Post Category: Partners in Christ series

We've spent the last twelve weeks working our way through Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. During those twelve weeks we broke apart the letter into different segments and concentrated on the emphasis of each of those individual segments. This week our goal is to connect those segments and to look at Paul's letter in its entirety - to see how those segments connec...

One of the central elements of the Gospel is the concept of 'giving.' It's one of the things which makes the Gospel such incredible news - that although we are sinners undeserving of anything but the full measure of God's wrath, we are given so many incredible things. But while God initiated the act of generous and gracious giving in the Gospel, those of us who are belie...

Have you ever been asked to do something incredibly hard - perhaps even something you thought was impossible for you to do? What was your response? I know that I've been there before and my response was to simply write off the request. I quit before I even gave it a shot. I believe there are times when God asks those who are followers of Christ to do really difficult (...

Think back on the last wedding reception that you went to. First question, "Did the DJ at the reception play a line-dance song?" I'm betting he did. Second question, "Did you join in and participate?" I don't know the answer to that question. But I have been to my fair share of wedding receptions and it seems like at every one the DJ plays at least one line-dance song...

What's the greatest prize worth chasing after? The answer probably depends on who you ask. Some may say something like a Super Bowl ring, a World Series title, or a green jacket from the Masters. Others might say something like great material wealth or personal health. But for the Apostle Paul the answer was something entirely different. In his mind there was only one...

There are so many people in our communities today that believe that in order to be in right standing with God their 'good' has to outweigh their 'bad.' Their belief is that God is standing in heaven with a set of scales and that he is constantly placing their 'good' thoughts, words, and actions on one side of the scale and their 'bad' thoughts, words, and actions on the o...

Twenty years ago Gatorade released a commercial that (in my opinion) had a greater impact than any other commercial I have ever seen. The crazy thing about it though was that the impact the commercial had went far beyond getting people to purchase and drink Gatorade. It inspired an entire generation of boys to aspire to be the best they could be on the basketball court e...

Many individuals like having a daily 'to-do' list. For some it helps to prioritize all that they need to get accomplished and to work more efficiently. Others are motivated by the sense of satisfaction they receive when they complete a task and get to "check it off" from their list. What becomes dangerous is when followers of Christ begin to treat their faith as a 'to-d...

I don't watch a lot of dance performances. But on the occasions when I do get to see dances performed I love to see well performed group dances. I think that they are visually stimulating and amazing to watch. The way the individuals move in unison and harmony, not to put themselves on display, but to put the dance itself on display is fascinating. The shapes they crea...

We live in a culture that constantly calls us self-centeredness. We're supposed to live our lives in pursuit of our own wants, desires, and aspirations and give all of ourselves to that pursuit. We can on occasion do something for someone else's sake, but only as long as it's convenient and doesn't take us too far from our own pursuits. But life as a follower of Christ ...