“It’s Christmas!” I remember this joyful cry from when I was a child. It brings back memories of family life, of excitement and anticipation for the gifts we would receive, and of sumptuous and festive meals. But as the memories flow through time, it brings back sadness as well. It…

I have a confession to make. I look around, and see so much hype about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and who knows what else.

Can someone’s approach to faith actually be self-centered? What causes us to question our own faith when the circumstances of life are particularly difficult? Have you ever found yourself echoing the words of the apostles, when they asked Jesus, “increase our faith”? I know I have. In Luke 17:5 we…

If you have read Edith Schaeffer’s book What Is A Family? you will probably agree that it belongs among the masterpieces, and is certainly one of the most inspiring and useful books about the concept of family that you can find. A new reading of chapter three, however, can provide…

Rituals were a prominent part of Old Testament worship. Christianity, in contrast, has only two basic rituals: baptism and the Lord’s Supper — and there are no detailed regulations for either observance. In a religion in which faith is primary, why have any rituals at all? The primary reason, I…

People sometimes ask us to explain what the Bible means when it speaks of sin. When they ask about the nature of sin and God’s purpose with us, they are asking about a truly cosmic subject. In this short article we’ll discuss the biblical teaching of sin as well as…

God is powerful, and He is good. He always uses his enormous power to further his promise of love and grace toward his people. He is gentle, loving, slow to anger and full of mercy. That’s good, but what difference does it make in our lives? How do we respond…

Christians are saved by God’s gift, not by works. Good behavior cannot earn us salvation. But Christianity does have behavioral expectations. It involves changes in the way we live. God created us for relationships, and so he has certain desires for the way we interact with other people. We are…

The Advent Season leads up to and culminates in the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Each week we review a step towards that awesome and remarkable event. It is a good time to pause and ponder the act that changed everything. What appeared to…

Stress — in many ways an unavoidable effect of living — could be the very thing that is slowly killing you. We hear about it all the time, and we experience its detrimental effects. In some cases we may even be unknowingly looking for it. Yet, few really understand it,…

When we think about work, all too many seem to believe that it is a necessary evil. They would rather be somewhere else, enjoying some other activity they find much more pleasurable. Others, instead, actually find their identity in what they do. To them, work is a necessity, a distraction,…

The New Testament uses the common term diaconia to express the concept of ministry. This term describes the service that constitutes the function of the diaconos or minister. In our context, it indicates service within the Christian church. Ministry, then, is service: service to God first, and to God’s people…

Taking on the role of a step-parent may seem like stepping into an episode of Mission Impossible, but it really does not have to be that way. Surely, the role of a step-parent is difficult and challenging, but it is NOT impossible. The Lord has given you this opportunity. However,…

Perhaps the best way to start our study on forgiveness is to actually pause and think. Yes, let’s think together. Can anyone of us claim to be sinless, that we have never done anything wrong? Indeed, we are all sinners, and we have all rebelled against God in one way…

How good is the evidence that life evolved naturally, without a Creator? The first verse of the Bible tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” It does not tell us precisely how He did it. It is “by faith [that] we understand that the universe…