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Every time I enter a lecture hall at my university, I commence the class with the same two words: “Greetings, theologians!” In the chairs sit art, film, communications, psychology, business, ...

We all want to matter, we want to be valued, we want to make a difference. We want to have a purpose in life. I know that's true of me, and I'm sure it's true of you as well. But where do we find this?

Put yourself in the path of beauty. Make it a habit. This world is filled with plenty of sorrow, and one of the most healing ways we can respond to ...

“I’ve been through a lot, Nona. But this . . . this is a different kind of hurt.” I was catching up with a pastor friend of mine when he ...

I remember it like it was yesterday, despite it happening twenty years ago. My husband and I were a few months into married life when he encouraged me to try ...

While some say that children’s pastors should shy away from "difficult" passages, there are convincing reasons for welcoming the whole story. First, it allows for the possibility of building a solid spiritual foundation. When leaders teach our children the entirety of scripture, it equips them with a foundational understanding of the nature of God. His love. His compassion. His wrath. His mercy. His grace. All of it allows them to see the Bible as a unified message, not a collection of disconnected stories.

If the whole counsel of God is presented within our children’s ministerial programs, children will learn how the Bible helps them to navigate complex issues like suffering, forgiveness, and temptation. Exploring these topics prayerfully and thoughtfully gives kids a chance to navigate life’s challenges with a biblical worldview.

From the foreword The Scandal of the Kingdom by John Mark Comer Download Free Sermon Outlines The Swiss psychologist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross once wrote, “Beautiful people do not just happen.” Do ...

I was reading through the first chapter of James: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” 

What?!

Pure joy?!

I was right in the middle of a trial, and I wouldn’t have immediately thought to consider it pure joy.

But as I thought about it, I realized something. James is not saying, “Look at the trial and feel happy.” No! He knows the visceral emotion partnered with trials is sorrow, not joy. But he says, “Consider it pure joy.” He’s referencing the intensity, not the exclusivity, of the joy. He is not saying, “Have only joy.” He’s saying, “Have the fullness of joy too.” Intensity, not exclusivity. This is important.

This devotion is based on the book Fighting Shadows by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson

Beyond the verifiable emotional and physical benefits of friendship and community, you need to know that were created for community. You were designed for friendship.

Though men are over sexualized in our culture, a man’s sexuality is often the most neglected part of his development. It’s the place we’ve had the least meaningful conversations in our lives. Few men got an adequate sex talk, maybe a simplistic anatomy lesson or a purity lecture, if they got anything at all. When nothing else is talked about, it often leads men to assume sexuality is meant to just work and run itself. And when that doesn’t work, men bury their sexual struggles in silence and shame. Or worse, act them out in a spiral of sin and self-hatred. It’s left men so underdeveloped and stuck.

If you're just diving into the world of Christian apologetics, you're in for an enlightening journey. Apologetics is all about explaining and defending the Christian faith, and having the right resources can make a world of difference. Below, we've compiled a list of the top 5 books that offer a fantastic starting point for beginners.

God instructs us to confess our sins to Him and our Christian community. You need to find people you can be real with, that you trust, and that genuinely care ...

We, as parents and grandparents, have the power - and the responsibility - to build the safe, sustainable culture that Silicon Valley has continually failed to create. For our families, for our communities, and for our world.

The American church is a very married place, with a very specific definition of “family.” My boys and I no longer fit the Christian family mold, which assumes two parents because that’s the way God designed families. Church leaders may design excellent programs and provide for material needs, but they may not know how uncomfortable it can be for the single parent and their child to sit in the pews surrounded by intact families. The very place God ordained to help widows and orphans can be a very hard place for the single parent and their child to be belong.

Pastors and church leaders: We have a remarkable sacred access to both soaring celebration and the deepest of sorrows in our congregation. I was happy to serve as a youth pastor for over six years. We love our church body through summits and valleys. And through it, I know I got some things wrong about grief. What I learned and unlearned in nearly a decade as a hospital chaplain is, I believe, valuable for both patients and pastors, for families and staff, for the pulpit and our prayers.

“Can I make it through November?” Maybe you’ve asked yourself that question recently. The last two elections were hard on your church, and you’re not sure you can white-knuckle your ...