Have you heard of the short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? by famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)? Tolstoy is famous for his mammoth works like Anna Karenina or War and Peace, as well as for his desire to live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But How Much Land Does aContinue reading “Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1”
Tag Archives: temptation
Why I’m not upgrading my cell phone, though I really want to – Shield of Faith, Preview
I recently received an email from my cell phone provider with an offer to upgrade my phone. My current phone is three years old, and it is a base model. The more advanced models have larger screens, better cameras and other features such as facial recognition. The email tugged at my desires. I desire aContinue reading “Why I’m not upgrading my cell phone, though I really want to – Shield of Faith, Preview”
When sin knocks us down and we get up pretending nothing happened – John 18, Part 2
This week I welcome guest blogger, Emerald Scaffe. Emerald is married and together with her husband, has three children. She also serves on the teaching team at Faith Church. In the previous post we learned how Jesus was spiritually fit for the darkest night of his life. The story of Jesus’ arrest in the gardenContinue reading “When sin knocks us down and we get up pretending nothing happened – John 18, Part 2”
How to have victory in the inner battle of our sinful nature vs the Holy Spirit – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 3
We’ve had quite a long introduction to the passage we’re studying this week. Two whole posts here and here. We’ve learned that God is passionate about helping people become the kind of people that live in line with his heart. But how? By following laws? No. In those introductory posts we discussed Paul’s clear messageContinue reading “How to have victory in the inner battle of our sinful nature vs the Holy Spirit – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 3”
What is your Kryptonite? – Galatians 5:16-26, Preview
What is your Kryptonite? You know how Superman is utterly powerful and has no weakness, except for the rare mineral Kryptonite? When he is in the presence of even a small pebble of Kryponite, he cowers and becomes like an ordinary human. Is there something like that in your life? It could be a certainContinue reading “What is your Kryptonite? – Galatians 5:16-26, Preview”
When money is worthless – Ezekiel 7, Part 3
My wife, Michelle, and I recently celebrated our 25th anniversary by going out for dinner. As a bonus, we had a gift card! We made a reservation, arrived a few minutes early, and sat down in the lobby, waiting for the hostess to call us for our table. I pulled out my phone to checkContinue reading “When money is worthless – Ezekiel 7, Part 3”
How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5
What should we do to use our bodies to express our faith? In the previous post, I mentioned church attendance. But an embodied faith must go well beyond church worship service attendance. So look to Jesus. Jesus had a human body, and he showed us how to live. Jesus invites to do what he did.Continue reading “How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5”
How teens and adults can respond to peer pressure – Characters: Daniel, Part 3
How do you handle societal pressure? Whether you are a teenager facing peer pressure at school, perhaps to try drugs and alcohol, or whether you are an adult tempted to misreport your taxes, there are multitudes of pressures in life, pressures to turn away from living in a way that is honorable to Jesus. WillContinue reading “How teens and adults can respond to peer pressure – Characters: Daniel, Part 3”
False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation
Author’s Note: It’s been 2+ months since I wrote for this blog, and I’m excited to get back to it. A very busy season of life has finally eased up, and I want to catch up where we left off in the series on False Ideas Christians Believe. In order to speed the catch-up process,Continue reading “False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation”
Why our worship will be silent this Sunday at Faith Church – May 8, 2016
A few years ago we started holding Silent Sunday around the time the Christian Church world-wide observes Jesus’ Ascension. We’re told in the earliest historical account of the first followers of Jesus, the Book of Acts, in chapter 1, that after Jesus ascended to heaven, the very first act his followers decided to do wasContinue reading “Why our worship will be silent this Sunday at Faith Church – May 8, 2016”
Engaging Scripture 