The danger inherent in the exegesis of experiences as opposed to the Word of God is that experiences are not fully reliable as instruments of truth. Sometimes they are absolutely unreliable.
The driver's seat of the Chevrolet occupied the area that had once been the back seat and, pinned between the contorted steering wheel and the driver's seat-back, was the smashed and maimed body of a slight - maybe 110 lb - teenage girl.
For all who ask the question, "What is God's will for my life?" here is the answer. God has given us the blueprint.
It is an incredible thing to consider that the incomprehensible Creator of the universe wants to be known.
There is nothing yet to be revealed about God that has not already been revealed in Jesus, His Son.
...God chose to reveal Himself in a progressive manner with partial revelations building upon previous partial revelations set against the backdrop of unfolding history.
God has indeed spoken to us, and He has spoken with the intent that we understand His message. Why? Because He wants us to know Him. To know God, to discern Him as He is in truth, is to behold His glory.
There is no such thing as an irrelevant father. The moment a man becomes a father, his life becomes enormously relevant to at least one other living soul. Fathers who take their responsibilities seriously do well, and become significant forces for good. Bad fathers, absent fathers, and fathers who have abdicated their responsibilities are significant forces for evil. Whether for good or for evil, the impact of a father is powerful.
In spite of the incredible awe and wonder that God's creation is capable of evoking, the glory of God as revealed in His physical creation is but a trifle in comparison to the full revelation of all that He is.
All things in this life and the next are reducible to this one simple yet overwhelming end - to know God, to behold His glory to an ever greater degree, and to allow the glory of God to transform us, not just in this life but for all of eternity.
It's a curious thing about scars. We remember them. We remember the finest details of the circumstances that gave birth to them, the wounds that formed them.
What is it that distinguishes these two men, both obviously sinners, as regards their standing before God? Jesus clearly makes a distinction. The answer to this question is critical. It is the difference between eternal life and eternal judgement. All of mankind is represented by one or the other of these two characters. There is no third option.
I was present to witness the new hope shining in Chris Franklin's eyes the day he put his trust in Jesus. I believe if Chris were still present in this world he would want to tell you about it. But he is not here, so I am telling his story. I think he would be glad about that.
America is replete with Christians who have become self-satisfied, complacent, and useless waste receptacles in the household of God. I am begging you - don't become a useless believer.
Mary, only Mary of all the noteworthy guests present in Simon's house, so perceived the glory of God being then revealed in Jesus Christ that her love and devotion toward the person of the Savior overwhelmed her. There were no words. There are still no words. There are only humble acts of devotion and adoration, like Mary's, which issue forth from a pure heart and a life devoted to knowing Jesus.
A shallow understanding of scripture, an entertainment-based church experience, a worldly and unseparated lifestyle, a lackluster desire to learn or grow in Christ-like maturity - these are all perceived by legions of modern believers to be the normative characteristics of their faith. Holiness, if even considered, is not important enough to be sought. Godliness has been supplanted by silliness.
Coronary Artery Disease, or CAD, is responsible for nearly 9 million deaths globally per year. That statistic ranks it as the most common cause of death on the planet.
He didn't say a word. He smiled at me with that familiar twinkle in his eye that spoke volumes. He winked, and I knew everything was okay. I realized then that Dad's love for me - for all of us - was unconditional. There were no strings attached; he loved us no matter what we did.
There was a day and age, even within my own lifetime, when humility was viewed as a key component of greatness. I am of the opinion that arrogance has supplanted humility in that formula, the outcome of which destines us to the rule of mediocre men.
Every one of the multiple research threads that I strung up on my imaginary crime solving pin chart eventually found their way to the same blunt conclusion, the singularity for which I was searching, i.e. - I should be dead, but I was alive.
On May 30, 2015, I died. I was running a 5K race in Clever, MO when I literally dropped dead from a heart attack.
Unassailable Gospel 