spiritual growth – Page 2 – A Thimble-full of Theology for Daily Living

New Covenant Life – 2 Corinthians 3

Pride and Prejudice tells the complicated tale of two people in particular, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, who must overcome their own pride and prejudice to realize how commendable they each

Though All Fall Away – Matthew 26:26-35

I have a blog called Ask the Pastors. People ask questions for a pastoral response, and one question I have gotten over and over again in one form or another is, “Will God forgive me for breaking

Create in Me a Clean Heart – Matthew 15:10-20

I came across a site called CleanHeart.Online that is part of a Catholic Church initiative to help people deal with impure usage of the internet. It is “an annual campaign that uses original Catholic

Great Expectations – Matthew 13:31-35

A friend recently attended a celebration of his Texas church’s 150th anniversary. The day was filled with recounting what God had done through this congregation. In his own lifetime, my friend’s

Do I Fast From Fasting? – Matthew 6:16-18

My son’s brother-in-law fasted for 40 days. He didn’t abstain from all nourishment or he would have died. For him, it was a time of soul-searching, not a time to say, “Look at me. I’m

If Your Eye Offends You – 2 Kings 24&25

K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, had to be “broken” before he could serve effectively. He had great teaching gifts but he knew it and was arrogant about it. It took being left as

Where Holiness Matters Most – Colossians 3:18-4:1

Mark Holmen of Focus on the Family writes about an experience he had co-teaching a seminar for parents called “Nurturing Faith of Teenagers” with Dr. David Anderson. Anderson asked the parents

Not Absence, but Presence – Colossians 3:12-17

How do you know you are no longer a thief? When you quit stealing? Not according to the apostle Paul. It is when you work with your own hands to provide for the needs of others (Ephesians 4:28). This is

Change of Clothes – Colossians 3:5-11

I noticed something strange when I was first converted to Christ at the age of 16. Some sexual temptations I was experiencing vanished. I put away the use of profanity without a blink of the eye. I had

Holy Company – Colossians 3:1-4

Project Life Mastery has this as its main principle: “Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel. Energies are contagious.” In answer to the question, “Do

Elemental Spirits – Colossians 2:20-23

In the Wikipedia article on asceticism it describes it this way: “Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals.

Burnout – 1 Kings 19

“8 years ago I experienced burnout for the first time. It was like I fell off a cliff and lost control of my heart, mind, energy and strength.” Those are the words of pastor Carey Nieuwhof

Arrest the Decay – 1 Kings 9:10-28

The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us, in the words of Bertrand Russell, “It seems that the world was created at some not infinitely remote date, and was then far more full of inequalities than

Chinks in Splendid Armor – 1 Kings 4

There is a proverb that speaks of something being as inappropriate as a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Proverbs 11:22). Something that beautiful on something so dirty and who uses his nose to root around

Consequences: Daily Thoughts from 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

I like to think I would love being a prophet of God, but then I imagine what it must have been like for Nathan, a prophet during king David’s reign, and what it must have felt like to be sent by

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