prosperity

Let Me Take Care of That for You by Debbie Holloway Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). I recently had a bit of a three-ring-circus to deal with trying to pay a toll. Our lovely Richmond, VA is indeed a beautiful city, but we sure do have some tolls. In fact, depending on where you’re going and from where you’re coming, you may have to pay 3 or 4 tolls in one trip. That happened to me a few weeks ago. As I left the office (right in the middle of the city) and headed southside to visit a friend, I realized too late that I didn’t have enough cash to pay the final toll. With a sigh, I asked for a receipt from the toll booth and went on my way. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say I talked to far too many people o...

Several people, knowing that I am a DC Comics fan, asked if I had seen the new film, Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix. The answer is no, for lots of reasons. For one thing, any review or an IMDb search reveals rather quickly that the sort of graphic violence in this film is less like the sort of violence seen in appropriate film and literature—and more akin to the ancient gladiator games, rightly rejected by Christians (perhaps I will write more on this later). But, secondarily, I didn’t see the film because I’m not a fan of the anti-hero turn in some genres of this medium. The Rise and Fall of the Anti-Hero Joker is, of course, in line with the “darker” turn in the comic realm rooted in 1990s deconstructions of the superhero idea such as Alan Moore’s brilliant Watchmen&...

Several years ago, I wrote a book titled Opening the Front Door: Worship and Church Growth. It was a simple book, but rather controversial at the time. I made the case that weekend worship services had eclipsed Sunday School in attendance since 1971, and therefore, Sunday School was not the “front door” of the church in terms of outreach; rather, the large group weekend service was. Further, I argued that this meant rethinking how to “open” that front door as effectively as possible to reach people, which could potentially involve rethinking dress codes, musical style and much more. Today? Tame. Then? Oh my. Today, I am arguing that there is still a front door to the church, only that instead of it being physical it is digital. And it can be handled in a way that is just as alienating as w...

The world loves the peaceful Jesus: the Christmas baby in the manger, the wise and humble teacher of the Sermon on the Mount. Gentle Jesus meek and mild … or so we think. But a careful reading of the Gospels reveals someone who seems at times to go out of his way to provoke his listeners. If Jesus was such a great man of peace, why did his life generate so much turbulence? Why was he murdered? Why is there still so much controversy about lifting up his name in public? Matthew’s gospel tells of a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry. It happened when he called his disciples together, giving “them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (10:1). What an incredible day that much have been for twelve ambitious men. It was what the...

“For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5b-6 (NLT) I want life to be as predictable as a math problem. Two plus two always equals four. It will equal four today, tomorrow and into the tomorrows years from now. Math equations don’t experience breakups and letdowns. They don’t get cancer. Or have their best friend get transferred and move across the country. They don’t have affairs or unmatched affections. They are highly predictable. Therefore, math equations are easy to trust. But sometimes, life doesn’t add up. Sometimes people don’t add up. And in the rawest moments of honest hurting, sometimes we can’t make sense of what ...

The Challenge of Connection By Jen Ferguson “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” – 1 John 3:18 Recently, while speaking at a conference, I asked ladies to write down one thing that was causing an issue in their marriage. I collected all the papers, mixed them up, and then read them aloud, keeping their anonymity. One of the top responses was connection: lack of time, desire, and/or ability to truly connect on an intimate level with her spouse. This is the plain truth: our most important relationships need our attention. Just as plants require sunlight, water, and soil to grow, so does our marriage need the resources of time, intentionality, and care to grow. If we deprive our marriage of these necessities,...

One day a father was sitting in his study, attempting to work while keeping an eye on his young son. Looking around for something to occupy the boy, he tore a picture of the earth from the pages of a magazine. Ripping the picture into small pieces, he cupped the shredded blue and green papers in his hands and offered them to the boy as a gift. “Here’s a puzzle for you to put together,” he said. Trotting out of the room to reassemble the puzzle, his son seemed happy with his new assignment. Turning back to his work, the father smiled, confident that at last he could count on some uninterrupted work time. But his sense of satisfaction vanished a short time later when the boy walked back into his study, triumphantly announcing the successful completion of the puzzle. “...

Unlearning the Pursuit of Happiness in Marriage By: Heather Riggleman Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4 Smoke filled my nostrils and burned my eyes sending my body into fight or flight mode. I tell myself it’s just a campfire, it’s just smoke on this cold wintery night. Yet, here I am filled with fear. I am unlearning, unraveling, undoing the memories and the moments of the last camping trip in August. My husband woke me in the middle of the night. Ashen skin and wild eyes; all he could communicate was that he thought it was a heart attack. That night became my worst nightmare as I loaded him and our kids in the truck, racing like Danica Patrick to the nearest hospital. I watched his heart raced to 311 beats a minute and I stoo...

Deborah is one of the most influential women of the Bible.  She is known for her wisdom and courage and is the only woman of the Old Testament who is known for her own faith and action, not because of her relationship to her husband or another man. As a prophet, Judge Deborah was said to hear God’s voice and share God’s Word with others. As a priestess, she did not offer sacrifices, as the men did, but she did lead worship services and preach. Many biblical scholars believe that Deborah was a wife, as well.  However, in Hebrew, the same word is used for “woman” and “wife,” so we don’t know, with certainty, if Deborah was a “woman of Lappidoth” (a place) or the “wife of Lappidoth” (a person). Facts about Deborah in the Bible Her story is told in both prose (Judges 4) and poe...

An effort long feared, but widely predicted, has finally surfaced. Last Thursday former Texas representative and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that churches, charities and other religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage should lose their tax-exempt status. This came with the promise that, if elected president, he will immediately enforce the policy through executive action. His reasoning? “There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. And so as president, we’re going to make that a priority and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.” Please read that l...

Be Yourself by Stephen Sanders Have you ever had someone tell you to, “Just be yourself and everything will work out”? It sounds so simple doesn’t it?  “Be Yourself.”  What does that even mean? After all, if we could simply “be ourselves,” then wouldn’t the world that surrounds us be a lot different? I often wonder what friendships would be like if we could simply be who we are inside; to not feel so much pressure to be less or more of an individual than we think we are supposed to be. One thing I’ve begun to focus on in recent months is being the same person everywhere I am no matter who I’m around; but that’s a lot easier said that done.    Don’t get me wrong. I totally realize that none of us are...

We humans are born in this world without knowing exactly who we are (identity), where we come from (origin), why we are here (meaning), what to live for and how we should live (purpose), and where we are going (destiny). The question about the meaning of life has been raised in every generation and investigated throughout history. There have been different views on this matter from different people and cultures. Our understanding on the meaning of life is important because it shapes our way of life. Secular and Christian Views on the Meaning of Life So, what is life all about? Love. Wealth. Happiness. Self-development. Wisdom. Influence. Service. Those are some popular answers we might have heard, and although some views are biblically relevant, could life have deeper meaning? Suppose life...