Articles
Living Beyond Christian Autonomy
One of the greatest counterfeits to living like Jesus is living in Christian autonomy—trying to be like Him without Him. I’d sum up autonomy in this context with one word: self-reliant. The Burden of Christian Autonomy The problem, of course, is that, from start to...
Why Watch Films as a Spiritual Practice?
Because the Bible contains so many universally powerful themes, it’s not uncommon to find connections between the art we love and the church traditions we grow up with. I discovered this at a pivotal Maundy Thursday service in high school. As I listened to a member of...
Discover Biblical Archeology Resources to Strengthen Faith
"Tim, you've done something no one else has been able to do before." said noted apologetics author and professor Norman Geisler. He referred to how Tim Mahoney demonstrated a powerful pattern of evidence for the Exodus events through film. It showcased the proof of...
Preparing for Death with Faith: A Guide for Pastors and Families
Life is not a horizontal line. Instead, it is full of opposites, ups and downs, sorrows and joys. Life is also short, and because of the culture’s deception to and of death, death has become a part of the cycle of life. We experience it with our loved ones, our...
Read the Bible as Drama for Family Discipleship
I’m not an actor. The closest I came to acting was as a high school senior, when I agreed to be in a play that never came about. For whatever reason, not enough guys were available to perform, and I reluctantly agreed after quite a bit of cajoling. I can’t remember...
How Can I Believe God Protects Me When Tragedy Strikes?
“I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” PSALM 91:2 In my head, I know God is my Protector. But sometimes my heart struggles to feel protected by God. At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced some kind of...
When God Makes Promises
God makes promises. And then he waits. Sometimes for a really long time. Long enough for us to wonder if we imagined the promises. Long enough for us to wonder if he’s forgotten them. Maybe we misheard? Maybe we misunderstood? The Struggle of Waiting on God's Promises...
Finding Wholeness in Christ
On November 17, 1988, in Lexington, North Carolina, I was born with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome. Put bluntly, the left side of my face and parts of my body were badly broken. Nurses would return every few minutes with a new discovery of...
How to Help Kids Study the Bible as They Grow
When God gave the command to parents and the community to teach children, the core of that was to teach them to “Love the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Rather than attempting to introduce every story of Scripture, we would do well to prepare children for meat by...
Restoring Order After Loss
The night Reggie died, my family came over to sit vigil, but as the night wore on, they departed one by one to their own homes until only one of my family members and I remained. At first my family member was quiet, but eventually she opened up, pausing after each...
Shining Light Amid Darkness: Living the Radiant Christian Life
Not too long ago, I was driving my boys to school on the most beautiful fall day. Leaves were starting to turn, I had a pumpkin flavored coffee in my hand, I had just finished a fulfilling workout, and my boys were happily chatting in the backseat. I had nothing but...
Skate to the Future: Leading with Prototypes
“Skate to where the puck is going,” Wayne Gretzky’s father taught him. That is, don’t skate to where the puck is, but to where the puck is going to be. Anticipate the direction and speed of the puck and get there first. Jump ahead of the competition by learning to see...
Creative Missions Sunday Ideas for Your Church
If your church or denomination sets aside a special week to focus on missions, you know it can be difficult to plan if resources are lean. But there are many options to recognize and celebrate missions (from humble displays to week-long conferences) depending on your...
Why Visit the Holy Land?
Why Visit Israel? Does a visit to the Holy Land benefit pastor and congregation? Taking our Western eyes to the East is eye-opening. Comparing Middle Eastern countries, Israel is the most influenced by Western thought and lifestyle. Yet, seeing the nuances of the area...
How to Build a Blazing Bonfire of Hope in a Dizzyingly Dark World
There’s nothing quite as disorienting and terrifying as getting lost in the mountains at night. I speak from personal experience. My buddy Donnie Coxsey, an experienced outdoorsman, introduced me to the wonderful world of elk hunting. He had previously taken me on...
Christ-Centered Bible Study
When we think about understanding a passage of Scripture, we can picture an arrow aimed at the bull’s-eye heart of the passage: the purpose and meaning of the text. To hit the bull’s-eye, we must understand the content of the surrounding rings. The outside ring...
Teaching Our Kids to Love God’s Word
As Christian teachers, parents, grandparents, and caregivers, we want our kids to love God’s Word. We long for them to grow closer to God as they spend time in Scripture. But how do we encourage engagement with the Bible? By giving them a compelling reason to pick it...
Faithful on Every Page
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 There has never been a single moment in all of history where God has not been faithful. You may be thinking, But what about the times in my life when I...
Trusting Jesus in the Public Square
Parents have a biblical responsibility to protect their children not only from physical harm but also from spiritual harm. It is entirely appropriate and right for a parent to wrestle with whether they want to allow their child to continue to have a friendship with a...
God’s Refining Process
Few people predict the turbulence and pain that life will inevitably bring. Lives that are filled with joy today can suddenly become bumpy and hard tomorrow, but few people make plans that consider the difficult roads that are sure to come. Understanding the Refining...
