I don't usually delve into discussions of apostasy or church authority. My own personal feeling is to pursue unity where possible — Paul puts it well in Ephesians 4:3: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." But I recently read an article on Catholic Share by Godwin … Continue reading A Response to “The Protestant Reformation Was a Total Failure. Period.”
This morning I was studying John 11, the raising of Lazarus. I knew the story, but I can't say I ever attended a bible study on it, and I've certainly never studied or taught what "I AM The Resurrection and the Life" meant. I say frequently that the only reason I teach is because when … Continue reading When God Teaches Me
I was blessed by Ross King's honesty about his faith through difficult times. I skipped over the two worship songs and pick up about 10 minutes in to get to his personal story about his pain and challenges to his faith. https://youtu.be/SLaBj5zv1DA?si=IywhkehHLnWHJ-_o&t=634
I. Introduction The air is filled with the warm aromas of a hearty feast, families gather around tables laden with dishes like roast turkey, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole. Expressions of gratitude echo through the air during this festive season, as traditions like cranberry sauce and dressing bring family and friends together. Beyond … Continue reading Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving
I. Introduction We’re starting a new book today that looks a lot like the last book we were studying. We will study just the first few verses of 2nd Peter. 1st Peter was written to the early church, and the early church had big problems to overcome. Many in the congregation were devout Jews, … Continue reading Growing in Godliness
I. Introduction In our lifelong journey, we all want to be better than we are. We want to be healthier. We want to be taller. We want to have more money. We want to have more friends. We want a nicer car. And once we become Christian, we want to be a better Christian. … Continue reading Equipped to Live
I. Introduction Be in the world, not of the world. This phrase isn’t in the bible, but it is a concept expressed by a great many verses. In John 17:14-15, the night Jesus was betrayed, Jesus prays to the Father for all believers, I have given them your word and the world has hated … Continue reading Living as Strangers
A study of Habakkuk 3. I. Introduction Last week, in Habakkuk 1 & 2, we heard a difficult message of how God can use evil people to accomplish His will. When Habakkuk asked God to correct and admonish the Jewish people, God responded that it was all under control. God would rise up the … Continue reading Awestruck
I. Introduction We’re continuing our study of the minor prophets, and these minor prophets have stark messages. These messages display God’s glory and how God communicates both His love and His wrath, and how they are both consistent with His character, that our God is a consuming fire that loves us gently, and He … Continue reading The Promised Messiah
A study of Zephaniah 1 I. Introduction The wrath of God by John Piper: I thank the Lord again for my opportunity to serve Him today, and I pray my words are full of His truth today. Often my lessons have some humor, some lightheartedness because I truly believe that being a child of … Continue reading The Wrath of God
I'm a Christian and I think 'Noah' deserves a four star review.
Out of Answers? You're Not Out of God.
I just returned from a trip to Israel, and I'm waiting right now for that next-day 3:00pm jet lag feeling to hit. Just a few more minutes, I think. I took 1300 pictures; I plan on posting a few of them in the next couple of weeks with my thoughts. But before I do that, … Continue reading Compass Trip to Israel
Last year I traveled more than usual. I mean, I traveled a lot. I paid Italian income taxes, and the Customs agents at Schipol Airport know me by name. And when I started traveling, I stepped down from teaching bible study at my church. They have this weird rule that if you're not there, you're … Continue reading Dreams
It's a rainy Monday, Labor Day afternoon. I'm reading, surfing, playing, working, whatever I feel like. If only every day could be like this - spend a couple of hours working, then when you feel like it, see what's going on in the Texans kicking team, checking movie schedules, writing a snooty email to a … Continue reading God Satisfies
The town of Dundee has decided to celebrate Christmas, but is removing any reference to Christmas or Christianity. Christmas lights are now Winter Night Lights. Then there's this - And, instead of the traditional nativity story, the festival will feature a solar-powered disco, a continental market, a circus and a fairy on stilts. Oh good. … Continue reading Town Celebrates Christmas Without Any Christianity
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeMy wife showed me an article this week; I *think* it was from the Museum of Natural History, but I can't be sure. The article was mostly well-written and talked about how by a very early age, 6 months, humans begin rational thinking. Babies know that hidden objects haven't disappeared … Continue reading Conviction versus Tolerance
How would you introduce Christ to a room full of people?
