When you first have children, you quickly learn the importance of establishing a routine and some structure in their lives. Meal times and nap times are sacred. It’s always three stories before bed and Mr. Bear must lie next to the pillow, or life just isn’t right. Children thrive in a routine. And when things change, when anything changes, they are quick to let you know that they don’t like it...
It can be disheartening, not to mention frightening, when our culture rejects aspects of Christianity as strange or offensive. When Christians feel isolated and alone, it’s helpful to remember this experience is nothing new for God’s people......
Our new location is Daniel Morgan Middle School. You can find us there every Sunday beginning August 6, 2017....
Change or die. That is reality for churches today. Of course, I am not talking about Scripture, doctrine, or spiritual disciplines changing. Those things are constants, never to be compromised. But much of what we do in our churches must change......
As fear began to consume me, every worst possible situation played out in my head. Had terrorists overcome the conference and taken captives? What would I do? My mind went through multiple scenarios: explaining to our children what had happened, looking for a job to support our family, and wondering whether to sell the house......
While I have studied the Bible in quite a bit of detail for forty years now, I have not until the last couple of years given much consideration to seeing the biblical revelation specifically in light of God’s plans for the new heavens and the new earth He speaks of so emphatically in 2 Peter 3:13....
It is obviously traditional to consider the resurrection of Christ on Easter. Many Christians are unaware of the fact that the Lord has provided us with what may be thought of as the “Full Mention” of Christ’s resurrection, together with the resurrection of the redeemed, in 1 Corinthians 15....
Our mind-sets make a huge difference in how we perceive our circumstances. What we expect shapes how we respond. If we expect peace, we will resent having to fight. If we expect rest, we will resent having to endure. If we expect leisure, we will resent having to work hard....
Today’s sobering question comes from a mother of a teenager, who asks this: “Hello, Pastor John. What would you do if your 14-year-old says she no longer wants to pray because she is no longer a Christian, doubts the existence of God, and doubts that Christianity is better than any other religion?...
So you’ve committed to reading the Bible again this year. Praise God. Maybe this is something new for you, one of your resolutions for the New Year. Or maybe you’re a seasoned, veteran reader, just hoping to maintain the patterns God has blessed over many years now...
So Donald Trump won. (I can’t believe I just typed that.) Maybe you voted one way. Maybe the other. What now, Christian?...
Our children begin to define themselves at a very young age, and the search for identity intensifies as they approach adolescence. Like all of us, our children will default to finding their identity in what others think or expect...
A second ceremony occurs when a son finishes high school. This, too, is a pivotal time, fraught with potential dangers. Upon leaving home for college, a young man discovers a newfound sense of freedom...
Age 13 is a pivotal time in a boy's life. A chemical called testosterone, the male sex hormone, which has always been present in smaller amounts, begins to appear in large quantities. Testosterone triggers the development of muscle tissue and transforms a boy's physical features...
Years ago I began meeting with two good friends, Bill Wellons and Bill Parkinson, to research, discuss and plan how to raise our sons into manhood. Then Ann Parkinson asked me a question I couldn't answer. She said: "Robert, how does a young man know when he has become a man?"...
David Wills faced a monumental task. Governor Andrew Curtin of Pennsylvania appointed him to oversee the burial of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers at Gettysburg. In addition, the 32-year-old attorney was to plan a dedication ceremony for this pivotal Civil War battle...
So you’ve committed to reading the Bible again this year. Praise God. Maybe this is something new for you, one of your resolutions for the New Year. Or maybe you’re a seasoned, veteran reader, just hoping to maintain the patterns God has blessed over many years now...
Keep Reading