All (Page 4) Articles 2019 Archives

Cruciformed #6: The Gamble

As Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem that last time, he had reached the point where he was going to gamble everything on the cross.

Phil Ware continues his series of insights on living the CRUCIFORMED life Jesus calls all disciples to live on his way to the cross.

04/10/2019 by Phil Ware

When Life is Unfair!

God’s great story of redemption reminds us of three truths that we must take with us as we live in a world that always seems to tilt away from fairness.

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the importance of God's past stories of deliverance to help us know how to live in our times of unfairness and hold onto to hope in the middle of oppression.

04/07/2019 by James Nored & Phil Ware

Cruciformed #5: The Power of Small

Jesus’ disciples were clueless. Even worse, they were unwilling to accept that the role of exaltation for Jesus and his followers involved the cross of Golgotha!

Phil Ware continues his series on the Cruciformed disciple, focusing this week on the power of the small.

04/04/2019 by Phil Ware

Does It Really Make a Difference?

They acted on their faith. Crime went down 45% in 18 months.

Steve Hemphill challenges us to rethink our role in spiritual warfare and calls on us to battle for the heart of our cities through prayer and prayer stakes.

03/29/2019 by Steve Hemphill

Cruciformed #4: Only by Prayer

Unlike the father of the boy with the tormenting spirit, we don’t confess our unbelief and then ask for help in believing more is possible.

Phil Ware continues his series of posts from the discipleship section of Mark chapters 8-10, this time focusing on the boy the disciples of Jesus could not heal.

03/27/2019 by Phil Ware

Cruciformed #3: Listen to Him!

In a world full of noisy distractions and competing messages, how do we know which voice we should obey and which sign we should follow?

Phil Ware continues his short series on becoming a cruciformed people -- disciples transformed by the cross of Jesus -- by talking about the focus on the story of Jesus' transfiguration.

03/20/2019 by Phil Ware

Holding on to Bitterness?

Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that’s left!

Max Lucado reminds us of the importance of forgiveness or bitterness poisons our hearts and destroys our influence.

03/15/2019 by Max Lucado

Cruciformed #2: Beyond Our Blurry Vision

As we journey with Jesus down his way of the cross, something grabs our hearts. That drawing power reaches through the centuries.

Phil Ware continues his series from the Gospel of Mark called Cruciformed, formed into the likeness of Jesus who went to the cross.

03/13/2019 by Phil Ware

CRUCIFORMED!

For us to be 'cruciformed' means that we offer our hearts to be reshaped to be like Jesus' heart. It means we offer ourselves to be used by God to bless and serve others.

Phil Ware begins a series on the central section of the Gospel of Mark that focuses on being "cruciformed" as the first step of being a disciple of Jesus.

03/06/2019 by Phil Ware

C.S. Lewis and the Struggle to Find Faith

The final destination of our journey to faith often depends upon the orientation of our hearts.

James Nored and Phil Ware challenge us to look at C.S. Lewis and his journey of faith along with a broken-hearted father and see how we might be able to find faith in our own lives.

03/03/2019 by James Nored & Phil Ware

Glow in the Dark Spiders

Inevitably, the darkness will weigh on them, exhaust them, and feel altogether overwhelming to them. Then, they can come to the light to re-charge, but they can't glow in the light!

Jordan Harrell learned from her son's fascination with glow-in-the-dark spiders that we are made to shine in darkness, not sit under a light.

03/01/2019 by

Don't Just Stand There

As our world sinks ever deeper into the abyss of division, evil, hatred, and violence, Jesus’ followers must do more than spout platitudes, post opinions, blame others, go to church, pray, and preach.

Phil Ware finishes his series called 8GHT and focusses on Jesus' command for us to quit standing around and doing nothing, but to go and do something to redeem our lost world.

02/27/2019 by Phil Ware

Jesus' Power to Get It Done

We must not forget to punch that little red button and make sure the current of heaven’s grace and power flow to us and flow through us to the world.

Phil Ware continues his series called, 8GHT, focusing on eight principles out of Acts 1, today his focus is on the Holy Spirit being the power behind the early church.

02/21/2019 by Phil Ware

What Is Sin?

I was taught to appreciate the beauty of the world and to see in that beauty glimpses of its Creator.

Patrick Odum challenges us to look at sin, community involvement, engagement in the problems of our world, and what it means to be a citizen of the world in which we live.

02/15/2019 by Patrick D. Odum

A Family Without Borders

these ordinary people did the extraordinary: they lived Jesus’ words into reality.

Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on sharing the message of Jesus with the world God loves.

02/13/2019 by Phil Ware

Quiet Waters

Is there hope for those stuck in the long stretches of life without peace?

Bill Sherrill feels the rhythm of life and noise on a lake and compares it to life and our need for God to bring us peace and restoration to our souls.

02/08/2019 by Bill Sherrill

The Revolutionary Power of Witnesses

Let’s be witnesses with those here, near, and far (Acts 1:8) like the first followers of Jesus did!

Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on being witnesses of the great things Jesus has done.

02/06/2019 by Phil Ware

Just for You!

If you were the only one who existed.

Max Lucado reminds us that God made all of creation just for each one of us as the crown of his creation.

02/01/2019 by Max Lucado

What Time Is It?

Your world is fractured and lost. It needs to see what the way of the Kingdom looks like in real life today!

Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on restoring the kingdom.

01/30/2019 by Phil Ware

When I Am Afraid

I’m thankful for the way the Lord teaches me about his character through the pitter patter of those little feet.

Jordan Harrell reminds us of the comfort we find in the times of our darkness are tied to the amount of time we have sought to have a path to the Father when we are in the light.

01/25/2019 by

All Seekers Welcomed Here!

In the Bible, sometimes a person's name was changed because of something that person did or because of something that God was going to do through that person.

Phil Ware continues his series called 8GT -- Eight Truths that Turned the World Upside Down.

01/23/2019 by Phil Ware

Making It Count!

It is simply not true that your best is always good enough; there are countless people every day who could witness to that.

Patrick Odum reminds us that sometimes our best isn't good enough, it doesn't count, unless our focus is on the Lord Jesus and his work, then his resurrection ensures our work is not in vain!

01/18/2019 by Patrick D. Odum

Phil Ware continues his series called 8GHT -- Eight Truths that Turned the World Upside Down! from Acts 1:1-11, this week focusing on Jesus as the Message, Motive, Model, and Mover in the early days of the church.

01/16/2019 by Phil Ware

Our New Chapter

My response is to recognize God’s greatness and grace in using me as an instrument and with confidence move into this pure, unspotted new chapter.

Jackie Halstead challenges us to take advantage of the New Year to begin writing a new chapter in our lives that brings grace to a world struggling with evil.

01/11/2019 by Jackie Halstead, Ph.D.

Jesus Isn't Finished with Us Yet!

Behind every act of power in Acts, we see Jesus at work, guiding his followers and providing his strength for them to do what he asked of them.

Phil Ware begins an eight-part series on eight truths that turned the world upside down, a look at the early verses of the book of Acts.

01/09/2019 by Phil Ware