Welcome to the CLXXVIII edition of the Christian Carnival. Whoa, CLXXVIII. That's a lot of Roman letters just to say it's the 278th edition. My apologies for the late edition. Real life, as always, got in the way. No excuses, I'm just late. This week's best Christian writing is presented for your intellectual perusement and … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCLXXVIII
I hear a bad joke this weekend. Put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car. Drive around town for a couple of hours. Now, stop and open the trunk. Which one do you think is happy to see you? I'd credit that joke to the appropriate sourse; I think it was … Continue reading In the Trunk
Welcome to the CCLXV edition of the Christian Carnival, this week's collection of the best Christian writing on the planet. Prolific writing this week, too! There are a huuuge number of submissions. Grab a cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy. Richard H. Anderson presents Shalom for the shepherds posted at dokeo kago grapho … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCLXV
The best way to give wings to the Christmas Spirit is to give gifts to people who need them. My wife and I exchanged few gifts this year, opting instead to give to charities instead. Instead of giving somebody a trinket they didn't need, we'd ask them what their favorite charity was. Then we'd give … Continue reading How to Gain the Christmas Spirit
The message of Christmas is simple: God loved us, so He sent His son to us. We're celebrating His birthday. Ways to celebrate this gift to us are many, and bring peace and joy to us, knowing that God loves us. We can spend time with those we love. We can spend time with those … Continue reading How to Kill the Christmas Spirit
God bless Joellen Murphy for her ministry. Joellen Murphy is putting together a campaign to counter atheist messages at Christmastime. Atheists in the nation's capitol have been campaigning to get Americans to doubt God's existence this Christmas, but one Christian woman is standing up against their efforts. Joellen Murphy had been praying for a chance … Continue reading I Believe Too
I could call this the "Day After Trying to Recover From What Might Have Been a Minor Flu Edition," but I won't. Christmas Season and Flu Season accompany each other every year, like Hansel and Gretel, or Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. I had just enough aches and pains to baby myself to prevent a flu... heck, … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCLIV
Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And God saw that it was good. And sometimes, He smiles. 🙂
Image via WikipediaIt's National Bailout Day, seeing as how our illustrious US Congress has allocated $700 billion for Wall Street bankers. As Christians, I think we probably could put $700 billion to better use, don't you? But I got to thinking that our lives are not ours, we have been purchased at a cost. How … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCXLIV
The "separation of church and state," such as it is, should keep the government from imposing a religion upon the people of this country. But regulations that squelch the speech of pastors? Can the US Government tell pastors what they can and cannot talk about? There is no law that I'm aware of that restricts … Continue reading US Government Restricts Free Speech and Expression of Religion
I must be a target, then. U.S. presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain target religious voters on Saturday when as guests of one of America's foremost evangelists they discuss faith in public life, AIDS, the environment and other issues. Neither of the candidates appeal to me from a spiritual conviction. McCain can be downright … Continue reading Targeting Religious Voters
Studying for tomorrow's lesson, I stumbled across a quote by Nicole Johnson. No I'm not going to share the quote now, come back tomorrow. 🙂 Anyway, I found this little video clip that was fabulous, so I thought I'd share.
Go get'em, James Dobson. Obama had some very liberal interpretations of what the bible says, and simultaneously tried to minimize Christian influence in politics *and* say that all religious discussions are welcome. James is firing back against what he called a "fruitcake interpetation of the bible." I love that phrase. News sources come from here … Continue reading Fruitcake Interpretation of the Bible
This week, Chasing the Wind is honored to host the 228th edition of the Christian Carnival, a collection of this week's best Christian blogging. This week is Father's Day - so let us remember this week that it is our Father in heaven that gives us Life in Him! Would you like to participate in … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCXXVIII
Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is … Continue reading Christian One Liners
Our church offers free coffee during bible study, and if you park off-campus and take the shuttle buss, they offer doughnuts, too. Now there's a church that goes one step further and has converted into a coffeehouse. DENVER — Connection Metro Church, which used its foyer coffee bars to attract visitors to its eight satellite … Continue reading Double Espresso, Hold the Sermon
Chasing the Wind is honored to host the 219th edition of the Christian Carnival II, the blogosphere's best Christian writing. My comments on the post in italics after each entry, but I left the author's original thoughts when he or she provided them. I included almost all posts I received; I excluded two from the … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCXIX
It's as good a title as any. Some time ago, I wrote a book review on The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias. A book I enjoyed immensely, about how we can only see the individual threads in God's grand tapestry, but our thread is important. It was all about following God's will for us. I … Continue reading Thus Spake His Navel
Muse. I need a good muse. I spent so much traveling time at the end of last year, I just couldn't really take the time to post anything. On the road it's hard enough since internet access and free time is limited. When I got back, I sort of decompressed and didn't write anything. Just … Continue reading Muse
Our church hosts Nick Vujicic this weekend, an absolutely amazing, joyous man who was born without limbs. There is a joy in surrendering your life to Christ, and Nick exhibits it with an enthusiastic smile that you can't help bu catch from him because his smile is so contagious. So much so, in fact, that … Continue reading Life Without Limbs
Welcome to the 208th edition of the Christian Carnival, a weekly amalgomation of this week's best Christian writing. Chasing the Wind is humbled to host such a fine collection of postings this week; I suggest picking a few titles below and clicking them; you won't find a finer collection of Christian thoughts anywhere on the … Continue reading Christian Carnival 208
I've decided against continuing my weekly update of the Christian Carnival blogroll. If you were using it, I hope you enjoyed it. After 2 years of updating it, I think I'm going to rely on other automated sources. One source is at Blogcarnival; a widget for your blog is here. It looks like this: There … Continue reading Blogrolling Christian Carnival (Update)
After two years of updating the Blogroll for the Christian Carnival, I'm considering discontinuing this effort. If you run a blog that uses this blogroll, drop me a comment and I'll consider keeping it going.
