At this point it’s no secret that deconversion is happening at an alarming rate. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one quarter of Americans (22.8%) identify as having “no religion.”1 According to this same study, there are more “nones” than those who affiliate as Catholic (20.8%). And nearly as many as identify as Evangelical … Continue reading Endurance Requires Team Effort
Author: Cindy Matson
A Prayer for Living in Cancel Culture
As the world-system grows increasingly hostile to God and more openly indulgent of its fleshly desires, navigating situations within our families, workplaces, communities, and even churches has become foggy and confusing. Do we let our kids watch the movie with that agenda-pushing scene? How do we talk to our third-grade son when a student in … Continue reading A Prayer for Living in Cancel Culture
God Said No. What Now?
When I was in Bible college, every Monday in chapel would bring a round of “Works of God Testimonies,” when our president would encourage students and faculty to share brief, specific, God-glorifying testimonies of how we’d seen prayers answered in the recent past. Over four years, I heard testimonies of debts repaid, hard hearts softened, … Continue reading God Said No. What Now?
Rebuked by Blessing
Have you ever been rebuked by bananas? Probably not. But Darlene Deibler was. A young missionary and wife ministering to the people of New Guinea in the late 1930s and early 40s, Darlene and her husband continued their ministry though war had broken out across the globe. Eventually Japan took control of the island, and … Continue reading Rebuked by Blessing
Pray for the Shepherd, Pray for the Sheep
Near the end of his “brief exhortation,” the writer of Hebrews addresses the sheep/shepherd relationship, telling the flock how they ought to relate to their shepherd and why. Though other passages could add to this list, Hebrews 13:17 gives an excellent prayer guide on how to intercede not only for pastors, but for the rest … Continue reading Pray for the Shepherd, Pray for the Sheep
What to Do When You’ve Hit the Mats
“Yo, Adrian! I did it!” No doubt these words bring to mind a bloody, sweaty, and exhausted Rocky Balboa somewhat incoherently communicating a single message to his beloved Adrian watching the fight at home. Rocky can barely piece together this famous sentence because of the brutal fight he has just undergone. Back and forth with … Continue reading What to Do When You’ve Hit the Mats
The Bread of Idleness vs. the Haven of Rest
In recent years a trend has emerged, emphasizing the need for rest in a believer’s life and the biblical concept of Sabbath-taking. Undoubtedly this movement has been in response to the all-too-common pitfalls of burnout and self-sufficiency. For these reasons (among others), God prescribed rest for the nation of Israel, and it’s good that we … Continue reading The Bread of Idleness vs. the Haven of Rest
Four Directions of Praise
If I were to pick the most helpful application on my smartphone, a few contenders would rise to the top. Email, text, and camera of course—and the navigational GPS system. As a directionally inept person, having a device with me that can get me to anywhere and home from anywhere is a dream come true. … Continue reading Four Directions of Praise
What Is Your Top Priority?
It’s a wise practice to inventory your life every so often to make sure that priorities haven’t gotten out of whack. To look at money spent, time invested, and activities undertaken to assess where your true priorities lie. We all know that it’s far too easy for items that should be second-tier priorities to sneak … Continue reading What Is Your Top Priority?
Yahweh Reigns
Chaos. Disorder. Upheaval. Disaster. Turbulence. When a large body of water shows up in the Bible, you should probably associate it with these things. While the Flood may be the easiest example, it’s hardly the only one. Consider Red Sea, thrashing the Egyptians, after God proved to be Master of the Chaos by making a … Continue reading Yahweh Reigns