…Commitments are made, habits are formed, and battles are fought against a real enemy…

That quote from J.I. Packer has stuck with me ever since I read it five days ago. He was writing about how prayer and holiness are learned. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we do not automatically know how to pray, and our lives do not immediately appear to be holy. Instead, we must learn holiness and how to pray through experience. It’s difficult to know how to pray for something that you’ve never experienced. If you’ve never personally experienced healing, it can be difficult to pray for healing with the same faith and passion as someone who has experienced it first hand. In the same way, we do not learn how to live our lives differently until we start living our lives differently. Holiness is learned as we experience it. Continue Reading…

If I hear another song about Santa Clause or chestnuts roasting over a fire, I might go insane. I really don’t mind Christmas music, but it’s the same songs over and over and over again. As we all get used to being back at work or school, let’s keep in mind what Christmas is really about. It’s not about presents or Santa, family time or giving to others. Christmas is about the birth of The Savior who would later take our sins to the cross and rise again. Christmas is about Jesus Christ.

Twitter Trending Topic: #ThingsIFear

I like to check out the trending topics on Twitter from time to time, and today I noticed #ThingsIFear is the top “non-promoted” trending topic. Some of them are amusing, like “#thingsifear clowns. Anyway shape or form. Good clowns. Mall clowns. Scary clowns. Clown dolls. Ect.” or “i don’t trust GOOGLE! #ThingsIFear”. Others were more serious thoughts like the fear of losing their mother or someone they love. Continue Reading…

Why do people insist on predicting a date that the Bible explicitly no one will know? (image via flickr)

In the great words of Michael Stipe, “That’s great is starts with an earthquake, birds, snakes, an aeroplane, Lenny Bruce is not afraid.” If no one can predict the return of Christ, why do people insist on trying?

NEWS FLASH: Christians don’t believe the world is going to end today.

@MuseZack tweeted that yesterday and I have to agree. Sure, there are “Christians” who are proclaiming the end of the world, but anyone who has read what the Bible actually has to say about judgement day knows that no one knows when it will happen. Continue Reading…

Every year, one day is set aside to focus on prayer throughout our nation. Every year, I am reminded on that one day how little I pray.

Two years ago I was frustrated with the NDP because I felt like it was more of a show for people. I wondered why there was a specific day set aside to do something that we should always be doing. Truthfully I was just frustrated with myself because I felt like I didn’t know how to pray well with others.

I didn’t write anything about the NDP last year, but I remember actually participating in it as an act of corporate worship. I may not have recognized this then, but the act of worship includes prayer. We often think of worship as the songs we sing in church, but it’s so much more than that. Corporate worship does include songs and music, but also involves reading scripture, giving financially, baptism, and communion. I began to really understand that as the year went on. Continue Reading…