coffee house
A pastor wanted to break his church out of their formal traditions and nudge them in a fresh direction. He sensed that the congregation’s formality was discouraging the local community from walking through the church’s doors. So he began to take small steps to help them change.
all our lives
In the early 1500s, Martin Luther said faith in Jesus justifies us. But he also stated that faith should permeate all areas of our lives, including business dealings. Two and a half centuries later, a young man named John Woolman took this to heart as he opened a tailor shop. Due to his commitment to Christian love, he chose not to purchase any cotton or dye supplies that had been produced by slaves. Then he would be able to say, with a clear conscience, that he had lived according to holiness and sincerity in all his dealings (2 Corinthians 1:12).
right with God
Theologians are debating what the apostle Paul meant when he said that “we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law” (Romans 3:28). Traditional Protestants follow Martin Luther’s insight that sinners like us can’t do enough good works to satisfy a holy God. We become right with God by putting our faith in Jesus. When we trust Christ, God our Father performs what Luther called the “joyous exchange,” placing the guilt of our sin upon Jesus and counting His righteousness as our own.
no condemnation
The Thirteenth Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States was ratified by the necessary number of states on December 6, 1865. So, how many slaves were there in the US on December 7?
Technically, there were none. Although the law had been passed, there were many who did not know the truth and continued to live like slaves. There…
double trouble
I saw a funny commercial on TV. A young boy stood near home plate and shouted, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed a baseball into the air, swung mightily, and missed. "Strike one," he said to himself. He shouted louder, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" flipped a ball into the air, swung, and missed. "Strike…