"What really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends." - Mike Huckabee
I first saw the news yesterday that governor of Georgia was going to lead a prayer for rain. I only briefly glanced over it; if I thought of it at all, it was to remark to myself that it's probably only a photo op to appease his votors, or if he's sincere, a passing wonder … Continue reading Praying for Rain
Max Lucado writes as only he can, with insight and brevity, packaged in powerful imagery. His latest book, 3:16, is packed with delivious observations and challenges, and he does it by focusing on 27 simple words. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in … Continue reading Review: 3:16. The Numbers of Hope
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=chasingthewin-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1596690763&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr I'm coveting. There, I said it. I want what Vicky Kuyper has. Not the travels - I get to do that for business. Not the lifestyle, either. I want her eyes, the way she can look at the world and see how God is working in her, around her, through her. Wonderlust is Vicky's … Continue reading Review: Wonderlust
Jesus and Money Recently in a comment, I was challenged regarding posting my stock selections; the concern from Chris was that such financial considerations were incongruous with the teachings of Jesus. Chris Says: September 18th, 2007 at 11:03 am I find it somewhat ironic and mildly amusing that your blog contains articles of spirituality along … Continue reading Jesus and Money
Christian apologetics books can be pretty dry, but Lee Stroble makes it warm and personable. Instead of lecturing the reader on such topics as "Did the church alter early gospels to suit a political purpose?" and "Was Jesus married to Mary Magdelene," the author instead takes you on a journey to visit world renowned archaeologists … Continue reading Review: The Case for the Real Jesus
Christian Carnival 189 is up at Diary of 1. Best Christian blogging *and* all you wanted to know about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. What a combo. 🙂
Amy chronicled her battle with leukemia, and showed how to fight the battle with a warm, loving, patient, Christian heart. We will all go to be with our Lord someday; Amy's day was yesterday. You can read her entire battle from Amy's first post I wholly believe my journey through leukemia began from the foundations … Continue reading Living With Leukemia
* Nod to Another Day Closer for the link. ** The "embedding" code doesn't appear to be working. If there's a box with a little "x" in it above, try this link: Am I a Christian?
Through the Motley Fool, I read a few forums; a participant recently posted a review that included a discussion of Christian faith, postmodernism, Captain Kirk and Captain Picard. It's a terrific book review and offers some insight into those that dwell in a postmodern world. Those of us with faith in Jesus may find insight … Continue reading Evangelism, Postmodernism, and Star Trek
I enjoyed "The Grand Weaver" immensely. Written by Ravi Zacharias, he describes our almighty God has the weaver who holds all the threads of our lives and weaves them into a grand purpose. From our perspective, we only see the individual threads, and sometimes the colors or textures we see don't make sense. Trusting in … Continue reading Review: The Grand Weaver
Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback, has been all over the news recently. Indicted for dog-fighting, his friends turning witness against him, loss of his quarterback position and the millions of dollars in signing bonuses and advertising deals, Michael Vick has certainly learned a hard and probably one-way lesson. And given the atrocious stories about … Continue reading Michael Vick: Where is Jesus?
Christian Carnival #186 is up... here! Chasing the Wind is humbled to host the Carnival this week. Without further ado, here are this week's best Christian blogging. Oh wait, here's a little more ado. I've divided this week's post in sections with a brief description about how this relates to Christian living. Ok, *now* we're … Continue reading Christian Carnival CLXXXVI
The Duck & the Devil There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he … Continue reading The Duck & The Devil
Just because I like it. Found it via Sand in the Gears. It's "Come Thou Fount" of every blessing by Sufjan Stevens.
