Catch and Release
I have a love-hate relationship with fishing. I love the feeling of the strike when a rainbow trout hits my fly. I am thrilled by the tension on my line when a big crappie tries to escape. My first cast of the day, when the sun is rising, and steam ...
Three Things to Tell Boyz in the Hood
I grew up on a sociological fault line My life started as a "Father Knows Best" kind of life growing up in inner city Los Angeles: stable family, working dad and stay at home mom, 4 br, 3 ba, two story home, white neighborhood with a white public grammar school, ...
The Lengths Men Will Go To!
Key Scripture: "Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?" (Matthew 6:27). In this fascinating Scripture passage, Jesus highlights that human effort and anxiety cannot overcome physical limitations. This verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount, teaching that God cares for human needs ...
How Faith is the Evidence of Things Not Seen
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) Equating faith with evidence is not an oxymoron Our Western culture has divorced faith from reality: truth, it says, is what we can discern with our five senses, while faith is just ...
Are You Comfortable with Authority?
Key Scripture: “Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first ...
Epilogue: Modern American Christianity, the Church’s Missing Middle, and Doing God’s Good Works
Toward a Practical Theology of Good Works Table of Contents Introduction Part 1: God and His Good Works, and How We Participate with Him in Them God and His Good Works in Creation God and His Good Works in Relation to the Fall God and His Good Works in Old ...
The Importance of a Game Plan
Key Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7: "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude." Can you imagine a college or professional sports team going ...
Appendix: Good Works by the Church in the Roman Empire and Contemporary China, a Comparison
Toward a Practical Theology of Good Works Table of Contents Introduction Part 1: God and His Good Works, and How We Participate with Him in Them God and His Good Works in Creation God and His Good Works in Relation to the Fall God and His Good Works in Old ...
Three Male Friendships Christian Men Need in Their Life
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” One of the best ways to grow as a Christian man in our walk with the Lord is to develop strategic ...
What it Means to be a Servant of God Who is Fully Equipped for Every Good Work
Summary Reese begins with Paul’s final words in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, arguing that one of Scripture’s major purposes is to equip believers for “every good work.” To understand what Paul meant, Reese spent two years examining all of Scripture. His study shows that good works are a major biblical theme ...