Holy Week: Day 8 – Easter Sunday: The Day Death Died
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will
Holy Week – Day 7: New Life
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20 How are we supposed to view our present life of faith? This passage tells us to look at our present lives as servants of the Lord Jesus. Just as Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried, and then raised to new life,
My Tough Love Is Still Love—Love, God
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. –Hebrews 12:10-11 Is it possible for anyone to like God’s discipline and correction? We certainly don’t enjoy being disciplined by our parents when we’re young. It hurts
The Gift of a New Year
This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters… “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” ~Isaiah 43:16, 18-19"If you are the same person today that you were a year ago, or even a day ago, you are not
The Gift of Praise
As we walk through this holiday season and find ourselves alone or in a hospital room, with no gifts to give or receive, or partaking of a very meager meal, how do we praise God in the midst of it? Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 This year as we enter the holiday season, it may seem to occur at a particularly difficult time, when many
Embracing Hard Conversations: A Journey of Faith and Healing
In a world where past traumas often dictate our present, Dr. Brad Johnson's journey offers a beacon of hope. From overcoming personal adversities to inspiring others through his urban fiction series, "Hard Conversations," Dr. Johnson's story is a testament to the power of faith and healing. The Journey of Faith: Dr. Johnson's path to faith began at 19, a pivotal moment that transformed his life. Despite growing up in church, it wasn't until college that he truly experienced God, finding solace
Facedown in the Dust
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. -Psalm 18:6 What doesn’t kill you will try again. Have you heard that? It could have described King David’s life. Persecuted, betrayed, feeling abandoned by God, he could have turned in despair against his Creator. Instead, in great gratitude to God, he uttered the above words in Psalm 18. But read the words before them that
Forgetting God
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! -Psalm 36:5–7 Let’s say you’re going through a challenging time—you pray constantly, and God delivers you and answers your prayer. What do you do after that? Many jump for joy at the answer to their prayer and promise God they’ll never forget what he has done. But then, after
Father God: The Family Privileges
In our fast-lane world, God—the quintessence of what is truly important—is increasingly obsolete, out of mind, and out of the picture. He just doesn’t fit in. Obsessed with anything but God, our attention has been diverted from the big questions: how we got here, for what purpose, and where we’re going. We’ve traded the issues of God’s existence, sovereignty and purpose over all of life for the perishable. It’s when we discover that the things we’ve surrounded ourselves with can’t help us
Easter: The Day Death Died
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will
