When was the last time holiness came up in your conversation? It’s not a popular topic these days where truth is an abstract thought and purity is a stigma we assign to our grandmothers. It’s an old-fashioned concept that doesn’t inspire today’s culture. Maybe we’ve forgotten about holiness. Or we’ve kept it safely tucked away […]
Week 49 Mission | Shedding Myself to Become a World Christian
In 2010, the United States had 10 percent of the world’s Christians. My first reaction to that is a bit of reflexive American pride. All of a sudden I have that feeling like I’m watching the Olympics, chanting “USA! USA! USA!” at my television. But when I hit the pause button on my nationalism, I […]
Week 49 Character | A Call to Humility
Of all the qualities reflected in the personality of our current president, humility is not one of them. And yet, he did something recently demonstrating he is capable of humility. In a nationally televised speech, he admitted he was changing course from a promise he had made on the campaign trail. Why the change? As […]
Week 48 Mission | Among Friends
John describes Jesus’ life and ministry this way, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). Where did Jesus live and do his work? In the neighborhood. He met the neighbors, learned their names, listened to their needs, ate with them, and ministered to individual people. Jesus was […]
Week 48 Character | Be Still
Attending church regularly as a child, I learned that having a daily time with God was essential to the life of a Christian. Church camp provided a boost to my spiritual life every summer, and I established the routine of reading my Bible and journaling every evening before bed. I attended Bible college, and just […]