Most people–whether followers of Jesus or not–do have some thoughts about what He was like . . . what He did . . . what He gave Himself to in the days of His incarnation. He's seen as a prophet, a teacher, a leader, the Messiah, our Savior, our divine Friend, and...
When you live with someone for a period of time–whether a spouse or your children, whether a long-time coworker or a college roommate–you can grow accustomed to how they act and how they look. As that familiarity grows, it becomes increasingly easy to not notice...
In a letter to his wife in 1777, President John Adams wrote: "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the...
You've likely experienced it at times in conversation with someone. You say something, thinking that you are clear. The other person responds in a way that makes evident that either they missed what you were saying or they had another agenda in the conversation and...
At the heart of the ministry of The River is a commitment to helping people learn to read and understand the Bible for themselves. We seek to awaken the realization that most readers already bring to the Bible nearly everything they need in order to make sense of...
Reflections on Easter Throughout Easter Sunday, Christians hear the proclamation: Jesus is risen! The message—whether online or in other ways—shares a fundamental common theme: Jesus is alive! That is the appropriate and true Easter declaration. But what are the...
The tendency seems to be quite widespread. In personal conversations, in popular books, and from Sunday pulpits, there's a habit of reading Scripture as if the Bible is a collection of good advice to make our lives work better. Texts are mined to provide "four...
It can’t be ignored. Even if the tanks haven’t rolled into our backyard, we can’t overlook what is happening on the world stage. We need to think about it–but the challenge will be to think well about what we see unfolding in the world. Three voices can help...
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,...
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...