Guest Blogger: Chad R. Allen (Editorial Director, Baker Books) We’ve all been there. You start reading a non-fiction book or a blog, and all is right with the world. But then as you get into it, something changes. It’s not holding your attention. In fact, the word “boring” comes to mind. One way to reduce boredom among your readers is to write with a sense of urgency. After all, if what you’re saying is not important, why write it? As...
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What happened to the Christian culture which formerly described mainstream America? Social commentators and pastors agree that we live in a post-Christian culture. But what caused the soil of American culture to stop sprouting Christian influence and proliferate with weeds which have overgrown American religious and cultural heritage? Like sowing good seed and brambles at the same time, a number of events contributed to a slow...
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A couple days ago, I started this Faith in Tension series with a look at a controversy started by Beyonce at her 2013 Super Bowl performance. Let’s go to the source. Here is a video of Beyonce in recent interviews. The first few minutes are full of the circumstantial, circular reasoning I’ve been trying to highlight. If you’re pressed for time, or insulted by wild accusations, jump to 5:30 in the video. Is it a conspiracy? The truth...
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One of the world’s most popular singers and performers, Beyonce took the stage during the Super Bowl with the fire and passion that few artists create. Her show pulled so much electricity, that the circuits in the New Orleans Superdome overheated, and shortly after play resumed lights in half the stadium went dark. As news reporters scrambled to fill the airtime, they discovered that her show also blew the stadium’s electrical service...
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At a recent Resurgence R12 Conference, Greg Laurie commented that Christians and church leaders have to be transformed so they can be culturally relevant and authentically connect with the world. Living much of my life in West Michigan, I had to look back at my own journey to faith, and grapple with why his casual transition between point four and five of his notes arrested my attention. Growing up in West Michigan, I have to confess...
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Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible, and every verse extols the power, stability, enduring nature and endless authority of God’s word. God’s word is a lamp, by it we avoid sin, it teaches us wisdom, and sets our feet on a straight path. All of these truths are found in Ps 119. If you haven’t read this song lately, I encourage you to build your faith by reading King David’s trust, reliance and...
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Jesus’ last words gave Christians the Great Commission, a command to build disciples in all nations. Disciple building is a process, not an event, and too often Christ followers focus on events. Preaching is part of the process, as is baptism, church membership and reading the Bible. However, unless these lessons become part of a changed life, the discipling process remains incomplete. Teena’s book lays out steps to start and grow a...
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I met Wanda Maxey three years ago in a small writing group. Timid and quiet, Wanda wanted to tell her private story to the world. She believed that God had taught her about his beautiful love and grace, even though her personal history was filled potholes of alcoholism and abuse. Wanda’s story includes an alcoholic father, and a similar man that she settled for when she got married. Zig Ziglar once said that people often prefer a...
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Author James Stuart Bell worked with Howard Books to collect stories of God’s real involvement in the lives of his children. The first in a 10 book series, God Encounters tells how a loving God answered desperate prayers and interacted with his people (J. Bell, 2009, Howard Books) Tim’s contribution to this compilation book tells the story of how God answered a 4 year old prayer to begin reconciling his relationship to his son...
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Are You Living or Existing? by Kimanzi Constable My rating: 5 of 5 stars I don’t know about you, but I don’t connect with some of the self-help Experts and Gurus out there. I know they do good work, and if their income is any reflection to the quality of their advice (which is what I’m supposed to think, I think) then their advice is worth its weight in gold. Yet I have a hard time peeling away the pounds of plastic and veneer of...
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