Via Michelle Malkin via Weasel Zippers (no, really, that's the name of their website) (and links from National Catholic Reporter and Asia Times, there are 111 million Chinese Christians, and every day there are 10,000 more. By 2050, China will be the third largest Christian nation behine the United States and Brazil. Ten thousand Chinese … Continue reading 10,000 Christians a Day
It's good to see somebody putting their money and their life where their faith is. I learned something about Dominos Pizza today: The founder, Tom Monaghan, is a faithful Catholic. He's used his fortune to found the town of Ave Maria, Florida. What makes Ave Maria so special is that it's designed for Christians. Tom's … Continue reading Ave Maria
Taliban fundamentalists kill an unarmed Korean Christian. Please pray for the other 22 Christians still held captive, 18 of whom are women. Reuters identifies them as "church volunteers" killed by "Taliban." Michelle Malking correctly identifies them by their religion. Westerners like to obscure the religion because it's uncomfortable, but the radlical Islamists have no qualms … Continue reading Muslims Kill Korean Christian
The Church Report has released America's 50 Most Influential Churches survey. Hey, my church, Second Baptist, is #24. Interesting that Ed Young's son's church made #3. And I listen to MP3 sermons from McLean Bible Church which comes in at #49. Saddleback Church is the second most influential; I'll vouch for that. Between his "Purpose … Continue reading America's 50 Most Influential Churches
Christian Carnival #180 is up at Everyday Liturgy. This week's best Christian blogging includes these entries - "Holiness and Excellence", a reflection on Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11, at Real Meal Ministries. Sola Scriptura Considered at Pseudo-Polymath. Objectivity in Studying Abortion at Hope for Pandora. Check some of the other posts, too.
This week's best Christian blogging has been posted at Christian Carnival #179. Y'all have a terrific Independence Day, y'hear?
Christian Carnival 178 is up at ... Chasing the Wind! I have the honor of hosting this week's carnival, affectionately known as Christian Carnival 178, 2^89th, hexadecimal B2, or binary 10110010. Whew, and I think there were almost that many entries. 🙂 They're presented here in roughly the order submitted; if you're a blog author … Continue reading Christian Carnival CLXXVIII
The week's best Christian blogging is up at the Evangelical Ecologist. Check out Christian Carnival #177.
What is that in Roman numerals? Ack. My brain is slow today. Christian Carnival 176 is up at NickQueen.com. This week's best Christian posts include - Mine! Oh wait, my post was on pride. Never mind. What is the root of all evil? Everybody hurts. Perversion of marriage.
Paris Hilton finds God. Or so she claims. I first saw this story popping up over a week ago when Paris Hilton made a show of carrying a bible. That doesn't impress me. All that shows me is that she can carry a 1.5 lbs book. But now she's openly confessing her faith. My attennae … Continue reading Paris Hilton Finds God
Christian Carnival #175 is up with this week's best Christian blogging. Some highlights - The personally customizable, downright accommodating and tolerant Jesus Every as[ect of our lives is touched by faith The emptiness of atheism
This week's Christian Carnival CLXXIV is up at Parableman. Click a link or two to see this week's best Christian blogging.
The 173rd Christian Carnival is up at Pseudo-Polymath and contain this week's best Christian blogging. Some highlihts - Are you treating the bible like Cinderella? Love covers a multitude of sins. God can do what He says He can do.
Chris Byrd, IBF Heavyweight Boxing Champion, was at our church this weekend and briefly shared his firm belief in Jesus Christ with us. He was funny, too. "First, I beat them up, then I pray with them." I admire a man who is in the public spotlight that openly proclaims his faith and thought I'd … Continue reading Chris Byrd
The 172nd Christian Carnival is posted at Crossroads. Click on over for this week's best Christian blogging. Some highlights - God Can Handle the Questions Chinese Christian Persecution I have a Problem with Temptation.
Disclaimer: I am not God. Any judgemental statements are purely a result of my own hypocritical sinful nature. I know not who goes to heaven save me for the grace of God. That said, I'm looking for some sort of explanation. Why do... um... (heathens? Lite-Christians? Words fail.) wear a cross around their neck? Is … Continue reading Sign of the Cross
Christian Carnival #171 is up at Light Along the Journey. This week's best Christian blogging can be found on the Carnival. Some highlights - Playing Your Instrument (using your spiritual gifts) The Uniqueness of Christian Ecology (God signs His covenant with His creation) Lessons from the Terminal Illness that Wasn't (Make the most of every … Continue reading Christian Carnival 171
It's free, one of my favorite numbers. You can get the ESV bible to load on your iPod for free at Podbible.org. Put some God in your Pod. If you'd like an audio version for your iPod instead, you can get that at Podbible.com.
