Category Archives: Devotional

How We Grow: Training, Not Trying

To some people, the word “discipline” can be a bit off-putting. It can sound harsh, a bit demanding. Even worse than that, talking about spiritual disciplines has the potential to induce a lot of guilt. Most Christians already feel like … Continue reading

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A Picture of Repentance

I think this is what the moment of repentance looks like:

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Confession: Penitential Psalms

There are many different types of psalms — psalms of praise, thanksgiving, lament, for example. Several psalms have been designated as “penitential psalms” because of the emphasis on confession and repentance. Below are a few excerpts from these psalms. May … Continue reading

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How We Grow: Confession

The first thing I want to say today is this: God loves to forgive. This is the good news that changes everything for us. Someone has estimated that one-third of the parables Jesus taught are about forgiveness. In the Lord’s … Continue reading

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How We Grow: Meditation

The author Richard Foster says that our enemy majors in things like noise and hurry. The devil would be satisfied for the majority of our lives to be consumed with “much-ness” and “many-ness” because such a life is a superficial … Continue reading

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How We Grow: Generosity and Goodness

Generosity is living with a large heart, about having a heart that’s open and responsive to others. In the words of the song we just sang, it’s about giving yourself away. Not just talking about your finances. That’s such a … Continue reading

Posted in Devotional, Discipleship, Faith, God, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Love First, Love God, Love Others, Missiology, Poverty, Scripture, Social Issues, Spiritual Disciplines | Leave a comment

How We Grow: Prayer

Today we begin with the gold standard spiritual practice: the discipline of prayer. What’s unfortunate is that so many believers feel inadequate when it comes to prayer. Public prayer in church is partly to blame, if I had to guess. … Continue reading

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Jesus: The Alpha and the Omega

Jesus: The Alpha and the Omega Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. Greek writers … Continue reading

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Knowing Jesus: Alpha and Omega

Sermon Thesis: Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega. Sermon Texts: Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:12-13; Colossians 3:1-4 Today we wrap up our Knowing Jesus series by looking at one final name for Jesus that we find in the Scriptures. This … Continue reading

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Knowing Jesus: Immanuel

Some of the most painful times in our lives come about whenever we feel a strong sense of separation. But I don’t say any of this to make you feel sad. I simply bring this up as a point of … Continue reading

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