fisher of men

Mommy Guilt By: Julie Zine Coleman “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2 When you are a mother, guilt is a state of being. I am personally plagued with guilt every time I stop and think about my effectiveness as a mother. There are a thousand things I would do differently if I were to relive the years of raising my children. I would pray for them more often. Spend more one-on-one time with them. Make them do more chores. The list goes on forever. A working mother has an extra portion of guilt. Trying to maintain a teaching career while raising a family was definitely a challenge. Sometimes my children got the short end of the stic...

As Christians, we believe in one God, so why does he refer to himself in the plural in verses such as Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 3:22? Some Jewish commentators have suggested that when God said, “Let us make man in our image”, he was also speaking to the angels, but that’s not likely the case in this narrative.  Furthermore, in Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 3:22, God uses the name “Elohim” in reference to himself. This has a plural meaning. So, if our God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), how does this compute? Why would a singular God refer to himself in the plural? And what does this mean for us today? In the Beginning Was the Trinity Even in the first chapter of the Bible, we see the Trinity at play. By Trinity, we mean that although our God is one, three persons make up the Godhead: Go...

According to the Pew Research Center analysis of the National Survey of Family Growth, marriage is declining while living together outside of marriage is rising. Probably not a surprising headline. But coupled with this is how most Americans now find it acceptable for unmarried couples to live together, even if they have no plans to get married. Only a very narrow majority believe there are societal benefits in marriage. The report also explored the experiences of adults who are married and those who are living with a partner, and found that married adults express higher levels of relationship satisfaction and trust in their partner than those who are cohabiting. Here, in more detail, were the three most significant findings: 1. A larger share of adults have cohabited than have been marrie...

November 14, 2019When You Feel There’s Just Not Enough TimeSharon Jaynes Today’s Truth “In Him we live and move and have our being,” (Acts 17:28 NIV). Friend to Friend “I just never have enough time to spend with the Lord,” Amanda cried. “I work forty plus hours a week, commute ninety minutes both ways, oversee elderly parents’ affairs, and take care of my five-year-old son. I’m either on the road, at my desk or taking care of someone else’s needs. And on top of that, I never feel like I’m doing any of it well. What does God want from me in the middle of all this madness? How can I carve out time for Him? I feel like I’m constantly failing Him!” Amanda is not alone. I’ve been right there with her. Haven’t you? We live in a physical realm and our new, born-again spirits will never be comple...

Can I walk with God alone? It is important to recognize just what is meant by this question. At its heart is the concept of walking with God; to be in an active and growing relationship with God. Can I have that relationship with God apart from being in a community of believers? In other words, is it possible to be a Lone Ranger type of Christian? Why Would This Question Even Come Up? There are a couple of reasons why someone might ask this question. The first is because they are living in isolation from other believers. There are places in the world that are hostile to faith in Christ. Or that faith is not practiced. And in those cases, the one who comes to faith will find themselves unable to join with other believers. Will they be unable to effectively walk with God? The other reason is...

  The Importance of Laying (It) DownBy: Lia Martin While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” – Luke 5:12 Throughout the Bible we encounter real people who for their own unique reasons are ‘lying face down,’ or ‘falling to the ground’ or surrendering to some version of full-on worship or humility. Little did they know God was accomplishing some very important work in these moments, tying them all together into a story that restores even today.   Thanks to so many before us who were willing to lay it down, lie prostrate, or surrender…you and I can always know that our desire to fall flat sometimes is...

November 12,  2019Just Come … And PrayMary Southerland Today’s Truth My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). Friend to Friend Prayer really is so simple. We try to complicate it, and if I do say so myself, we manage to do a fairly good job of it. Everyone prays when in crisis. When the house is on fire, the kids are driving you nuts, the job is in jeopardy, the health challenge is serious, the finances are failing – it is amazing how even the ungodly will resort to prayer. It is built into our very being to cry out to God when we are desperate. But is that all prayer is? Is talking with God only for desperate people in desperate moments? I really do want to know God’s will for my life. I desperately need His wisdom to get through every day. I ju...

Above Photo: The face of the Shroud man as it appears to the naked eye and as a photographic negative ( positive.) Shroud Photographs ©1978 Barrie M. Schwortz Collection, STERA, Inc The Shroud of Turin is a rectangular linen cloth comprised of flax measuring 14.6 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. It bears a faint yellowed image of a bearded, crucified man with bloodstains that match the wounds suffered by Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in all four gospel narratives. Since 1578 the Shroud has resided in Turin, Italy, thus the name, the Shroud of Turin. The holy relic is housed in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Millions of Christians from all denominations believe that the Shroud is the authentic burial cloth used to wrap Jesus after his death on the cross, and found by his disciples in th...

Today is Veterans Day. It is a well-known American holiday, but one with many misconceptions. So many that the U.S. Department of Defense issued “5 Facts to Know About Veterans Day” in relation to its observance. In honor of the day, and as my own salute of gratitude to veterans, here are the five: 1. Veterans Day does NOT have an apostrophe. In other words, it’s Veterans Day, not Veterans’ or Veteran’s Day. It is not a day that belongs to one veteran or multiple veterans. It’s a day for honoring all veterans. ​ 2. Veterans Day is NOT the same as Memorial Day. Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace – dead or alive – though it’s mostly intended to thank living veterans for their service. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for ...

I just noticed something in my social media archive app. Some time ago I had posted on Twitter the following words: Parents of small children, don’t let people fill you with dread about ‘just wait till the teenage years.’ We find these years a source of joy, and even fun. I’ve been a teenager, and I’ve parented teenagers. This is the better part. I stand by those words. Here’s why:  It’s Best to Disregard Others’ Cynicism about Your Life Stage To some degree, what I was combatting with this message is a much larger reality. I tell couples in premarital counseling all the time not to listen to people who will say, “Just wait until that first year of marriage; the fighting is awful.” And I tell newlywed couples not to pay attention to those who say, “Yeah, you’re happy now; just wait un...

We’ve put together a page with 30 Thanksgiving Day sermons. You can use this material to prepare your own messages, or as a way to increase your gratitude to God. Please help us get the word out by sharing this with your FB friends! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

A Prayer for Veterans By Debbie McDaniel Freedom is powerful. It is a gift to be thankful for and to treasure. Sometimes we forget the preciousness of our freedoms. It’s easy to take them for granted. We may not be fully aware of just how many men and women have paid dearly for the freedoms we enjoy today. For all those who have protected our nation, for the men and women in uniform, together, we say “Thank You.” A Prayer for Veterans: for Our Men and Women in Uniform: Dear God, We thank you for the ultimate freedom from you have given to us, better than any earthly freedoms we have. Christ paid the wages of our sin through his death, so that we may be free from death and have hope of everlasting life with you. For that freedom from our sin, we thank you. We thank you also for ...