My pastor just finished up a three week sermon on The Apostles’ Creed. For those of you who don’t know it, the Apostles’ Creed is: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third …
A few years ago Duke University Medical Center discovered that women who attend church at least once a week tend to live longer. Men who attend church have better marriages and are happier than single men. God wants us to gather together. He knew that support of other Christians was healthy for us. If it’s a Christian based church, not a man based church, God will make his presence known. Matthew 18:20 reads For where …
Chad Holtz brought controversy among evangelical Christians with his book Love Wins: “A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. He couldn’t fathom the idea that even the most peaceful human had to spend eternity in hell just because he didn’t claim Jesus as his Lord. Mr. Holtz was startled one day when at a Christian art show, someone wrote beneath the quote of Mahatma Gandhi, “Reality check: He’s …
Everyone wants to be liked. Most people would love to be popular. But does it seem that since you’ve become a Christian, friends have turned against you? People give a snide look when they discover you go to church. That’s okay, Beth Moore has people who attack her. I’m sure even Billy Graham has his detractors. In Matthew 5:10 it reads Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom …
Have you ever felt that flutter inside your stomach that says someone loves you? You read about it all the time in romance books, but are the warm fuzzies real? I can honestly say it was only in the last couple of years that I felt it. There wasn’t a lot of love in my house when I was growing up. We put the “dys” in dysfunctional. Later when my ex-husband said it, I always …
Would you recognize Jesus if he appeared to you in a dream? What if he walked straight up to you on the street? When Jesus first appeared, He was snubbed, ridiculed, and hung from a cross. The powers that be didn’t want to believe He was the Son of God. Would you be one of the people who scoffed? How do you know that man you bumped into at the store wasn’t Jesus? If he …
We’re going to try an experiment this week. I want you to write down every sin you do. Whether it’s giving a hand gesture while stuck in traffic, or using foul language, or worse. On Sunday I want you to show it to one of your good church friends. No way, you say. That’s okay. I just wanted to prove a point. We have a habit of acting different in front of our church friends …
I saw boy riding his bike to school the other morning, swerving back and forth. He was having fun. Fun is something some of us Christians have a hard time remembering. We think because God did some serious stuff, we should have a sourpuss look on our faces. Remember as a kid, you’d spin around and around until you made yourself dizzy, and you’d laugh until you thought you would wet your pants? You should …
Today is Valentine’s Day, and if you’re single, you feel left out. There’s no one to buy you chocolates or flowers. God doesn’t want us to be unhappy just because we don’t have that “special” someone. Psalm 68:3 reads: But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. I got together with my Monday night Bible Study group, the Ladies of the Lord, and we came up with …
A couple of Sundays ago, my pastor mentioned how too many Christians were like manure. If manure stays in one place nothing grows, whereas if it’s spread around, it helps things to flourish. That’s not an exact quote, but close enough. What he didn’t say, but is true, is when manure sits in one spot for a long time, it also starts to smell bad. Mark 16:15 reads He said to them,”Go into all the …