If you're interested in additional thoughts on the "Once Saved, Always Saved" discussion, there's a similar discussion going on at the Bible Archive called Can I Be Saved And Become Unsaved?
Christian Carnival CLXX (170) is up at Brain Cramps for God. If you're interested in the behind-the-scenes look of Christian Carnival, or you have a Christian Blog and would like to participate, this week's Carnival has some information interspersed among the posts.
Oh my goodness what a fabulous book that was. It's not a deeply theological book, it doesn't get into controversial issues, it simply describes the joy of loving God. The author, Margaret Feinberg, doesn't delve into religious issues that can separate Christians today. Instead, she challenges us to strip away our pre-conceived notions of who … Continue reading The Organic God
Two years ago I wrote... wait a sec. Two years ago? Was it really that long ago? Gadzooks. Time is going faster, I think. Let me start over. Two year ago I wrote about the Gender Accurate Bible, and generally dismissed criticisms of the TNIV. It doesn't say anything about a female god or any … Continue reading Gender Accurate Bible II
Barrack Hussein Obama describes himself as a Christian and the New York Times is almost besides itself with glee. Notice the picture and how holy Obama appears. I like Christians, I really do. I happen to be one. But those people that routinely exhibit their Christian faith are routinely trashed by the New York Times. … Continue reading Barack Hussein Obama: Self-Described Christian
First, prayers for the previous administrator of the Christian Carnival are needed. Dory of Wittenberg Gate has suddenly gone missing, so pray for her well-being and health. The Christian Carnival is trying to reorganize as Christian Carnival II. If you're interested in becoming part of this resurrected carnival, join the Google Group Christian Carnival II.
I don't see how this passes for news. A Houston Chronicle reporter doesn't like bible studies going on in the courthouse. Just before 12:30 p.m. almost every Tuesday, Judge James Squier leaves his 312th Court and heads upstairs to the seventh floor of the Harris County Family Law Center. There, in an associate judge's chamber, … Continue reading Book of Judges
What exactly is morality? And who gets to define it? For me, I know the answer; morals come from the Most High God and are written in the Good Book. I have no qualms about labeling something society does as immoral. Just because "everybody does it" doesn't mean it's right. The Vatican spoke out yesterday … Continue reading Labeling the Immoral as Immoral
Unbroken Tracy Elliott When I first started reading this book, I was expecting a testimony from somebody who had given their life to Christ and how Christ had helped them turn their life around. Christ is powerful and changes the lives of believers. Travy Elliott's story is a little different. She gave her life to … Continue reading Review: Unbroken
On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten … Continue reading Creation
I mentioned earlier that the secular marketing campaign before every Easter tries to derail the faith in the resurrection of Jesus. This year, it was a blockbuster-style "documentary" that the remains of Jesus had been found in a tomb. Pay no attention to all those archaeologists that debunked this claim years ago, this time it's … Continue reading The Tomb That Isn't
Ah. A lightbulb goes off. I read several posts this Easter weekend about the dangers of forming a theocracy. The Houston Chronicle linked to one at Feet to the Fire: The banwitdth devoted to the dangers of Church to State is enormous. Being righteous lefties that analysis comes easy to us. As a lefty who … Continue reading Blog Against Theophobes
Bono, the lead singer of U2, was asked to give an address at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. Bono discussed his personal faith, the faith of nations, and the plight of the poor in Africa that are dying from AIDS. Based on this speech, "On the Move" was produced with images of the faces … Continue reading Review: On the Move
What's my gripe with public education? Besides the fact they seem to be devolving into a giant secular babysitting service, it's public money - my money - being used to teach young people values that oppose my values. I don't mind being opposed, really. I *do* mind being taxed to fund my opposition. The latest … Continue reading Christian Terrorists and Public Education
Ah, there it is. I wondered where the Christian Carnival was this week. 🙂
I received this via email, original author unknown, but it's a powerful prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a … Continue reading Prayer for Patience
The 166th Christian Carnival is up at Wittenberg Gate.
This week's best Christian blogging is up at Everyday Liturgy.
This week's Christian Carnival is up, and it's being hosted this week... here, at Chasing the Wind! I've decided to categorize the entries this week into posts about Jesus, posts about our relationships, and posts about us. Jesus tells us we are to love him and love our neighbor as ourselves, and that reminds me … Continue reading Christian Carnival CLXIII
It's amazing. When I talk to people that don't know Christ, some of them don't even believe He lived. Or they except tripe like Da Vinci Code as truth of a coverup. But let some big shot director shoot a movie about 27 year news, they immediately believe that. Why are the falsehoods so easy … Continue reading Why So Quick to Believe?
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