Proof The Bible Is True

I hope you’re an involved dad. And I hope you recognize the difference you’re making for your kids. I talk and write about that all the time, but I’m not sure anyone can do it enough. Involved parents making a difference is the whole idea behind CASAColumbia Family Day—which is today, Sept. 23. This initiative was launched over a decade ago by CASAColumbia with the goal of getting families to eat dinner together on that day—and generally eat meals together more often. Studies have shown that when families make it a habit to eat dinner together, teenagers are less likely [More]

The article in the NY Daily News about the release of Grand Theft Auto V, a video game expected to make $1 billion in the first month, began with these words: “The game of crime pays—even in the wake of another gun massacre.” The article continues, “The latest installment of the ultraviolent video game franchise Grand Theft Auto will generate $1 billion in sales in one month, analysts predict—despite Monday’s massacre at the Washington Navy Yard that killed 12 people.” These are staggering numbers. How many products of any kind—let alone a $60 video game—make that kind of money? And [More]

By Greg Stier , Christian Post Guest Columnist March 2, 2013|12:08 pm God has blessed me with the privilege of speaking to groups of teenagers for the last twenty five years or so. From small youth groups to medium sized camps to arenas full of students I have known the thrill and terror of trying to get and keep the attention of adrenalin-filled, twitchy teenagers. Here are seven lessons I’ve learned when it comes to getting and keeping their attention: 1. Hook them with humor then impact them with truth. During the first 5 to 10 minutes of my talk [More]

Fear consumes our energy. Fear leaves us empty. Fear makes us ineffective. Fear is a parasite. Fear is real. Sometimes it is so invasive that it feels tangible. And the more it controls us, the more real it starts to feel, and we gradually lose control. Do we have to be controlled by these feelings that are constantly trying to invite themselves in? Fear is always looking for an entryway. We are the ones who give it a home in our life. (Just to be clear, I’m not talking about that healthy fear that works like your conscience trying to [More]

When things look really bad, let the so-called “minor” prophets encourage your faith. It’s unfortunate that the last 12 books of the Old Testament are tagged the “minor” prophets. The term was coined because these writings are short, not because they are unimportant. God’s heart is powerfully revealed in the prophecies of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. These 12 short books are anything but minor. If you have never seriously studied them, I challenge you to start digging now. Just as Jesus chose 12 unsophisticated disciples to preach the glorious news of [More]

Marriage is tough. It’s a given. This list covers most of the common troubles, but your situation is unique, and the key point here is to face the hardship—whatever kind of struggle it is—together with your wife. OK, if you haven’t watched the “Ian and Larissa” video, then stop reading right now, watch the video, then come back to this list. Seriously, you have to watch it. Do you remember your marriage vows? “For better, for worse … ” “In sickness and in health … ” “For richer, for poorer … ” These promises presuppose tough times. We went into [More]

You don’t have to take your style cues from the world or legalistic saints. Here’s how to make fashion sense. Read More  The Dos and Don’ts of Fashion as a Christian.

Most of us were taught as young as children the proper manners and simple phrases we could use to be polite. But somewhere along the line, it seems we’ve lost the simple art of using these words, and then we wonder why our relationships aren’t going the way we want them to go. Consider this: If you aren’t getting what you want out of your relationships, maybe it is because you aren’t putting the right things in. Here are four simple phrases you learned in elementary school that may be the currency you need to improve your relationships as an [More]

Ellen agonized over the spiritual lostness of her daughter, who in her youth had walked faithfully with the Lord. In her late teens, the young woman had rejected her spiritual moorings, defying almost everything in her life that was good, righteous and principled. She had become a prodigal. Ellen, of course, prayed for her daughter every day and tried to stay connected through phone calls and cards. Soon, they lost even that connection. Calls went unanswered, phone numbers were changed, and letters seemed to disappear into the void. It now seemed like an impenetrable wall separated mother and daughter. Read [More]

As we age, we tend to gain weight, especially in our abdomens. In addition to making it more difficult to fit into last year’s swimsuit, belly fat can have a significant impact on our health. That’s because the fat doesn’t just sit there, spoiling your silhouette. Belly fat and its companion, visceral fat—the fat that hides deep in your body—continuously create inflammatory compounds that wreak havoc in your body, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other conditions. Don’t despair, though, because there are seven surefire ways to melt belly fat away. Read More  7 Secrets to [More]

We all know the devil is a liar. But did you know that when you agree with the devil’s opinions about you, he can hold you in bondage? I still have vivid recollections of my fear of the “spanking machine.” I began my education eagerly in the first grade, believing that the teachers were nice people who were going to help us learn and grow. After all, wasn’t learning supposed to be fun? Mrs. L. didn’t think so. She was like a drill sergeant barking commands at all of us, commands that were followed by threats. Her threats were underscored [More]

I have discovered that as we seek the Lord our most difficult periods can be transformed into wonderful breakthroughs into God’s love. For me, one such season occurred during the years 1979 to 1981. The association of churches with which I was aligned had fallen under spiritual deception. Not only were its core doctrines increasingly seeded with New Age influences, but also immorality crept in, and key leaders began leaving their wives for other women. I could no longer remain silent. I left my congregation in Detroit, where I had served as pastor, and traveled to the organization’s regional headquarters [More]

An offer to help, a smile and a kind word will reduce the heat of everyday responsibilities The first command God gave mankind was to be fruitful and multiply (see Gen. 1:28). But fruitfulness involves more than merely growing physical fruit. As a Christian, the Spirit of God has already been planted within you, now it’s your job to cultivate the seed of His nature. And it is not going to be an easy thing to do all the time. The farmer’s seeds must push through a layer of dirt in order to reach the sunlight. That dirt outweighs that [More]

