The major credit card data breach that occurred in December is still making news, with more than 100 million people possibly affected. With the heightened attention to the vulnerability of financial data, it’s a good reminder to periodically check our credit reports for errors and fraudulent activity. Errors can lower our credit score, which might […]
In the post How to Hear from God I shared the five steps I followed when I first learned how to hear from God. This affirmed some people, encouraged a few more, and frustrated others. I won’t assert that hearing from God is normative or required. Doing so would only cause division in the church […]
Between Two Worlds: The Spiritual Journey of an Evangelical Catholic By Mike Timmis (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) The subtitle of Between Two Worlds serves as an apt and accurate summary of what the book is about: “The Spiritual Journey of an Evangelical Catholic.” At first consideration, the phrase “Evangelical Catholic” seems to be a contradiction […]
With a knowing wink and a smile that was too practiced, the preacher said, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” This irritated me. I couldn’t tell if he was being snarky, condescending, or wise. How can we truly separate the deed from its doer? Should we even try to make the distinction? After all, […]
For most of my life I was taught that God speaks to us through the Bible, and we speak to him through prayer. Together, these two one-way communication channels can result in a dialogue of sorts. While this is correct, it’s only part of the story. I more recently learned that God can also speak […]
Question: Which Gospel Should I Read First? Answer: The Bible contains four accounts of the life of Jesus, called Gospels. Each one has its own strengths: Matthew The Gospel written by Matthew does much to connect Jewish history and understanding to the life of Jesus. It is great as a bridge from the Old to […]
Question: What is a Lectionary? Answer: A lectionary is a methodical Bible reading plan that covers the entire Bible in a set time. By definition, our Bible reading plans are lectionaries. A common and popular lectionary is the Revised Common Lectionary, which is a three-year plan. In it, each day’s reading covers three or four […]
Question: What If I Don’t Understand Everything I Read in the Bible? Answer: If you don’t understand everything you read in the Bible, then you are in good company. No one completely understands the entire Bible. Instead of getting frustrated or focusing on what you don’t understand, give your attention to what does make sense. […]
Question: What Does Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting Have To Do with Bible Reading? Answer: Prayer, meditation, and fasting (along reading the Bible) are spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines draw us closer to God, deepen our understanding of who he is, and help make us into the men and women he desires us to become. Praying for […]
Question: What Is a Spiritual Discipline? Answer: A spiritual discipline draws us closer to God, deepens our understanding of who he is, and helps make us into the men and women he desires us to become. Spiritual disciplines are practices that we willingly pursue in response to the God who created us, saved us, and […]