The Remarkable Faith Of Mariano Rivera, The Greatest ‘Closer’ In Baseball
From the obscurity of a Panamanian fishing village where he lived in a two-room house, he became the greatest relief pitcher of baseball history
Mariano didn’t try on a real baseball glove until he was 16. Until that time, he and his friends fashioned together gloves from “a milk carton, a bat from a stick,” and a ball made from wrapping a rock in fishing nets and tape, as they played along the shore. He dropped out of high... Continue Reading
New PCA Church Plant in San Francisco
An interview with Chris Robins who is planting a Presbyterian Church in America congregation in San Francisco
If there’s one thing that I would add to that, and it isn’t really an add on, it’s how the word, prayer, and sacraments take shape on the ground. That’s where discipleship steps in. I love personal and pulpit evangelism. I’m sharing the gospel with 14 other people outside of Sunday worship! It’s the “word”... Continue Reading
The Missing Part
Champion golfer Bernhard Langer isn't shy about his Christianity
“And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Born again? What is that?’” Langer said. “I hadn’t heard that in all the churches I had been to. … At first I thought, ‘Well, he’s using a different Bible than we use.’” But a few months after that Bible study, he “knew exactly” what he needed. “The Bible says nobody is... Continue Reading
The Comfort of Jesus’ Prayers
Every day, in the presence of the Father, Christ intercedes for His people
If we take great comfort in the intercessory prayer of a friend or of a pastor, how much more comfort can we experience from the full assurance that Jesus is praying for us? We know that Jesus’ prayers never fail. He knows the mind of God perfectly. He knows what to pray for so that... Continue Reading
Dear Kids: We’re Not Going to Disney World. Period.
I'm sure you're wondering by now if we're going to Disneyland or Disney World, and I have bad news. We're not.
Summer can still be fun, kids. We’ll go to the pool. Visit friends’ houses. Go camping. I’ll spring for a two-month pass at our local play center if it makes you guys feel better. They’re renovating, you know. I’ll do my best to make pancakes in a special shape. How about a deformed oval? I... Continue Reading
Jennings and Garner First Rejoinders
Nelson Jennings and David Garner present their first respond to each other on the Insider Movements debate
Jennings: I wish we were able to interact with “Insider Movements” and other Christian phenomena in categories in more nuanced ways than by asking the single, seemingly straightforward question – one that for us is intertwined with Greco-Latin-European linguistic-conceptual categories – “Is it faithful to the Bible or not?” Garner: On the basis of careful... Continue Reading
Pastor Says Released Soldier Has Mental Toughness To Recover
Bowe Bergdahl, newly freed soldier after five years in captivity in Afghanistan, raised in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Although raised in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Bowe Bergdahl spent time during his late teens in a Buddhist monastery in the Pacific Northwest. “He was going through an exploratory phase in life. He’d grown up in a conservative Christian home and he was trying to figure out if this was his faith or his parents’ faith,” said Proctor.
Synod of the United Reformed Churches of North America: Day 1 Report
The United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) is meeting in Visalia, California for its ninth meeting of Synod, June 2-6, 2014
The election of officers seated the Rev. Bradd Nymeyer as chairman, Rev. John Bouwers as vice-chairman, Rev. Doug Barnes as first clerk and Rev. Greg Lubbers as second clerk. As Synod began her work, the men representing the churches were reminded of their task to serve with humility the cause of the churches and the... Continue Reading
There Is No ‘Third Way’
Southern Baptists Face a Moment of Decision (and so will you)
But, there is no third way. A church will either believe and teach that same-sex behaviors and relationships are sinful, or it will affirm them. Eventually, every congregation in America will make a public declaration of its position on this issue. It is just a matter of time (and for most churches, not much time)... Continue Reading
Mary de Muth: An Open Letter to Sexual Abuse Victims
An untold story never heals, friend. Isolation only masks the problem.
But I am here to let you know there is hope. Though the healing journey is long, it is possible. When I tell my own story now, it feels like I’m sharing about another person’s sexual abuse. I’ve experienced profound healing. It didn’t happen passively or quickly. I had to WANT it, pursue it. I had to stop... Continue Reading