Christian Living
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The Only Way
| July 1, 2021Do not think for even a moment that being Amish will earn you one ounce of favor with God. Going to the Amish church, following the church rules and traditions of your forefathers, are not what it takes to enter the presence of God when you die.
The Prodigal Son
| July 1, 2021I have often looked at the parable of the prodigal son and wondered which of the three people in the parable represent me. There was a father and his two sons. Each one had a very different makeup.
My Surprising Story
| July 1, 2021I used to be a very different person. Life did not make sense to me. It seemed purposeless… a mix of happiness and sorrow, with death waiting at the end at an undetermined point in time. Driving past graveyards always left me with an ominous feeling. What was the point of life? And what was waiting for me after death, if anything?, I often asked myself.
Hid with Christ...in God!
| May 1, 2021I would like to encourage you with a scripture passage that God impressed on my heart the past few days. It is reminders like these that will keep us on track and heading in the right direction, particularly during these difficult and dark days.
Secrets Buried Alive Never Die
| May 1, 2021For generations it was common to control hurts, protect a certain version of the truth, protect eyes from seeing and ears from hearing. Whole generations have passed into eternity never dealing with hidden trauma.
Leaders and Followers
| May 1, 2021Our world of people could, in some sense, be divided into two groups: leaders and followers. Leaders cannot lead without a following and followers cannot follow without a leader. It takes both.
What Went Wrong?
| May 1, 2021I wrote an article recently about sexual predators in the church. Tears came as I read some of the testimonies of abuse. How incredibly sad.
"Well Done!"
| May 1, 2021I recently read a comment of someone who thought that questioning traditions and studying history is wrong and a waste of time. Most of us have read the Bible for years, and we take it for granted that the things our churches teach are correct.
Repentance and Faith
| May 1, 2021The Bible says that God created everything that is, including you and me. Since He created us, He owns us and we are responsible to Him.
Witchcraft
| March 1, 2021WITCHCRAFT: The use of spells, invocation of spirits, communication with the devil or a familiar spirit or medium.
Embracing Divinely Created Womanhood
| March 1, 2021God’s Word has so much to teach us about womanhood and its beautiful place to play in God’s plan on earth. So many of these truths are missed, forgotten, and ever perverted by false religion. Let’s go to the Word to find some of these.
Living in a Snow Globe
| March 1, 2021Have you ever shaken a snow globe? One moment the world inside the globe is picture-perfect. The next, everything is a swirling mess of glitter and confusion until it all settles down again.
Step out of the Boat Conference
| March 1, 2021For several years, the Lord has burdened me to host a conference—a conference where people from all walks of life gather together in one place to get challenged and be encouraged to walk in the fullness of God. In 2020, Joseph Graber, myself and a few other godly men met in Holmes County to discuss the details, come up with a date and find a place to meet, but it never happened. I’m not sure why, other than it was not God’s timing. But now that we have entered 2021, I am thoroughly convinced that we must move forward with this conference.
The Fruit of a Repentant Heart
| March 1, 2021I have no idea where your mind goes when you think of repentance. Maybe you think about a confession, or the words, “I’m sorry.” Maybe you think about King David and his repentance.
Who Cast Jonah into the Sea?
| January 1, 2021Christians always talk about how Jonah was cast into the sea by the men who ran the ship. And, that of course is backed up by the following Scripture in Jonah 1:15.
Unless You Become Like a Child
| January 1, 2021“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:13).These words, spoken by the eternal Son of God, the Creator of the universe, the One who holds the keys to God’s Kingdom as well as to death and Hades, and before whom everyone must one day stand in judgment to give an account, would seem worthy of our consideration (Mark 1:1; Col. 1:16; Matt. 6:19; Rev. 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:10; Acts 10:42).