In today’s world, all we have to do to be worried or afraid for our kids is wake up every morning! There is fear and doubt all around us. Anyone can look at the condition of society or at the behavior of their children and be fearful. But God calls us and our kids to be salt and light in the earth (Matt. 5:13-14). We do not have the spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). So, how do we keep our kids surrounded with faith every day when things don’t look so good? By saying what God says. By speaking [More]

Almost all ministry in the book of Acts occurred outside a church meeting. So why do we hide our message in a building? Whenever I visit my friend Lewis Lee, a pastor in Baltimore, I end up on the streets. That’s because Lewis is never content to keep his congregation cooped up inside their church. Every month he takes them downtown to feed homeless people at a park near Johns Hopkins University. On hot summer days he takes teams to the worst neighborhoods of his city to pray for people, share the gospel and distribute bottles of water. This should [More]

Open your ears, God, to my prayer; don’t pretend you don’t hear me knocking. Come close and whisper your answer. I really need you. I shudder at the mean voice, quail before the evil eye, as they pile on the guilt, stockpile angry slander. My insides are turned inside out; specters of death have me down. I shake with fear, I shudder from head to foot. “Who will give me wings,” I ask—“wings like a dove?” Get me out of here on dove wings. I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country. I want a [More]

These six principles will put you back in the driver’s seat with your son. The Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III of Azusa Christian Church in Boston has never forgotten the advice he once got from a drug kingpin. Rivers wanted to spearhead an effort to clean up his community and help kids whose lives were being ruined by drug addiction, gang violence and joblessness. In a stroke of genius, he decided to ask the local drug dealers for insight. With their fancy clothes and Cadillacs, they seemed to be the real heroes to kids. “Man, why did we lose you [More]

Here are 12 of the biggest lies I’ve heard people tell: 1. I’m not going to let him (or her) hurt me anymore. 2. I don’t need any help. 3. I’ve got this under control. 4. I’m only going to try it one time. Read More 12 of the Biggest Lies You Might Hear From Christians.

There are so many life lessons we can learn from the Word of God. One of the simplest is that obedience brings reward and disobedience brings dire consequences. We see this in an incident from Saul’s life. The prophet Samuel came to King Saul with a command from the mouth of God. “’Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’” (1 Sam. 15:3, NKJV). Read More Obedience or Disobedience: Your Actions Will Make the Choice.

Americans forfeit 226 million vacation days each year, according to CNN, by not using the vacation days they earned. In fact, all of that unused time off adds up to $34.3 billion annually in lost vacation days. The ironic part is that many people skip vacation days because they think that using all their rightfully earned vacation days will hurt their job somehow, yet what really ends up hurting them is missing out on crucial time away from work and other daily stressors. Read More 5 Reasons Why You Need a Vacation.

My ability to become angry amazes me. Someone or something trivial will trigger it. It’s my reaction to feeling thwarted in some way, however serious or ridiculous. I trip over my wife’s heels on the way to the closet. Ugh! Somebody cuts in front of me on the freeway. Really? My schedule or plan gets interrupted or redirected. You’ve got to be kidding me. I get asked to do something I didn’t plan on doing. What? A project takes way too long because I am not the one in charge of it. This is ridiculous. I get a no when [More]

The past several decades, we have seen a dramatic decline in doctrinal and biblical preaching. We have gone from theology to therapy in the pulpits. In the past decade, we went from therapy to motivational speaking instead of preaching. In addition to this, whole churches and movements have oriented themselves to a distorted understanding of the gospel by espousing a “hypergrace” approach that trickles down to not only what they preach but who they allow to minister and teach. (I was told there is even a new television station devoted to this view of “grace.”) Read More 8 Signs of [More]

The pursuit of personal achievement and financial gain can often create a destructive gap in your family life. Parenting requires a delicate balance of both. If you only make time for the highlights of your child’s life, then you will have upset the balance … forcing you to always make adjustments just to keep from toppling over. That kind of lifestyle leads to an unsatisfying experience for everybody involved. Hey, we know you gotta make money. It’s a fact of life. In some cases, however, we can get so focused on the bottom line that the pursuit of money becomes [More]

“You can read many stories of supernatural encounters with angels here.”  Admin Hanging in my grandmother’s house was a picture that has left a lasting impact on me. It was titled “The Guardian,” and it featured a very large angel with a comforting expression and outreached hands hovering near a small boy and girl as they walked over a precariously dangerous bridge. The simple framed print brought great comfort and security to my heart when I was a little girl and propelled my imaginative mind into the awesome arena of angels. In recent years, the study of angels has continued [More]

I know a little bit about this subject, having two incredible sons of my own. But we always look at life differently from the other side of it. My boys are grown. I’m still parenting, but in a completely different way. Mine now is one of influence. Thankfully, both boys still come to me for that influence. There is no greater joy than seeing boys become God-honoring young men. I’m thankful to have a front-row seat with my sons. via 10 Things I Would Do If I Were Raising a Son Today.

Jesus has been betrayed again—this time by wayward denominations that question the truth of the Bible and reject Christian morality. I believe we are living in the days of the Great Apostasy. Whether we are in the early stages or nearing the end will be known only in hindsight. But that we are in the throes of the greatest “falling away” the church has ever experienced is clear. via Are We Living in the Days of the Great Apostasy?.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t complicated or spooky. Let these simple steps be your guide. Some people have suggested that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was only for the early disciples who needed an extra “charge” or a unique gift to get Christianity started. Well, we need it too! God’s power is for today. You can have your own personal experience with the Spirit by following these guidelines: via How to Tap Into the Power of God.