The Full Measure Of The Blessing Of Christ by Maxie Dunnam

June 29, 2015

Christ comes to free us; he comes to fit us for Kingdom living, and he comes to fill us, to fill us with his Holy Spirit. And that’s our need, friends, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Transparency: True Clear by Elizabeth Glass Turner

June 27, 2015

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no…

Martyred Velociraptors And Vegetarian Vampires: The Christian Roots Of Redemption In Hollywood by Philip Tallon

June 25, 2015

There’s an operative logic of redemption running so deep in Western storytelling that, given enough time, we should expect that all villains will eventually become heroes. Origen may have been wrong to state that even the devil will eventually be saved, but a certain kind of “narrative universalism” is true in Hollywood.

The Difficulty Of Simplicity by Jeff Rudy

June 24, 2015

And so we come to see that living in simplicity goes hand in hand with a life in pursuit of holiness, or sanctifying grace. For if you do a word search of “simplicity” through Wesley’s works, you will quite often find that he speaks of it in relation to Mary’s action of sitting by Jesus feet, drawing deeply from the well of the “one thing” known as intimate discipleship rather than Martha’s actions of being concerned about “many things.”

Christian Love: I Forgive You by Cole Bodkin

June 22, 2015

Many emotions welled up within me as I heard the news of the recent tragedy break. But the one that…

Honoring The Martyrs Of Emanuel AME by Kevin Murriel

June 20, 2015

Racial reconciliation calls people to have “out of the ordinary” moments frequently. It challenges our social and spiritual status quo. One response to the tragedy at Mother Emanuel should be for churches to have more “out of the ordinary” moments with people of a different race around conversations that make us uncomfortable. It is the best way forward.

Imagining Identity: When A Group Is Haunted By Suffering by Elizabeth Glass Turner

June 18, 2015

The media photographer clicked at just the right moment. The woman’s face is crumpled, crying out, grieving. In fact, the…

What The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Me About Prayer by Jim Lo

June 17, 2015

The Lord’s prayer therefore begins
by putting, not us,
but God the Father
at the center of the picture.

The circumference can only be right
when the center is right.

A Fool And His Money by Mark Trotter

June 13, 2015

Incidentally, the Greek word translated “required of you” can also be translated as “a payment due.” That is the real point of the parable. Not just your possessions, but your life belongs to God. That is the classical, Christian understanding of our lives. We are sojourners here, pilgrims, travelers. In the beautiful words of the Letter to the Hebrews, “Here on earth have we no continuing place.” We are here for a short time. We are supposed to use that time in order to live responsibly as stewards of the gifts that God has given to us. Christians have always believed that. We are just travelers, passing through, so make the most of it.

What The Church Can Do During Exile by Timothy Tennent

June 11, 2015

Jeremiah reminds us that we do not respond with hatred or anger to those who have plotted our demise. We pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. We pray for the well-being of a church which celebrates false prophets (Jeremiah 28). We realize – and this is the real lesson of Jeremiah – that judgement is actually a “means of grace.” The historic churches in the western world are under God’s judgment. I do not want to add to anyone’s weariness by repeating all the signs of this. But I do think we need to remember that Jeremiah promised that in 70 years their exile would come to an end and that God would, once again, bless them.