Do Not Fear
| January 1, 2021What is today the most disobeyed, neglected, and ignored commandment that Jesus gave? 144 times in scripture, I find these words, “Fear not.” This is not talking about the fear of God. That is a completely different kind of fear. The fear that we that will look at is about worry, anxiety, fret, etcetera.
How to Talk with Others about Spiritual Matters
| January 1, 2021Suppose you are somewhere with a group of men or women from church, and one of them begins talking about Jesus Christ. What is your reaction? Can you join in the conversation, or do you get an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach and wish that the conversation would soon change subjects?
Wealth and Power
| November 1, 2020Have you ever asked yourself: Why are the ungodly so blessed with wealth? As of May 17, 2020, Jeff Bezos (Head of Amazon) tops out at $145.4B. Bill Gates, at #2, is worth 104.8B. Mark Zuckerberg, at #4, is worth 77.8B. Between the three, they have 326 billion dollars.
Christian or Disciple?
| November 1, 2020Many people consider themselves to be a Christian. A lot less people would say that they are disciples of Jesus. Jesus never used the word ‘Christian,’ but He often used the word ‘disciple.’ He used this word not only for the twelve men who followed Him, but also for anyone else who followed him, or anyone who would follow him in the future.
Don't Blame Satan!
| November 1, 2020Recently, I am seeing and hearing so much about looking at the positive and not the negative - which is good. So let's quit giving the devil credit for messing up our lives, and start praising God for allowing the amount of trouble in our lives that it takes to for us to grow into a deeper relationship with Him!
The Pharisees—and What God Really Wants
| November 1, 2020Am I a Pharisee? I recently found myself asking this question while reading in the book of Matthew. No, I haven't rejected Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, as the Pharisees did. And I don't do good things so that other men will admire me. But, I noticed something in this passage that stood out to me – Jesus was warning the Pharisees that they were doing the little things, but yet they were omitting [not doing] the weightier matters of the law.
Biblical Leadership
| September 1, 2020The Radical Reformation began with men who boldly stood up for what they knew was Biblical truth. They were willing to speak fearlessly and even to die for what they believed. Somewhere through the generations since then, however, we have changed to become a people imprisoned by fear. We became the “quiet in the land” so that we would no longer need to fear losing our lives or our families. We began standing for values that were also motivated by fear.
Do You Feel Safe?
| September 1, 2020I’ve been a Christian for over 43 years now. I feel that I’ve learned some things in those years. One thing I recognize in myself is my need to feel safe. I know that it’s not entirely possible to feel safe 100% of the time. Circumstances sometimes dictate otherwise.
The Root Cause of Anxiety
| September 1, 2020We humans, men and women, have this inner desire to say how things should be done – what OUR minds interpret as the best way. When things aren't going that way, we get frustrated, or anxious, or angry, depending on how passionate we are about being in control. So the "DESIRE TO CONTROL" is the culprit!
Bitterness of Soul
| September 1, 2020Bitterness and offense, sadly, are words I am well acquainted with. When I hear these words, I have a certain feeling in my belly and memories of a time I am so grateful to have moved beyond.
Letter to the Sexually Abused
| September 1, 2020It may be that no one else knows about what happened to you. I am so sorry that you have had to go through this alone. You are not a coward at all for not saying anything to anyone. I can absolutely understand why you may be afraid to speak up.
The Power of the Tongue
| July 1, 2020Far too many people, who don’t realize the power of their own words, are talking themselves to death. They speak forth whatever negative thing they feel or have been told, and don’t realize that they are signing their own death warrants.
Obey the Higher Powers...Today?
| July 1, 2020What is the right thing for a Christian to do when the government asks us to do things that we would rather not do? In the last few months, we have seen our rights being taken away like never before in history. So many things don’t pass the smell test.
The Coronavirus and Faith
| May 1, 2020As I'm writing this, we are experiencing world-wide panic regarding the Coronavirus. Some think it is blown way out of proportion (and it may be), while others are panicking and stocking up on aspirin, food, and enough household goods to last for several months.
