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This episode is our monthly news roundup for August. In this episode, we’re talking about Richard Dawkins’ recent comments about transgenderism, a new app that lets people “text with Jesus,” and the number of Americans who have tried marijuana.Continue Reading
In our modern culture, nearly everyone we meet has a phone in their pocket and/or a computer in their home (and likely more digital devices than that). Anyone reading this will be reading it on a screen. Anymore, this is simply the easiest and quickest way to access information and see the content we are interested in.
The problem with this comes when we are not mindful of how we are using these devices. As author Jeff Mingee stated in the book, Digital Dominion, “when it comes to our digital devices, we are tempted to forego mindful dominion and instead enter in with mindless consumption. So, who is controlling who?” (Digital Dominion: Five Questions Christians Should Ask to Take Control of Their Digital Devices, p. 26).
The premise of the book is that when God created man, He gave Him dominion over the world. “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28, NKJV).Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about seeking meaning in life. Everyone does this, but how is it different during the age of smartphones, internet search engines, and social media? We will consider that in our episode today.Continue Reading
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This is the last episode for the month of August – time for our monthly news roundup. In this episode, we’ll be talking about the number of women who have lost access to abortion, idolizing pets, and reading on paper vs. reading on screens.Continue Reading
In this lesson,* we are going to be looking ahead into the future and trying to determine how our local congregation fits into it. My purpose is not to make any predictions or prophecies. Like Amos would say, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet” (Amos 7:14). Instead, the purpose for this lesson is to examine the direction we are going so we can plan, prepare, and adapt as best we can.
The future has always been uncertain, yet it seems as though there is even more uncertainty now than ever. There are a few reasons for this.
As we go through this lesson, we are going to break it up into three parts:
So let us begin our consideration of this question: Where will your church be in twenty years?Continue Reading
The internet is arguably (and I would say almost definitely) the most significant technological advancement in the history of mankind. Yet as it is still relatively new, we are still learning how to use it. There are many ways we can use the internet for good, but there are also a lot of negatives that it has introduced to our lives and the world around us.
I have been following Chris Martin for a few years because I appreciate his perspective on social media and his warnings about the dangers of it. When I found out that he had a book coming out (Terms of Service), I pre-ordered it from Amazon so I could have it as soon as it was available. So I started this book with some anticipation and high expectations, and it was every bit as good and important as I assumed it would be.
From the book’s description:
Do we use social media, or are we being used by it?
Social media is brilliant and obscene. It sharpens the mind and dulls it. It brings nations together and tears them apart. It perpetuates, reveals, and repairs injustice. It is an untamed beast upon which we can only hope to ride, but never quite corral.
What is it doing to us?
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This week we’re going to be talking about how to be faithful disciples in our digital society. A few days ago I finished reading the book, Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock. The focus of the book was about raising young people in our current culture to be faithful as they grow up, but the principles in it will apply to all of us. So we’re going to talk about some of the lessons from this book today.Continue Reading
What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
Available in print and digital format.
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