Tag: Sharing the faith

Digging in Deeper: Ephesians 6:4

1 Comment

“Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I’ve long been a numbers guy. Numbers just stick in my head. Random numbers. And they don’t go away. Sometimes it’s pretty handy like at my former church, before I was really using a cell phone all that much, when I had almost half the phone numbers of the members memorized. Because I’m a numbers guy, I love looking at data. It doesn’t matter too much what the data is, but sociological research data is some of my favorite to digest, especially when it’s on a topic I care about and from a research outfit whose methodology I trust. I’ve had the chance recently to review some research from the Barna organization into the world of people who are spiritually curious. Let me highlight a couple of things I’ve noticed along the way.

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Timothy 1:1-2

2 Comments

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Young people need old people. Sometimes they’re fully conscious of it. Sometimes they’re not, but the need is so pressing they are drawn to them anyway. More specifically, young men need older men and young women need older women. Young people need models and mentors they can look up to for wisdom and direction, for encouragement and even for correction at times. When they find someone like this with whom they connect, the bond that forms can be incredibly strong. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a mid-season review of the HBO-Max series, The Penguin, about the rise of the classic Batman villain. Since then, I’ve finished the series. I don’t often come back to a single season of a series more than once, but this one really stuck with me. Let’s talk about the church, being a mentor, and why The Penguin was both great and terrible.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Exodus 12:24-27

Leave a comment

“‘Keep this command permanently as a statute for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, you are to observe this ceremony. When your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” you are to reply, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians, and he spared our homes.”‘ So the people knelt low and worshiped.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Sometimes God reveals Himself in ways that are clear, direct, and unmistakable. More often, though, He works behind the scenes and gives us the task of passing along information about and faith in Him from one generation to the next. He does not, however, leave us alone and unequipped to do this. His big reveals are intended to become tools for us to use in passing on knowledge of Him generationally. We see this in the next part of the story of the Exodus. Let’s talk this morning about the last thing Moses says to the people before sending them on their way to get ready for the first Passover.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 1 Peter 3:15

Leave a comment

“…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is perhaps the chief theme verse for the discipline of apologetics.  Apologetics is, of course, the discipline of making arguments in defense of the Christian faith.  Much has been written about this verse.  Let me make three observations here. Read the rest…