category
Search by topic, scripture, category etc..
57 Results in 888ms
Display
Sorted By
-
illustration
Transgression is Pushing Past Good Boundaries
After the fall of our first parents, boundaries were something to push past, to transgress. It’s worth pausing to note how we use the word transgression for “sin.” With its Latin roots, “across” and ... -
illustration
The Cave
The Cave One of the most famous passages in Plato's Republic is his "Allegory of the Cave," which is found at the beginning of book seven . Socrates imagines the human condition al... -
Quote
I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am no... -
blog
St. John Chrysostom's Easter Sermon
A Joyful Easter Proclamation John Chrysostom (344-407) was the Bishop of Constantinople and is remembered as a Doctor of the Church. He was a renowned preacher (his name, Chrysostomos means "... -
blog
How Canonicity and Love Go Together
Love Loving the Word of God is a great pursuit, but it’s not always easy. Like most love relationships, there are inevitable highs and lows. And as teachers of the Bible, many of us walk a delicate... -
illustration
Show Me the Prints of the Nails
Martin of Tours was a 4th century Frankish soldier who, after a personal encounter with Jesus, left the Roman army and became a hermetic monk and later a bishop. Dozens of stories of his life have cir... -
illustration
Brother Lawrence and Trusting God in Failure
Brother Lawrence, a 16th-century Carmelite monk, spent his days scrubbing pots and mending shoes. Largely uneducated, he filled his free time writing letters and notes that, after his death, friends g... -
illustration
Lacking a Clear Path to Faith
One common mistake is assuming that everyone else finds faith easy, while we alone struggle. Yet there is comfort in recognizing that we are not alone in our pursuit of Christ in the midst of a broken... -
Quote
It is quite enough that you have sinned. Now let go of it. Don’t let your despondency lead to an even greater offence. The Lord says, ‘I do not wish the death of the sinner, but rather that he repent ... -
illustration
Take up and Read
In Book Eight of Confessions , St. Augustine recounts how, in a state of deep inner turmoil, he “heard from a nearby house a voice, as of a boy or girl, I know not which, chanting repeatedly, ‘Ta... -
illustration
Luther's Overwhelming Guilt
In a way, the Reformation began in one monk's overwhelming guilt. Martin Luther was riddled with guilt and filled with anxiety because he could see that he could not live up to God's standard ... -
illustration
The Martyr's Mindset: Ignatius of Antioch and Death as Worship
How many modern Christians consider dying to be the worst thing that can happen to them? We pray for safety, healing, and protection, and rightly so. However, do we live in the truth that death has tr... -
liturgy
With all the host of heaven, from every nation
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Pastor: With all the host of heaven, from every nation, in every language, we cry out: Peopl... -
liturgy
Special Liturgy for Reformation Sunday
Jesus, You name us Beloved, Blessed Son, Daughter Sibling, Heir Help us remember You name us Child of the King Redeemed, Forgiven Saved by grace through faith Help us remember You name us Ligh... -
illustration
An Appeal for Mercy at the Heart of our Faith
When Johann Sebastian Bach sought to convey the heart of Christian truth through music, he chose the Mass as his foundation. His B Minor Mass begins with a heartfelt plea from the full chorus and orch... -
blog
Struggle is Not Failure: A Lesson from the Desert Fathers
A Story from the Philokalia A story is told in The Philokalia about a young monk who went to an older monk to confess a struggle. The older monk was appalled, telling the young monk that his strugg... -
Quote
The Creed was the focused, worshipful expression of people whose lives had been totally transformed by the Bible and by the risen Jesus Christ. The Creed’s words are not windows with the shutters pull... -
illustration
The Impact of Going Through the Fire
In George Bernard Shaw’s play about Joan of Arc , as Joan faces her execution by burning, she addresses those in power who have condemned her: “I will now go to the common people and find comfort in ... -
Quote
The early Christian writers used some stunning expressions of delight and gratitude when they mentioned Jesus’s death. Think of Paul saying, “He loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20), or “The ... -
illustration
Luther's Stand at Worms
Luther's stand at the Diet of Worms is legendary. Having written blistering indictments of the abuses of the Catholic church and theological treatises which challenged its teachings, Luther was su... -
illustration
Punishing John Chrysostom Isn’t Easy
John Chrysostom, the eloquent Church Father, had incurred the wrath of the Byzantine (aka Roman) Emperor Arcadius. Enraged, the emperor consulted his counselors on how to punish the powerful preacher.... -
liturgy
Lord, there is no seedling in the thicket that does not call you its maker
Lord, there is no seedling in the thicket that does not call you its maker. And I, too, come knowing that whatever the quality of my life is, it is thou, O God, who stamped your purpose on my soul. So... -
illustration
Our Stories, Incarnated by God
Every person in Scripture lived out a personal story incarnated by an even greater story about God, life, and the world. That story came from the politics, theology, and culture ingrained in their mem... -
illustration
Psalm 119: 176 Steps to Heaven
I have chosen to focus on this psalm [119] because it formed the important center of Celtic praise. In Ireland it was once referred to as The Biait . The word comes from Psalm 119: 1, which begins B... -
blog
Conscience Over Cohesion?
