2 Reasons You Should Stop Yearning for the Past

1. Your Present
2. Your Future

What’s done is done. Yes, I know they were good times. I had them too. But they’re gone.

conejoazul (cc)

Don’t forget them. Don’t forsake the past; it is important to understand the context of your life and the world at large especially within the scope of the Bible. But don’t yearn for the past or induce nostalgia of a time gone by.

Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.

What Every Christian Ought to Know About Being a Dad

As a ten-year-old I was an above average hitter but below average when it came to getting out of the way of inside pitches. Once in a little league game a pitch flew straight for my noggin and I barely ducked in time. But since I was slow in avoiding the concussion, I didn’t have time to pull my aluminum bat out of the way, and the ball hit the barrel for a called foul.

Brent Moore (CC)

So it was no surprise that when—on a different day—a fastball flew towards my head that it struck me squarely on the jaw. This time though, the pitcher was my dad.

Perhaps the Most Misquoted Verse in All of Scripture

People misquote scripture all the time, but there’s one verse that seems to rise above the rest in its errant rendering, and the misrepresentation goes multiple layers deep.

Kevin Dooley (CC)

The verse is 1 Timothy 6:10a. It’s actually half of a verse because most people only reference the first sentence. See if you can recite it. It has the words “money,” “root,” and “evil.”

Let’s see how you did. Here’s the verse in the New International Version:

The Secret to Seeing God Move in Your Life

Can I confess something to you? 

Most weeks I have no idea what I’m going to write about here. I have an inkling, a spark or inspiration, and even a list of ideas. But pre-planned blog posts? A pipe dream. Even when I settle on an idea, more often than not, the process of transforming that idea into something palatable and interesting is an agonizing task.

Mike Tungate (CC)

My process is usually the same. Come up with a clever title. Stew and stew and stew over the content. Pace the room. Stew some more. It’s only after all of this stewing and then bumping up against my deadline (every other Tuesday) that I remember how I’ve done it so many times before.

Two Traits You Must Embrace if You Want to Succeed in Life

Everyone defines success differently. For some it’s money. Others? Family, stability, titles, degrees.

wackystuff (CC)

But no matter how you define it, there are two traits you must possess in order to achieve your definition of success. What are they?

For the One Who Wants to See Miracles

You need a miracle.

You need a job. A cure. An intervention.

You need a savior.

Tim Pierce (CC)

So you keep looking and searching. You keep watching. Waiting. But what if there’s a better way? What if the best way to see miracles is with your eyes closed?

The Good Thing about Evil

When you first walk into the sanctuary of College Church of the Nazarene, the room seems smaller than it is. The back rows of pews have a claustrophobic feel since the low ceiling also serves as a base for the balcony above. But continue onward several paces and you leave the balcony behind, entering into a breathtakingly large and beautiful place to worship the LORD.

Atilla Kefeli (CC)

As an eight-year-old, it seemed even larger than it is. I used to lay on the pew—my chin on its rough red fabric—and stare at the ground. The tall ceilings boasted hundreds of light bulbs, and when the lights hit my parents' feet, they cast multiple shadows. There were at least four distinct shadows forming an X on the crimson carpet. Each was a different shade, as some shadows were layered upon others. This optical phenomenon intrigued me, and I would wave my hand over the ground to try and figure out which lights were casting which shadows. That is until my parents thumped me and told me to sit up.