Rahab’s actions in protecting the spies involved the telling of a lie. Was that justified? By commending her for her faith, is Scripture also condoning her methods? Good men have argued over that question, all the way back to the earliest rabbinical history. Let’s...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCGm8Tw_YI

Consider the genius of God’s plan. The first generation of Christians was a tinderbox of contrasting cultures and backgrounds. At least fifteen different nationalities heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Jews stood next to Gentiles. Men worshipped with...

A second major objective that has accelerated much of the small-group movement is the “quest for spirituality.” From his study of small groups, Wuthnow observed that a majority of all small-group adherents joined groups because they wanted to deepen their faith.31...

Abraham was the human channel through which the world would see the outpouring of God’s redemptive plan. He understood that. Sarah understood and also embraced it. “She judged Him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11 NKJV). But despite her faith, she knew from a...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFuCS4YAJ3g

My father is now ninety-three. He is finishing well. Every day he adds value to people. He loves them and serves them. Not long ago I asked, “Dad, what keeps you going?” His reply: “Every day I try to make a difference for others. That gives me the energy I need to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsCwdLbpbY&t=5s

In his insightful book on loneliness and spiritual growth, Samuel Natale argues that in the United States at least, loneliness exists as a serious and growing problem.19 In an increasingly mobile and hostile world, where loneliness and alienation are universal sources...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC1oU2zNC_Q

WHY ARE SMALL GROUPS so prevalent in contemporary America that almost half the adults in the country are involved in some sort of group? More specifically, why are they often seen as the basic unit of church community and a popular option for Christian formation...

Larry Walker always wanted to fly, but poor eyesight disqualified him from pilot status in the air force. So he got an idea. He hitched up forty-five helium-filled weather balloons to his lawn chair, strapped himself in with some sandwiches, a pellet gun, and a...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3zBn29JmzU   We have just released a new Bible Study based on Jeff Bumgardner and Dr. Stephen Cutchins new book. Green Hearts: God's Goodness in the Worst of Times. This study is a reflection of grief and is response to the tragic...

I reiterate, I emphasize, I underscore with all of the unction and function and emotion of my soul that one of the greatest concepts that you can ever learn is the concept of covenant—of blood covenant. Now, what was a covenant? A covenant was an unbreakable...

On November 28, 1965, the fighter plane of Howard Rutledge exploded under enemy fire. He parachuted into the hands of the North Vietnamese Army and was promptly placed in the “Heartbreak Hotel,” one of the prisons in Hanoi. When the door slammed and the key turned in...

We have just released a new Bible Study based on the topic: The New Covenant. These lessons are available on Amazon, as well as a part of my Good Questions Have Groups Talking Subscription Service. Like Netflix for Bible Lessons, one low subscription gives you access...

The Fourth of July. Everything about the holiday was red, white, and blue. My face was red, the clouds were cotton white, and the sky was a brilliant blue. My redness came not from sunburn but humiliation. Denalyn had warned, “Remember, Max, the lake level is low.”...

Melanie Jasper says her son, Cooper, was born with a smile on his face. The dimple never left his cheek. He won the hearts of every person he knew: his three older sisters, parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends. He loved to laugh and love. His father, JJ,...

Now I said what we need to do is to understand the blood covenant as a biblical principle. Let me tell you something; listen very carefully: The blood covenant is the subject of the Bible. That’s what the whole Bible is about: blood covenant. Our Bible is divided into...

Dr. Norman Geisler We have six children: three boys and three girls. Our middle daughter was a problem child in our home and was very difficult for us. We prayed. We worked with her. We did everything we could. One day, as I was speaking in the Asheville, North...

Life pulls us down. Joseph arrived in Egypt with nothing. Not a penny to his name or a name worth a penny. His family tree was meaningless. His occupation was despised.1 The clean-shaven people of the pyramids avoided the woolly bedouins of the desert. No credentials...

There is something else you should know about the outer you. Paul said it like this: “Outwardly we are wasting away.” Sooner or later, Old Man Wrinkle is coming for everybody. If you have any doubts about whether or not this is true, just take a look at your best...

What is a covenant? A covenant is a sacred contract. A covenant is a binding agreement. A covenant is an unfailing promise. God had made a covenant with His ancient people, and God has made a covenant with me and with you. Several things I want you to see about the...

Have you ever prayed for a miracle? “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1...

Many books today focus on self-improvement. Everyone wants to change for the better. Americans will spend millions of dollars this year in their search for practical solutions to their problems. Many will move from one fad to another, looking for advice on how to live...

She had a tremble to her, the inner tremble you could feel with just a hand on her shoulder. I saw her in a grocery store. Had not seen her in some months. I asked about her kids and husband, and when I did, her eyes watered, her chin quivered, and the story spilled...

In the fall of 2016 Hurricane Matthew stormed through the Atlantic, picking up speed and power. Soon becoming a Category 5 hurricane, it threatened to destroy everything in its path. As Matthew bullied its way through Haiti, Cuba, and the Bahamas, this powerful storm...