I heard a song by Francesca Battistelli the other day called “The Stuff You Use” which made a great point about God’s role in our sanctification – becoming more holy and more like Jesus Christ. In the song, she loses her car keys, can’t find her phone, and gets a ticket for going 45 in [...]
Archive for the ‘faith in life’ Category
The Stuff God Uses
Posted in Christian life, faith in life, music on March 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Beauty of Brevity
Posted in Dennis Prager, faith in life, Miscellaneous, practical stuff on June 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Brevity can be beautiful. Doug Wilson, in some form or fashion, has said that Christians need to develop “one-liners” to answer questions, make points, and “close the mouths of the obstreperous” (to quote John Calvin). We need quick, brief, succinct statements that start, carry, and sometimes end a conversation. Even though I’ve fought against the [...]
You’re A Good Man, Matt Stover
Posted in faith in life, gratitude, Job on March 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
This is the type of thing I like to see from athletes who are Christians. In WORLD magazine, Mark Bergin writes: He didn’t win an MVP award. He didn’t score a touchdown. He didn’t even play for the winning team. But Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Stover made a statement during Super Bowl XLIV that rang [...]
Recurring Themes
Posted in Bible, faith in life, my life on June 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Look for recurring themes” is a common exhortation when reading or studying a document. The same should be true for our discussions and conversations with others, too. Over the past several weeks, one theme has come up repeatedly and it doesn’t have anything to do with sports, politics, school, church, or even food – [...]
“Will this be on the test?”
Posted in Christian life, faith in life, Miscellaneous, my life, teaching on April 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Will this be on the test?” As a teacher, you can’t escape that question. When I first encountered it, I didn’t know how to answer. Lying was out of the question, but so was saying something possibly deceiving like, “Yes, it will be,” when I might later change my mind. I was also aware [...]
The Causes of and Cures of a Hard Heart
Posted in faith in life, gratitude, obedience on March 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A couple of weeks ago, I preached on Mark 6:45-52 in our continuing study of that Gospel. After Jesus had walked on the water toward the disciples boat in the midst of a storm, Mark writes, “And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they [...]
Lesson From A Calmed Storm
Posted in Bible, faith, faith in life, Jesus Christ, Quick Takes on January 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’m currently preaching through Mark during the morning services at Immanuel. Today we looked at 4:35-41, which is the recounting of Jesus calming the storm and rescuing His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. I drew a number of conclusions from the passage – one of them being: There are times when God commands [...]
Faith and Works
Posted in faith in life, Quotes on December 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Here are two excellent quotes on the subject of the relationship between faith and works. They add to some of my thoughts from last Sunday’s sermon on Mark 3:31-35 (especially verse 35 — “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”) Martin Luther: When there are no [...]
Sandcastles
Posted in discipleship, faith in life, Miscellaneous on December 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A friend of mine builds wonderful sandcastles. Some have even won awards. They are masterpieces – true works of art. The smallest details are meticulously looked after. I can only begin to calculate the time and effort that go into their fashioning. However, what happens to these works of art when the tide comes [...]
