Blog
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Aug 07, 2018
THIS IS WAR | PART 02
Strategic Prayer for Spiritual Warfare
In my last article I talked about how important it is to pray for the effectiveness of your faith and that of those around you. I also showed an example of such prayer in the small letter to Philemon in the Bible.
This time I would like to look at a slightly longer prayer in the Bible and talk about its meaning in your life.
First the prayer:
Colossians 1:9-11 -
Jul 31, 2018
THIS IS WAR | Part 01
Strategic Prayers for Spiritual Warfare
Peter urges you in his writings, "to abstain from the passions of your flesh, which wage war against your soul.“ (1 Peter 2:11)
There is a war going on. And it starts every morning when you open your eyes (sometimes even in your dreams). It’s real!For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
So, what exactly are these enemies of our soul trying to do?
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Jul 24, 2018
Is The Church Just After My Money?
A biblical basis for generosity
My husband, Jared, and I had been like many early-married couples, and struggled with some credit card debt. We spent money on things that we believed would bring us comfort -- mostly things for our home and things for ourselves. We paid them off within a year, but would slowly fall back into the same struggle. It wasn’t until we were in a church community, and heard a message about how all of our money is God’s in the first place, that we finally began to get a grasp on our finances. We began to see our money not as something we earned, but something that God gifted. It only felt natural at that point to give God back a portion of what he had given to us to begin with. That’s when we started tithing. -
Jul 10, 2018
Serving Makes A Difference
The Hardest Week of My Life
In 2006 I went to Mexico. I went on this week-long mission trip with 20 or 30 other students. We spent money, got in a van, drove for hours, and sweated our brains out doing tireless labor building a church. And it was real work. My hands were a calloused, bloody mess, mixed with dried stucko all week long. I couldn’t sleep in the heat, on the cot, with the bugs. But I’ve never felt more spiritually “full” than during that week.
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Jul 02, 2018
Reading the Bible with Intentionality
Approaching the Bible can be a difficult task. In my personal experience however, the breakthrough usually comes when I have specific intentionality while I read. Instead of reading out of obligation, I open the Word with earnest expectation and intentionality. Our minds are designed in such a way as to soak in the most data when our learning is connected with authentic interest.
Here are a few suggestions on reading the Bible with intentionality--so that it flows more easily into our everyday life. In all these approaches, underlining, highlighting things, as well as taking notes is very helpful. Praying for God to guide us to the places we should go in our reading is also very good to do.
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Jun 25, 2018
You're Longing to Be Baptized
What I learned from an ex-gang-member.
I recently had my mind blown talking to a friend who left gang-life upon encountering the Gospel.
He said the most profound thing.
He told me how much baptism made sense after growing up in gang culture. Because, in a gang you’re initiated through a crime or fighting. It’s a mark of your permanent inclusion into the family. He said he noticed in the Church you’re initiated too. You’re initiated by being immersed, not in evil, but in the renewing waters of baptism. He realized the Church is the better fulfillment of what the human heart longs for in a gang.
As my friend spoke I realized how important baptism is...
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Jun 20, 2018
What to Do When They Ask 'Why?'
My mind wasn’t seeking to answer the question, “How do I answer this question?” It was struggling to answer, “How do I answer all of the why questions over the next twenty years?” I was panicked, but what I quickly realized was that I was being given a gift. My son was asking me why. This was a grand opportunity to guide and teach him. But how do I answer his questions of “Why?” -
Jun 14, 2018
Help! I Have Teenagers. . .
Help I have teenagers...and I think they hate me. For reals. They really do.
I have turned into a complete dunce overnight and apparently, I now know nothing. Absolutely nothing. And to top it off, I am sooo uncool. Downright embarrassing, I am. Who took my confidence? I am afraid I have utterly failed as a parent. They.Hate.Me.
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Jun 11, 2018
Bridge the Gap
A Call to Young Adult Discipleship at Rise from Kayla Asbury
As a 25-year-old woman who attends Rise City Church, I am an anomaly because I have chosen to remain a believer and active member of a local church. As a person in her 20’s, I have been fortunate enough to have mentors since high school who have continued to disciple me, but I’m noticing a rising young adult community that hasn’t been so lucky.
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Jun 05, 2018
Raising A Generous Generation
After last Sunday's sermon, I got to thinking more about generosity. I started wondering if I am teaching my children to be generous? Scripture calls us to be generous people, but am I living this out in front of my children? Am giving as I am able? Am I actively teaching my children to do these things? The very best way to teach our children is to lead them by example. Am I doing this adequately?
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Jun 04, 2018
Don't Sugarcoat God with Your Kids
Have you ever tried to explain a hard truth from scripture to your child? There are some hard truths in scripture, and because of that, there are times we can not only explain some of those truths in overly watered down terms, but also omit teaching them entire concepts.
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Jun 01, 2018
The Gospel on Social Media
There’s no verse in the bible saying thou shall not tweet. There’s no commandment authorizing selfy-stories. It doesn’t say, "for God so loved Facebook that he gave a few likes." We don’t get some black-and-white verse. Instead we’re given from scripture something much more complex, colorful, and helpful than that for our everyday lives. . .
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May 31, 2018
5 Books You Should Read this Summer
When I was younger, reading things like theology was a daunting task. . . But, while we all find reading fiction for pleasure enjoyable, what if you supplemented the sugar of fiction stories with the nutritious reading of truth?
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May 30, 2018
The Gospel in Loneliness
The more we hide from one another, the more lonely we get, in fact. And that’s why the gospel speaks to the core of loneliness. God did not hide himself from us, but in Jesus Christ made himself fully known. He revealed his very heart toward humanity, and his deep desire to save us. He displayed the most perfect image of his glory, his beauty and majesty, yes his very nature when he gave his son. God, in Jesus, exposed himself completely and was vulnerable to the point of being murdered by a humanity that would rather hide than to be fully known.
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May 28, 2018
How to Establish Family Devotions
5 practical tips for establishing rhythms of devotion in your family
