Needless to say, hospitality in numerous forms is something always on my mind. But recently, it came to my attention that we were shown amazing hospitality while we were on a trip

As John received this vision he wrote it down on a scroll (1:9-11). The details of the vision tell of both specific instructions to each of the local seven historic churches (chapters 2-3), along with many scenes of what was yet to come regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, the passing away of the "old order" of things (IE Temple sacrificial worship), the establishment of the "new order" of things via worship done in spirit and in truth (Christian worship focused on Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension, and reign) and the victorious, everlasting rule of Jesus.

The first few verses of Ecclesiastes give us the repeated themes often revisited throughout the book. The phrase “Under the sun” appears 29 times throughout the book and the word for “Meaningless” appears 38 times throughout the book. 

Maybe you want to start family worship, or reading scripture together, or a devotion and you don't know where to start. I am going to keep it simple and tell you, to start anywhere! All of the Bible is for us and our children. Yes, even the stories about war, peace, death, life, concubines', greed, offerings, adultery, and love. 2 Timothy 3:16 is a wonderful verse that exemplifies what Scripture we should teach our children.

But God (Romans 5:8), who is rich in mercy and abounding in compassion, saw fit to give to me grace. What I used to be is no longer who I now am. The grace of God has been revealed in my life through many victorious changes. The primary change I've shared here is how my life used to be ruled by deceit, but now, my life has become ruled by the Truth.

Dear reader, who I am now is not who I used to be. I have never met another person more overwhelmed with deceit and lies than I was. I would lie about small things and big things. I would lie to employers, coworkers, friends, mentors, my siblings, and my parents. The dominant trait of my character, activity, and preoccupation of my mind was deception.

The Apostle Paul frequently spoke of who he was before Christ confronted him. In his telling of who Jesus was and why he mattered Paul often has 3 parts to his story - who he used to be, what changed him, and who he is now.

Our lives are like those who lived in ancient times. Our lives are journeys. Our lives are spent on their way towards the place of eternity. Either our destination is an eternity in God's presence, or an eternity apart from God's presence.

We as parents are consumed with mixed feelings of missing our children, and anticipation at finally having our homes back. We live in a sinful world where parents can't wait to send their children away. Children are being sent away to be taught about the world by someone other than their parents. But is it their responsibility? Who's job is it to teach and train our children about this world? Whether your children attend public, private, or homeschool, the training of our children to know the Lord is the job of the parents.

Board Games are great for date nights at home.

Each week we recommend some songs, a prayer focus topic, and roughly 5-6 chapters of reading. This week we've been reading through 2nd Samuel and I noticed something I had never seen before.

While much of the church through history has debated the various interpretive approaches to Revelation, in the United States today the most popular and "mainstream of consciousness" interpretative approach is the futurist dispensational approach.

Many people today focus on the impact that men have had in the Christian Culture. Sometimes we forget that there are women who have done amazing things with the help of God. Some of these have stood in the shadows of their husbands, and others have gone off on their own. Women of the Faith is a monthly column that shares the stories of these strong women. These articles are written by our oldest daughter. Today's Woman of Faith is Lillian Trasher.

First, I'm going to show you the Greek text alongside three English translations of a passage and their distinguishing features rendered in English. Second, I'm going to quote several different perspectives on this passage to give you a sense for both the general consensus believed among Christians regarding this passage, and the general points of distinction between interpretations.

While Christmas and Easter get by far the most contemporary "press" and "headlines", the ascension is another "pillar" in understanding who Jesus is and why he matters. The Apostle's Creed is a unifying summary of beliefs among many Christians since as early as the 5th century.

When I ask kids about the story of Noah's Ark, most answer with Noah made an ark and the animals were on it while it flooded. When teaching these stories to our children are we showing them God, or are we simply giving the most basic explanation we can?

John looked and saw a throne. Thrones are inherently seats of power. A throne without power is simply a decorative chair. Yet this throne is occupied. This throne's location is heaven. What references should be in our mind as we read John's vision of this throne?

Hearing comes first, then our minds begin to comprehend, and make assessments of what we are hearing and how it impacts us. When we hear something, we begin to make sense of the sounds (or words) we hear. Once a determination is made, we begin to act in accordance with our assessment of what we've heard. It is only after we've heard something that we can assess it, and it is only after we've assessed something that we can act in response.