prosperity

There are few things more fascinating – and more pressing – to social scientists than to discover what our new digital world is doing to us, particularly the new online world. From an assortment of new surveys and studies, I’ve drawn together five key findings. Some you may have suspected, some may come as a surprise, but all are based on the most recent findings. 1. It’s Hurting Our Kids According to a new major study of nearly 10,000 teenagers by University College London and Imperial College London, social media damages children’s mental health by “ruining sleep, reducing their exercise levels and exposing them to cyberbullies in their homes.” In fact, “using sites multiple times a day increases the risk of psychological distress by around 40%, compared to logging on weekly or less.” 2....

Death: Because of Christ, You Can Face It. by Max Lucado As heart surgeries go, mine was far from the riskiest. But any procedure that requires four hours of probes inside your heart is enough to warrant an added prayer. So on the eve of my surgery, Denalyn, I, and some kind friends offered our share. We were staying at a hotel adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. We asked God to bless the doctors and watch over the nurses. After we chatted a few minutes, they wished me well and said good-bye. I needed to go to bed early. But before I could sleep, I wanted to offer one more prayer… alone. I took the elevator down to the lobby and found a quiet corner and began to think. What if the surgery goes awry? What if this is my final night on earth? Is there anyone with whom I should...

Queen Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, and the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. Jezebel promoted the worship of false gods in Israel, harassed and killed God’s prophets, and arranged for an innocent man to be falsely charged and executed. King Ahab Marries Queen Jezebel King Ahab, who “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any [king of Israel] before him,” (1 Kings 16:30) married Jezebel, making her the queen over Israel. We learn in 1 Kings 16:31, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, who was king of the Sidonians (or Phoenicians). Before becoming king, Ethbaal was noted to have been a priest of Astarte, which was the Greek form of the moon goddess Ashtoreth. Astarte is what the Phoenicians called her. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Ashtoreth was “frequently a...

CAN’T NEVER COULD DO ANYTHING “For by You I can run upon a troop;and by my God I can leap over a wall.”Psalm 18:29 Has there ever been a greater movie character than Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion? The answer is NO! Rocky is beloved because he had limited ability but miles and miles of heart. He did what others said couldn’t be done. In Rocky II, Rocky is preparing for his big rematch with Apollo Creed, the heavy weight champion of the world. As he and his trainer, Mickey, watch film from the first fight, Mickey lets him in on a little secret: in order to win, Rocky was going to have to fight Creed as a right handed fighter. Rocky responded by saying, “Com’ on, Mick. I can’t do that!” I love Mickey’s reply, “What’s can’t?! There ain’t no can’t!” IS YOUR A...

Transcendentalism Definition Transcendentalism was a movement that arose in America, specifically New England, in the early nineteenth century, coming into its own in the 1830’s. Rather than an actual religious movement, adherents considered it a way of thinking. Though specific beliefs may have differed from person to person, in general, transcendentalism can be defined as what GotQuestions.org calls “a philosophy of intuition as a guide for spirituality.” Some transcendentalists identified as Christians, usually Unitarians, and others as agnostics. The beliefs can be traced to roots in the ideas of Immanuel Kant, ancient Indian and Chinese scriptures, Platonism, and German and English Romanticism. As the way of thinking grew, it was reflected in the work of several notable American write...

This morning I did an interview on Moody Radio called Answers to Tough Questions about the Faith. The hosts asked me to answer the questions in light of recent high-profile defections from Christianity. We need this because we have nothing to fear from honest questions. Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

August 17, 2018Boomerang of EncouragementMary Southerland Today’s Truth Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV). Friend to Friend You have heard the old saying, “What goes around, comes around.” Truer words were never spoken when talking about encouragement. We all need encouragement – especially during the tough times. Those “tough” times can come in all shapes, sizes and forms and can vary from person to person. We have one child who has been known to run an extremely high fever, walk around on a broken foot, and have a headache that would put me in bed… all w...

Have you ever seen a room light up the moment a famous person walks into it? There is something intangible yet very real about their magnetism. Their larger-than-life persona mysteriously charges you, maybe even changes you, and makes you want to capture even a momentary smile from them. That’s an inadequate picture of what it’s sometimes (not always) like to be in the presence of God. “The most common Hebrew term for ‘presence’ is panim, which is also translated ‘face,’ implying a close and personal encounter with the Lord,” according to Baker’s Biblical dictionary.  An example of the Hebrew panim is in Genesis 3:8. In the New Testament, the Greek words prosopon and enopion are similar in meaning. Here are six truths about God’s presence taught in Scripture. 1. God’s presence is ever...

Shalom is commonly understood to mean “peace” or “health” or “prosperity.” It carries within it the idea of completeness. Cornelius Plantinga writes that the word shalom is “the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment and delight.” Shalom is the vision of community; it is what community strives to be. It reminds me of something I once read about Mother Teresa. When asked how she could give so much of herself to the poor, she would always say that when she looked at them, she saw Jesus in a distressing disguise. That is the heart of authentic community—being Jesus to others and seeing Jesus in others. If you’re married, you are to be interacting with our spouse as if unto Him. If you’re a child, you’re obeying as if unto Him. If an employee, you’re working ...

Evangelical author Joshua Harris announces on Instagram that he no longer considers himself a Christian. Evangelical songwriter Marty Sampson now says the same thing about himself. The Internet is atwitter with opinions on all of that: from atheists, from Christians, and everyone in between. As sad as I am about all of this, I can’t help but think about lots of people I’ve known, many of whom would never make headlines, who just, sometimes very quietly, walked away from the faith.  I would imagine that’s happened to you too, with someone you love, or someone you admire, maybe even someone who mentored you in the faith. And, I don’t know about you, but I know how every one of those stories made me feel. I would often be angry, as though the person had personally betrayed me. Sometimes ...

Reset Your Relationships – Beloved Women – August 16, 2019 READ “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.” – Proverbs 27:9 NIV TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT Relationships matter. Maintaining strong friendships and relationships take work. Whether it is a friendship, marriage, or significant other, we have all allowed life’s demands to distract us from nurturing these important relationships. I often do a self-check asking myself, how can I be a better friend?  A stronger spouse?  Can you do a quick self-check of your relationships? Ask yourself: How can I be more intentional about spending quality time with those who matter to me? It is important that we value quality time with loved ones over non-stop busynes...

Exhortation Definition In modern usage, exhort can mean “to incite by argument or advice: urge strongly.” One might use exhort interchangeably with summon, beseech, entreat, or encourage. Words like these are used frequently in scripture, but the Greek takes us deeper into the heart of the New Testament. Parakaleó combines “pará ‘from close-beside’ and kaléō, ‘to call’.” In other words, to “‘make a call’ which is ‘close-up and personal.’” Exhortation Meaning in the Bible Paul, John, and other writers of Scripture meant this word as an intimate call to fellow believers, even when the call was not face-to-face but from prison. His use of exhort in this context seems to combine two meanings – to admonish and to encourage – because of the urgency and heart of fellowship behind what Paul ...