Image sources: DesiringGod.org, Bonnellart.com. Artist: Daniel Bonnell I was reading my Bible plan on youversion the other day when it led me to the baptism of Christ. I’d never thought much of the event before, but this time it stood out. Why did Jesus submit to baptism? There are two parts to this answer we…
Category: Christianity
Do we choose God, or has He chosen us?
Last week, we attended an Assemblies of God church called Trinity Life here in North Baltimore. I took a moment to read a bit about the Assemblies of God, with a specific emphasis on church doctrine. More specifically, I wanted to know if the church was Reformed in its theology, or if not, how much…
Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community
It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren. Let me say that this statement contains a useful summary of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer believes to be the essence of Christian life, lived for the purpose of building up others in Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes this in the…
run the race to win
What does it mean to “run in such a way as to get the prize”? (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Whatever it means, it is not just talking about the race. While the race is the focus and the ultimate goal of one’s training and attention, the race is simply the part of the athlete’s life that…
What’s behind the door?
Imagine that you were standing in front of a door that had everything you have ever desired or wanted behind it. If you were told you could have everything behind the door, would you be able to open it? This is one of the illustrations James K.A. Smith uses when he tries to convince us…
Why is it so hard to find a church? The old wine is good…
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, but expecting different results. Jesus puts it this way: Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with…
Love Redeems: Reflections on Crime and Punishment
It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to read fiction, and I like to at least read one every few months to make sure that my heart remains full and refreshed. I read plenty of narrative prose for my research and day job, and I read plenty of prose for learning about Christ…
pedagogy of humility
today, in my Bible reading, i came to the following passage: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke…
Don’t Take Offense at Jesus’ Call
This is one of a series of Lenten devotionals I wrote for our church’s Foreign Missions Ministry and appears on their blog. However, I wanted to share it with you all… Today’s Scripture Focus: Acts 16:1-3 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer…
Count Not Just the Cost, But Also The Worth
We have been writing Lenten devotionals in our church’s Foreign Missions Ministry. This post was originally written to be published on our minstry’s blog, but it was not required. I think that I’d like to share it with you all on my personal blog, so here goes… Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 14:28-33 “Suppose one of you…