Biblical Resources for Everyday Life
Most people miss the Bible’s practicality. This is particularly true when we consider how to deal with life’s daily challenges. We find our relationships marred by anger, fear, hurt, and frustration. How do we cope? We live in a world that often disappoints and sometimes seems empty. Where is the joy? We encounter a God who does things that we don’t understand and that He doesn’t always explain. How do we trust Him? These posts explore our concerns.
See the most recent post from Coping with Life below.Do you ever try to boost your self-esteem? Of course you do – we all do – typically by comparing ourselves with others. I recommend against such comparisons, and so does the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:12. What’s wrong with this practice? Several things.
Take a careful look with me at the Bible and at the God behind the pages of this book He has crafted. In these posts we’ll examine the original meaning of biblical words, learn how to study a biblical text, look closely at the character of God, and reflect on how biblical truth impacts our lives.
See the most recent post from Exploring the Bible below.This is a time when looking up the history of a word yields a big payoff. David literally wrote not paths of righteousness, but ruts of righteousness.
In these posts we’ll explore practical skills, perspectives, and wisdom essential to the art of helping others as we walk with them through the issues we all face. We’ll look at psychological disorders through a biblical lens, compare and contrast Jesus and “the shrinks,” learn what God says about skillful interactions, and gain wisdom and confidence in our battle against evil.
See the most recent post from Helping Others below.Codependence. Another term shrouded in mystery. If someone leans towards you over a cup of coffee and quietly tells you they’re codependent you probably have no idea what to say. What is codependence? The term refers to an emotional disorder where one person perpetuates the psychological problems of someone close to them. The codependent enables their cohort to continue their maladaptive ways both by protecting them from the consequences of their bad choices and by avoiding conflict with them at almost any cost. This behavior is often directed towards an addict.
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Many voices – authors and speakers, shrinks, and preachers – advise us on how live productive and meaningful lives. Some realistically weave together issues of the spirit, mind, and body and accurately reflect biblical truth. Their perspectives have deeply enriched my life and ministry.
Others address mental and physical issues but neglect, minimize, or distort deeper – and more basic – spiritual concerns. Still others address spiritual concerns but disregard physiological or mental realities. Here you can read reviews of what these voices are telling us and find significant quotes from their works.
See the most recent post from Quotes & Reviews below.Windows of the Soul teaches us a “discipline of awareness” by which we, caught unawares, taste intimacy with each other and with God.
Read moreCertain ideas – themes – permeate the bible. God seems to tell thousands of unrelated stories, but that’s not true. God tells very few stories. Instead, He tells same stories again and again, varying the settings and characters, but never varying the key ideas He wants to emphasize. Once you learn to think thematically, God’s repetitions will pop off of page after biblical page, and you’ll find the bible suddenly less confusing, more fascinating, and amazingly consistent.
Here you’ll find surveys of important biblical themes, each presented as a series of related posts.
See the most recent post from Theme Studies below.The Advent of my Second Book: Weddings & Worship.
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Grappling with Your Identity