I prayerfully write this essay, as I do with my other essays, with the understanding that this is a sensitive subject. As such, there should not be any contention amongst those who read it, but an extending of grace and a heart to simply evaluating the evidence together. This essay is not a comparison between…

The start of an NFL football game begins by the flipping of a coin, to determine which team starts on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Of course, the flipping of a coin provides a 50/50 chance, making a coin a useful tool when there are two options to choose from. Other times,…

As a teenager growing up in California, I had the opportunity to join local churches in their annual short-term mission trips into Mexico. These trips exposed me to differences in cultural standards. For example, teens in Mexico dressed differently than me and my friends. We regularly wore shorts, but in Mexico, usually only little kids…

Too often, people rest on the assumption, “God made me this way.” This is said when a person has certain unlearned or apparent innate desires, tendencies, attractions, or tastes. We tell ourselves that we’re wired this way, so we simply go ahead and engage these interests because they seem to be God given. But, do…

Christian’s hold firm to the claim that the Holy Bible is the infallible and divinely inspired Word of God. When I say Holy Bible, I’m referring to the book comprised of sixty-six smaller books from Genesis to Revelation. Throughout history, other faiths have borrowed from the Bible, and have misapplied and revised Biblical passages to…

Have a plan. People often chose random chapters to read when they open the Bible. This approach is confusing and doesn’t allow the authors points to be seen, nor does it allow the characters stories to develop. Having a plan means that you’re going to start at the beginning of a book (like Mark, Acts,…

It’s true that people have experienced death, or near-death experiences, only to later be revived and brought back to life. We’ve all heard stories about people who died on an operating table and the doctors were able to resuscitate them. Some of these individuals will say that they came back from hell or heaven. Some,…

Someone said, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you won’t get anywhere unless you change it.” I suppose there’s wisdom in this statement. It’s easy to have a great attitude when life is going your way, but it’s not long until reality kicks in and the “nails of life” pop the next tire.…

Society, and sometimes even the church, tries to condition us into thinking that anger is innately wrong and sinful. You might have been told things like, “Anger is poison. You should get rid of it before it kills you.” Or, “Anger doesn’t solve anything, it only destroys.” Or, “Anger is your biggest enemy.” Statements like…

They followed her on to the deck. All the smoke and the houses had disappeared, and the ship was out in a wide space of sea very fresh and clear though pale in the early light.