So, you write in your Bible?!?
If you look over my shoulder as I am studying or reading my Bible, you will see that I usually read with a pen in hand. If you attend The River's “Reading Scripture” course, you’ll discover we encourage people to read Scripture with a pencil in hand. And,...
Let’s talk about . . .
Every week I have conversations with friends about the Christian life. Regardless of where the discussions start, we often end up talking about the place of Scripture in this life we live with Jesus. One conversation focused on a regular teacher at a church who...
When the wonder wears off
The Christmas celebration is over, at least with regard to the pre-holiday busy-ness and the family gatherings. We've sung the songs, wrapped the presents, feasted on the special foods, given the gifts, and (hopefully) thought some about the "reason for the...
Should we make Christmas “safe”?
It happens . . . it seems that it's a regular, yearly, occurrence. A lot of people who don't go to church throughout the year or wouldn't sing about Jesus will acquiesce to doing that one day year–they will go to church for Christmas. They'll show up, they'll sing,...
There are no secrets to growing!
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul talks about the growth that comes in the Christian life. He explains that some ministry is like sowing seed, some is like watering plants, but it is God who brings the growth (1 Corinthians 3:5–9). Thus, in one sense, all...
Maybe He Will Surprise Us!
For those of us who are somewhat familiar with the Gospels' accounts of Jesus, we can end up feeling slightly underwhelmed by what we see in those accounts as we read. It's been said that "familiarity breeds contempt"–and there is some truth in that. But the other...
Why Not Just Start Reading?
So many Bible study books, with long chapters and multiplied “principles,” imply you need to master some specific content before you can feel confident that you could actually read the Bible. It’s not that there aren’t principles to be learned, but too often the...
Don’t Abandon the Personal Examination!
In her book Every Patient Tells a Story (New York: Broadway Books, 2009), Dr. Lisa Sanders addresses a number issues related to the “art of diagnosis”—exploring how doctors’ experience, training, and intuition aid them in rightly solving the most challenging of...
Who Raised Him From the Dead?
We are in the season of Easter—the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That truth, that reality, is central to the Christian message of “good news;” it is at the heart of the Gospel. (See how Paul underscored that in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19.) But...
The Doctor’s Examination and Reading
In her book Every Patient Tells a Story (New York: Broadway Books, 2009), Dr. Lisa Sanders addresses a number issues related to the “art of diagnosis”—exploring how doctors’ experience, training, and intuition aid them in rightly solving the most challenging of...