I regularly hear from parents whose children are far from God, or have recently passed away. When asked, I try to remind them that our children ultimately belong to God, and that we are their temporary caretakers. I pray this will provide some comfort for those who, in this life, have suffered loss.
Christian singer and songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman has the most awards in Christian music history... but his life has been a journey of ups and downs. He shares a bit of his story with the folks at I Am Second.
This is one of the underlying themes throughout all of Scripture: despite our own unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. An appropriate response to God's unending grace and generosity is wonder. Peterson contrasts Jesus' words (why hast thou forsaken me?) with our own: why hast thou accepted me?
Oh, I’ve never been left alone in any problem that I’ve known, even though I’m to blame. There were times when things were dark and I’ve been known to miss the mark, but someone fixed my aim. From the album Bloom.
Christianity is a belief system based on information: that Jesus is God in the flesh, come to reconcile us to Himself. However, following Jesus is about more than information. "We can only possess what we experience. The facts of theology can be altogether cold... though true in every way, they alone can't change me."
This CCM classic expresses a timeless perspective: that followers of Jesus must give up ownership of our own lives. He died for us, and we should be willing to die for Him. In fact, we are called to die to self and carry our own cross.
Christianity is under attack in many places around the world. Some American Christians are, for the first time, concerned about losing the freedom to worship openly. Big Tent Revival boldly proclaims their intention to be faithful to God under difficult circumstances.
The Bible makes it clear from Genesis to Revelation that the primary tool of the devil is deception. As Dixon says: the devil is a liar, says he can give you everything that you desire, everything you want but you'd be playing with the fire... so don't believe the lie. It comes at a price.
If you're like me, and have loved ones who struggle with failure and addiction and doubt, this song is for you. God isn't looking for opportunities to punish us for our weakness. Instead, He stays and works on our behalf, longing to see us fulfill the potential He created us for.
It's been some time since my most recent post. I've been extraordinarily busy at work (thanks, God) and at home. That doesn't mean I haven't been working hard to share the Gospel, though. I've created a new website:
I get a fair amount of email from GodWords readers (thank you!), and questions about avoiding temptation come up frequently. This song has helped me keep a wise perspective on such things, and I've been singing it to my son at night for over a decade. All temptations offer a trade: momentary pleasure for long-term suffering.
Downhere is one of my very favorite bands. They combine great lyrics and quality music and really, really great vocals. They're one of Canada's best-kept secrets, and I've been trying to get the secret out for some time now.
