paul’s letters: Ephesians...

Acts 27 Today’s reading recounts Paul’s journey to Rome. Because the fall was upon them, it was “already after the Fast” (9; in AD 59, the fast was Oct 5. Sailing in the Mediterranean was considered dangerous after Sept. 14. The wisest course would have been to wait until the Spring to venture...