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Why Go to Church?
According to The Institute for Family Studies, “religious attendance has declined significantly in the past two years. The share of regular churchgoers is down by 6 percentage points, from 34% in 2019 to 28% in 2021.” A friend told me recently that the singles group at her church had lost 60% of those who regularly participated before Covid hit. I’m among those who stayed home for months during the worst of the pandemic—from March 2020 through most of 2021—opting to catch services online because I was high risk. So I totally get how easy it is to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and relax on Sunday morning, leisurely watching it online…
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Taking our Thoughts Captive
But to my amazement as I cast my net of prayer for help out into the waters of grace my net comes back to me full of all that had seemed lost.
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Frankincense
Frankincense was used for incense in the Hebrew sacrificial and offering ceremonies, and it has a sweet smell.
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Don’t Be Anxious?
Living our best life––or at least a life characterized by peace, joy, and healthy rhythm––has never been more difficult for many working women. Myself included. Are we doing something wrong? How do we experience peace in anxiety-riddled days...
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Should Christians Burn Sage?
Smudging, the burning of bundled sage, is an indigenous practice that has been around for centuries. Various people groups throughout history have used this for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. The indigenous beauty blogger, Bianca Millar, says she and her husband burn sage along with other herbs to “thank the Creator for the new day and send up our prayers.” Burning sage is also used by herbalists or alternative healers. Claretha Yeager, an Acupuncturist and reiki master based in Chicago says she frequently uses smudging—or burning sage—to help rid her patients of negative emotions. She claims that sage smoke unburdens people of their negative energy to feel better. Burning sage has …
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Theology of Self-Care
Once again, I’m thankful to have Victoria Monet guest blogging for me. Victoria is from Georgetown, Texas. She loves her husband, son, dog, and impacting others’ everyday theology through creative writing and teaching. She writes poetry and topical articles on her blog “Theology Reflected.” *** Is self-care selfish or unspiritual? Some churches and Christian circles say “yes.” And while today’s popular self-care strategies may have a bent toward self-serving interests, a biblical perspective of self-care is holistic, worshipful, and others-centered. Self-Care Involves All Aspects of Ourselves God designed us as complex, whole persons (Ps. 139:13–16). We do not—like a computer or machine—consist of parts, but encompass spiritual, physical, mental, emotional,…
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The final victory
Title: The final victory Aim: To be prepared for the Savior’s return. Scripture: Revelation 19:1–21 The song of triumph, Revelation 19:1–10 Revelation 18 narrates the diabolical nature of Babylon and the future demise of the sinister world system that Babylon represents. First-century A.D. readers would have associated this entity with Rome. Imagine how joyous believers would be at the end of the age when the Lord destroys the demonic system of evil that has corrupted humanity since antiquity. Babylon’s demise would be so complete that no person would inhabit her again. Instead, only demonic spirits and unclean birds would make the place their hideout. The above…
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Worship While You Wait
Waiting is the hardest thing I am ever asked to do. If I am waiting for something good, then it is difficult because I am so excited and can hardly wait for the party or the present or the event to happen. If I am waiting for something bad it seems even harder. I don’t want it. Yet, I know it is coming so I just want it to happen already. How good are you at waiting? When it comes to children and waiting…well, if you are a parent, you know how draining that can be on everyone. In my last blog I talked about the importance of waiting…
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The Son, worthy to redeem the lost
Title:The Son, worthy to redeem the lost Aim: To turn to the Savior for help, especially in our times of struggle. Scripture: Revelation 5:1–14 The worthiness of the Messiah, Revelation 5:1–5 The major literary segments of Revelation have an introductory throne room scene, which lays the foundation for the verses that follow. For instance, the vision of the exalted Messiah recorded in 1:9-20 is a preface to the messages to the seven churches found in chapters 2 and 3. Likewise, the throne room scene recorded in chapters 4 and 5 is a prelude to the seal judgments. The first six of these are recorded in chapter 6, followed by…
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The Father, worthy of unending praise
Title: The Father, worthy of unending praise Aim: To encourage praising God as our Creator and Sustainer. Scripture: Revelation 4:1–11 The throne of God, Revelation 4:1–6a The first three chapters of Revelation brought to light the temptations and persecutions that Christians faced in John’s day. Some broke under pressure and compromised their faith, while others refused to waver in their commitment to the Lord. Throughout the Savior’s messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor, He declared that He would vindicate the upright and one day bring them to a place of eternal rest. This leads us to chapters 4 and 5 of the Apocalypse, which together form a literary…
