Category Archives: Biblical Living

Biblical Living, Faith and Family, Parenting

Children are a Blessing…Yes, Even the 6th Child!

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I remember distinctly the first time we found out we were pregnant.  We were so excited and I remember the people around me communicating similar excitement.  When I shared the news with friends, family, and even strangers, their immediate response was either “Congratulations!” or “How exciting!”…something like that.  Based on that first experience I assumed that was the way people always respond when someone announces a new life will be joining this world.  When I made that announcement my new baby was just an “it”…an unknown person, unknown sex and I had no idea what ‘it” would be like.  Today, that little baby is my 16-year-old daughter, Mannah. Continue reading Children are a Blessing…Yes, Even the 6th Child! →

Biblical Living, Faith and Family

Pause Before You Honk

Are you the type of person who reacts before you know the whole story or before you see the whole picture? Do you pause before you honk?

Let’s face it.  All of us have acted in haste without knowing all of the facts.  We explode at our spouse, children, friends, and strangers before we ever try to see the situation from their point of view.  The other day I had the opportunity to witness this phenomenon acted out before my eyes. Continue reading Pause Before You Honk →

Biblical Living, Church, Faith and Family

Martin Luther – The movie, some background and the 95 Theses

Last night I watched the movie Luther with my family.  I knew a little of the history of Martin Luther prior to watching, but the movie helped set the historical context  and exposed many more of the issues that were going on in the church and in politics at that time.  I was also amazed to learn that Luther translated the Bible into German by himself because he wanted people to have direct access to the scriptures in their native language.  After watching the movie I wondered what was in the 95 Theses that ticked the Catholic church off so bad and unraveled that part of the world in such a way that over 100,000 people died in the Peasant’s War.  I always thought what upset the Catholic church the most was the loss in revenue they received when people no longer placed value on indulgences, but the movie and Wikipedia seem to support that the Catholic church was equally bothered by Luther providing people with personal access to a Bible they could understand and for the theological claims he made about grace and relationship with Christ. Continue reading Martin Luther – The movie, some background and the 95 Theses →

Biblical Living, Faith and Family, Product Reviews, Software

YouVersion – Best Bible App

I am an extremely busy father of 5 and taking the time to write a post on a Bible app is not something I ever thought I would find myself doing…yet here I am, excited to write this post. Why? I have been a Christian for many years now but up until recently I had never read the entire Bible “cover to cover.” I tried many times throughout the last 20+ years but never made it more than a few chapters before I got distracted with something else and lost sight of my goal. Continue reading YouVersion – Best Bible App →

Biblical Living, Faith and Family

Better than a Hallelujah

Today was one of those rough days for me.  Not because anything tragic happened but just because it was a Monday morning, I had to get up at 4AM, I was on an airplane heading away from home, my allergies were acting up so my eyes were itchy and my sinuses were so bad I had trouble hearing most of the day, and my weekend was so wonderful that the contrast of a 14 hour day of work seemed unbearable.   By the time I got in the rental car I felt purposeless, lonely, like a hamster on a wheel, and just generally down-trodden. Continue reading Better than a Hallelujah →

Biblical Living, Faith and Family, North Point Community Church

God’s Global Purposes – A message for “good” Christians

I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s message at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA but more importantly, I realized that the intended audience was people like me….people that have been so focused on God’s personal and moral law that we have been distracted from understanding and participating in God’s global purposes.  The message is a call to “good Christians”….great, you are living right….but what about the Ninevites? Continue reading God’s Global Purposes – A message for “good” Christians →

Biblical Living, Charities, Compassion International, Faith and Family

What Is Our “Christian” Responsibility to Haiti?

A woman rescued from the rubble in Haiti

When you first heard about the recent calamity in Haiti, what was your initial response? Was it sadness, depression, pity, compassion, or grief? How long did that emotion stay with you?

As you continue to hear about the chaos and depravity in Haiti, has it already become old news to you? Do you change the station for the promise of a possible new tragedy or celebrity mishap to offer you some sort of entertainment? Do you hear the fundraisers and pleas for resources and quickly dismiss them because you think that someone wealthier or more powerful than you is in more of a position to help?

Most of us have a natural tendency to assume some one else will take care of it. But, as Christians, those “someone elses” are supposed to be US!  Reflect with me on the following: Continue reading What Is Our “Christian” Responsibility to Haiti? →

Biblical Living, Faith and Family, Finances

What’s on Bethany’s mind: What does God “highly esteem”?

SuccessI came across this in my reading today, and the second part of the verse really jumped out at me.

Luke 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

So what do you all think “for that which is highly esteemed among men” is referring to?  Continue reading What’s on Bethany’s mind: What does God “highly esteem”? →

Biblical Living, Church, Faith and Family

Contrast: Nidal Hasan vs Pervaiz Masih

I was doing my routine scan of today’s headlines and stumbled across a video on CNN that I think is the ultimate contrast to the recent events at Fort Hood.  Instead of a wealthy, educated, Jihadist targeting non-Muslims, this story is about a poor, illiterate, Christian saving Muslims – both died living out their faith.  Not sure if it fits in with the other content on this site but I thought it was worth passing on: Continue reading Contrast: Nidal Hasan vs Pervaiz Masih →