Imagine you are an alien who earned your interstellar passport and decided to spend a day on planet Earth. Suppose you picked a small town somewhere in the United States. Maybe you wouldn’t be surpris... -
Quote
We taste Thee, O Thou Living bread, And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead And thirst our souls from Thee to fill. -
illustration
Latimer! Be Careful What You Say
William Barclay tells the story of Hugh Latimer, one of England’s great preachers and leaders of the English reformation (16th cent.), eventually a martyr for that cause. On an occasion when Latimer w... -
Quote
The Lord called the Magi by a star; He called the fishermen by fish; He called the tax collector at the money table. He lowered Himself to each, that He might raise all to salvation. -
Quote
Indeed, those who become disciples of Christ, instead of fighting each other, stand arrayed against the demons by their lives and deeds of virtue, putting them to flight and mocking their prince, the ... -
illustration
Saints Let The Light Shine Through
One time a little boy and his father got to tour Europe. During their journey, they visited a magnificent cathedral, where the boy found himself captivated by the vibrant stained glass windows. He cou...
Page 1 of 2
Top Level Categories by Topic
A
B
C
- Canon
- Carrying our Cross
- Celtic Prayers
- Challenges of Parenting
- Christ and Culture
- Christ The King Sunday
- Christ's Death
- Christ's Resurrection
- Christian Community
- Christian Culture
- Christian Identity
- Christian Parenting
- Christian Story
- Christian Tradition
- Christian Values
- Christianity
- Chronic Illness
- Church
- Church and Politics
- Church Conflict
- Church Culture
- Church Family
- Church History
- Church Hurt
- Church Split
- Church Tradition
- Church Unity
- Churches
- Citizens of the Kingdom
- Civil Rights
- Coming of the Kingdom
- Communication
- Communion
- Communion of Saints
- Complaining
- Complaints
- Compromise
- Condemnation
- Confession of Faith
- Confession of Sin
- Conflict
- Conflict Resolution
- Consequences
- Conversion
- Conviction of Sin
- Cost
- Covenant Community
- Created World
- Creation
- Creation Care/The Environment
- Creeds and Confessions
- Cross-Cultural Church
- Crucified with Christ
- Crucifixion
- Crucifixion Of Jesus
- Cruciform Life
- Cry
- Crying
- Culture
- The Christian Faith
- The Christian Life
- The Christian Walk
- The Cross
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
P
- Pain
- Pain and Growth
- Parenting
- Paths
- Peace
- Peacemaking
- Persecuted Church
- Persecution
- Perseverance of the Saints
- Personal Transformation
- Philosophers
- Philosophy
- Pilgrimage
- Pilgrims
- Poor
- Poverty
- Power of Prayer
- Praise
- Pray without Ceasing
- Prayer
- Prayer Life
- Priorities
- Proclamation Of God’s Word
- Prosperity
- Prosperity Gospel
- Protestant Reformation
- Protestantism
- Public Faith
- Public Witness
- Punishment
- Punishment for Sin
- Purity
- The Psalms
R
- Race
- Race and Reconciliation
- Racial Reconciliation
- Reading the Bible
- Reality
- Received by God
- Receiving Grace
- Reconciliation
- Reformation Sunday
- Religion and Politics
- Religion and Public Life
- Religions
- Religious Conflict
- Religious Persecution
- Resisting Temptation
- Resurrection
- Resurrection of the Dead
- Rich and Poor
- Righteousness
- Rules
- The Reliability of Scripture
- The Risen Lord
S
- Sacrifice
- Sacrificial Living
- Salvation
- Satan
- Satan's Lies
- Saved by Grace
- Saving Faith
- Savior
- Scripture
- Scripture Application
- Seeking the Kingdom
- Self-Sacrifice
- Set Apart
- Set Free
- Sexual Immorality
- Sexual License
- Sexual Temptation
- Shallowness
- Shame
- Silence
- Simplicity
- Sin Management
- Sinfulness
- Sins
- Slavery
- Social Justice
- Solitude
- Spiritual Battles
- Spiritual Dryness
- Spiritual Formation
- Spiritual Growth
- Spiritual Hunger
- Spiritual Practices
- Spiritual Problems
- Spiritual Thirst
- Spiritual Transformation
- Spiritual Warfare
- St. Patrick
- Stars
- Struggles
- Submission
- Suffering
- Suffering Fools
- Surrender
- Survival
- Symbols
- The Saints
- The Star of Bethlehem
T
Top_level_categories by Reference