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From Veggie Tales to What’s in the Bible: Following Phil Vischer’s Lead

Brian Franks2022-07-20T09:42:53-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz The first time I saw Veggie Tales I was a high school sophomore in a room full of guys from around the country and we couldn’t stop laughing at Larry the Cucumber’s hairbrush song. Veggie Tales was funny stuff. Every half-hour episode was packed with witty cultural references, silly vegetables and a nice moral lesson, always ending with the affirmation, “God made you special, and He loves you very much.” Almost twenty years later, I still watch Veggie Tales with my kids as they’re introduced to Veggie-tized versions of classic characters from Indiana Jones to George Müller and classic literature from Hamlet to Huckleberry Finn. [...]

From Veggie Tales to What’s in the Bible: Following Phil Vischer’s LeadBrian Franks2022-07-20T09:42:53-06:00

Same Sex Attraction: Five Things Christians Need to Know

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:22:19-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz Followers of Jesus are still confronted with temptations to sin. And not just palatable sins, but the kinds that make most Christians uncomfortable. For example, some Christians are confronted with the temptation of homosexuality brought on by their same-sex attraction. As with all temptations, these Christians must resist and cling to Christ who has re-created them in the imago dei. Further, He has re-created them to lead those in their every day circles to encounter Him personally. No matter the sin that tempts us, in Christ we have an influence—an opportunity to increase God’s kingdom. Recent tectonic shifts [...]

Same Sex Attraction: Five Things Christians Need to KnowBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:22:19-06:00

Are We a Supportive Community

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:12:49-06:00

By Brian Franks We’re meant for community. In the beginning, the perfect, self-existent, self-sufficient, all-powerful, living God chose to create. In this creation He laid the groundwork, and literally the ground itself, for His vision. He made the stars, flora, and fauna of every kind. Indeed, everything we see sprang to life at His command or hand. Then, He continued with two more creation acts: “let us make humanity in our image” (Genesis 1:26) and God set apart the Sabbath day and blessed it (Genesis 2:3). Both of these are deeply intentional acts of community. The Sabbath is not a day of sleep. [...]

Are We a Supportive CommunityBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:12:49-06:00

Why Jesus Tells Us to Forgive Without Limit

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:11:01-06:00

By Andrea Slawson I’m going to let you in on a secret: being a Christian leader is hard. You’re called to influence those around you for the sake of Christ? This is a tall order. Know what else is hard to do? Forgive. It’s hard because sometimes forgiveness is attached to confrontation. These situations are especially hard for those who are introverts at heart. Yet, when God tugs at my heart, I cannot help but obey because I love Him and I love to please Him. Although leadership and forgiveness are difficult tasks in our own strength, thankfully His Spirit enables [...]

Why Jesus Tells Us to Forgive Without LimitBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:11:01-06:00

Christ-Centered Rest on Sabbath is For Pastors, Too

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:09:26-06:00

By Amber Riggs Exhausted from a long, demanding day, Joseph feels his body begin to release stress and his mind struggle to let go of its seemingly endless list of responsibilities. It’s almost Sunday, he tells himself. Maybe I’ll finally get a chance to rest. The sad irony is that this is a relatable situation for many pastors, ministry leaders, and members of congregations who meet on Saturday with good intentions of celebrating Sabbath. Unfortunately, the day on which a congregation worships is often the most physically and emotionally taxing day of the week for many pastors and church leaders. It can become a [...]

Christ-Centered Rest on Sabbath is For Pastors, TooBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:09:26-06:00

How Roman Christians Responded to Corrupt Rulers

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:07:25-06:00

By Amber Riggs Not a month goes by that we don’t hear an allegation of corruption regarding one or more of our governing leaders. Even the thought that our leaders could consider themselves above the law is downright maddening. Or perhaps we think that a politician’s policies – or proposed policies – are dangerous. We question their motivations. What would happen if these policies are put into law? Regardless of your political persuasions, watching all of this take place can easily make a person feel helpless. And when we feel helpless, we often find it easier to react in frustration. However, [...]

How Roman Christians Responded to Corrupt RulersBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:07:25-06:00

Why You May Not Be Getting Enough Rest

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:06:12-06:00

By Amber Riggs For years, there has been this accusing voice in the back of my head telling me that no matter how much I’m doing, it’s not enough. Like all lies, there’s truth in this. No matter how much I do, five seconds on my newsfeed is enough to jar me with words and images that confirm that this world is still very much a broken place. There’s a reason that the Christian stadium events I went to as a teen and young adult bombarded us with heartfelt pleas to be radical world changers. There’s a reason why so many [...]

Why You May Not Be Getting Enough RestBrian Franks2022-07-12T13:06:12-06:00

We Need to Study God (and Here’s How)

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:03:42-06:00

By Amber Riggs “There weren’t a lot of books on leadership in those days. So I studied leadership by reading biographies of leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.” When my mentor shared how he had studied leadership as a young man, it initially took me by surprise. Especially when I mentally surveyed my growing library of leadership books — none of them biographies. And yet, there is a clear logic to it. One way to learn something is to study an “expert” — someone who demonstrates the skills we want to practice. Watch and learn from them, then [...]

We Need to Study God (and Here’s How)Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:03:42-06:00

Is God Still in Control?

Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:02:12-06:00

By Martin Cicero I am not sure what God considers the last days, but to me, it sure seems that we are approaching those days rather quickly. As I read 2 Timothy 3:1-5, it appears that the Apostle Paul is describing our time: But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [...]

Is God Still in Control?Brian Franks2022-07-12T13:02:12-06:00

John: High Christology of the Gospels-Part 3

Brian Franks2022-07-12T12:58:14-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz BACKGROUND AND SCOPE The purpose of this series is to explore a supposed rift in how Jesus is depicted in the Gospels. As many scholars have noted, John’s Gospel proclaims a majestically high Christology. Indeed some have seen in John a Christology that finds no parallel in the other Gospels. 1 To put it simply, “If Jesus was as He is depicted in Matthew and Mark and Luke, He cannot have been as He is depicted in John. The two are incompatible.” 2 Previously we examined the opening scenes in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and found that each presents not only an [...]

John: High Christology of the Gospels-Part 3Brian Franks2022-07-12T12:58:14-06:00

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