“Mom, Dad, I really need a cellphone.” If you haven’t heard this statement, it’s coming. Recent stats reveal that 75% of teens (12-17) have cellphones. The teenage years seem to be the prime age that parents give their children a phone. When will you give your child a cellphone or another mobile device? Have you thought about this question? Have you considered how you will answer and ...
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Throughout Lent and Easter, I often reminiscence about one of our family transitions into a new neighborhood cul-de-sac. When we moved in, the neighbors were welcoming, kind and yet noticeably divided in beliefs and allegiances. A fragmented history unraveled as the family on our left expressed their stony Christian concern toward our unbelieving neighbors across the street. The problem was ...
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Scuba diving and snorkeling are close cousins but have a fundamental difference: depth. And depth defines the experience. Snorkelers enjoy the views as they skim the surface of the water. The colors and sea-life are visible but at a distance. The surface seems safe and natural.
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On the last full day of my teaching career, as my students studied for their finals, I overheard a conversation between two freshman girls that still haunts me. One asked the other, “How many different guys do you think you can have kids with before it’s weird? Like 3 or 4?” Heartbroken, I asked these girls if they wouldn’t rather wait to have kids until marrying a man who would help ...
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My favorite episode of the classic Twilight Zone is “The Obsolete Man.” Burgess Meredith plays Romney Wordsworth, a life-long librarian, reader and believer in God. The totalitarian state under which Mr. Wordsworth lives has eliminated books and claims proof that God doesn’t exist. Thus, he is declared “obsolete” by the state and sentenced to “liquidation.”
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If we read the book of Acts and see how Christianity spread across the globe, we see that God has primarily used the creation of churches to spread the gospel. Join us on the weekend of March 9 and 10 as we focus on church planting at The Village and what it means for us to be a church that plants churches that plant churches.
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In Genesis 29 we meet the girl nobody wants. Jacob chooses Rachel over Leah because Rachel is beautiful in appearance, and Leah is less than desirable. Laban then looks for an opportunity to pawn off his eldest daughter so that he is not stuck taking care of her. He masterminds a con to get rid of Leah by deceiving the deceiver Jacob, exploiting and transferring his daughter from one man to ...
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We see warfare on the news every day. Bombs. Terrorism. Afghanistan. Iraq. These words flood the headlines.
What but what should Christians believe about war?
While there have been varying opinions regarding a Christian view of war given by theological and pastoral leaders throughout history, Christianity clearly rejects the notion that war can be declared for any and every reason. Yet, ...
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