faith
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Every Careless Word We Generate?
Jesus tells us that, on the judgment day, we will have to give account for every careless word that we speak (Matt. 12:36). I suspect that the words we write will be judged with equal or greater severity, for written words are often more permanent and intentional. If Jesus’s warning against careless words extends to… Continue reading
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When Two Families Meet
At funerals and weddings, two families meet—perhaps for the first time. Such meetings can be either unspeakably sweet or unbearably awkward. I am not merely referring to parents meeting in-laws, but something more significant: the meeting of earthly and eternal families. When we gather to celebrate a marriage or mourn a death, we are confronted… Continue reading
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Simple Advice for Reading Scripture Aloud
My women’s Bible study focused on Revelation this spring. Revelation, the final book in the Bible, opens with this encouragement: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). Students of… Continue reading
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The Goodness of Gardening Friends
“All my flower beds are filled with this ivy,” I texted two of my friends this afternoon. “Should I pull it or let it be? It’s pretty but seems to be taking over…” I snapped a picture to accompany my text, hoping as I sent it that my friends would reply, “Oh, that’s a rare… Continue reading
author, blogger, blogging about gardening, Christian friendship, church friends, faith, faith and friendship, faith and gardening, flowers, friends, friendship, fruit of the Spirit, Fruitful Worship, fruitfulness, garden, gardening, gardening and faith, gardening lessons, goodness, honesty, iowa, Iowa life, lawn, learning, midwest living, nature, pulling weeds, spirit-filled singing, weeds, writer, writing, yard work -
Worship Leader, Play for Your People Tomorrow
As a worship leader, I am more anxious about Easter Sunday than any other service of the Church Year. I suspect I am not alone in this. On Easter, worship leaders and church musicians often feel pressured to perform for once-a-year crowds. Easter services can feel like our one chance to impress visitors in hopes… Continue reading
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Questioning Easter
Did my title surprise you? No, I’m not questioning the reality of the resurrection or whether Easter was originally pagan or any of the usual questions that pop up this time of year. Instead, I want to question some things we take for granted on and leading up to Easter that deserve more thoughtful examination.… Continue reading
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Review: “Did the Resurrection Really Happen?”
Did the Resurrection Really Happen? by Timothy Paul Jones is the most recent installment in The Gospel Coalition’s Hard Questions series. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to read and review it far in advance of Easter so I can recommend to my church families, social media followers, and blog subscribers. It is… Continue reading
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The Season of Broken Things
I have found that there is power in singing about our oddly-specific woes and worries. Yes, it can feel silly at times, but that is partly why it is so efficacious; it puts our concerns in perspective and forces us out of our own heads. Singing personal little songs is even more helpful when we… Continue reading
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Review: “The People of Paul’s Letters”
I was very excited to receive an early copy of The People in Paul’s Letters: A Compendium of Characters by Guy Manuell, which is set for release tomorrow, March 11th. Something my husband and I have in common is a shared love of theological resources, and this is one I am very grateful to have… Continue reading
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Resolve to Sing Pt. 5 – Final Encouragement!
Throughout this five-part series, I have sought to convince you that singing more is a worthy resolution. We’ve examined singing as an activity that uniquely unites other spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. We have considered our creation as singing creatures and Christianity as a singing faith. We’ve consider singing as not… Continue reading
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Resolve to Sing Pt. 4 – Singing Advice for Non-Singers
If you have yet to read the first posts in this series, you can access them using the following lints: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. From One Self-Conscious Singer to Another… Having read the first three posts in this series, you may be convinced that singing is an essential and enjoyable discipline…in theory. But… Continue reading
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Resolve to Sing: Part 3 – The Satisfaction of Singing
In the first post in this series, I challenged you to consider adding a new resolution to your list: sing more! In the second post, we considered human beings as singing creatures and Christianity as a singing faith. Consider giving those a skim if you haven’t already! A Discipline and Delight Now look, we are… Continue reading
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Ryanne Molinari 