Asking the Hard Questions
Do I Stay or Do I Go Now?
by guest blogger Ashley Schneider There he is. That guy. The employee I lied to about not having a YMCA membership, so I could test out the facilities for free. Why is he always working when I want to sweat it out? He knows I lied, too. Shortly after my tale of being new to the…
Read MoreI do believe, but I’d like to be more certain
by guest blogger Dylan Malloch There’s a great moment in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where, close to reaching the fabled Holy Grail, Indiana has to take a leap of faith. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwMdb9YZkcw&feature=related) He’s on one side of an enormous cavern and needs to reach the other side. The only problem is, there’s…
Read MoreWhy Do I Have So Much While They Have So Little?
I remember the most malnourished children I’ve ever seen. I was 19 years old in Zimbabwe somewhere between Victoria Falls and Bulaweyo, the second largest city in the country. Our bus had broken down so we were hanging out with the natives on the side of the road, as you do, as someone repaired it.…
Read MoreIs Christianity Merely Comforting?
I just don’t know how non-Christians do it. Live, that is. You would have to be a very strong person within yourself to not simply give up after your first heart break or death of someone close to you. So many difficulties I face I can only face because of the belief of God inside…
Read MoreWhat, Exactly, Is the Holy Spirit?
Aren’t car conversations the worst and the best? There you are, trapped. No escape unless you’re prepared to die diving onto the freeway. And you know the feeling when an impending conversation–the one you know has to and will happen no matter how much you will it away, “forget” it or “not care” about it–is…
Read MoreIs "Patriotic" a Bad Word?
I don’t know if it’s just me, my entire generation or maybe just the others who took that world lit class with me in college, but the word “patriotic” seems to be losing its positive connotation. At least in my own head, I often equate it with “obnoxious,” “prideful,” “quick to defend and/or fight.” But…
Read MoreHow Are Christians Weakening the Argument for Faith?
Sometimes I forget my New Year’s resolution is to post a blog every Monday at 10:00 a.m. Like this week. I forgot/didn’t have time to blog over the weekend, so I find myself pounding out a post very early on Monday morning. I carry a list in my mind of difficult questions that I’ve had…
Read MoreWhat Steals Your Joy? And Why Do You Let It?
While we’re on the broad topic of contentment and joy and happiness, I would like to ask what robs you of these things? While I argued in my last post that we will never feel full contentment in this lifetime, a few posted comments reminding me of the importance of joy. One even said she…
Read MoreCan We Ever Be Content?
I know the purpose of life is not to be happy. In fact, the question “does that make you happy?” really irks me because the answer doesn’t matter. The New Testament clearly tells us Christians won’t be happy. We’ll be persecuted and knocked down and put in prison and that’s how it’s supposed to be.…
Read MoreWould I Still Be a Christian if…
I had not been born into a Christian family? My parents are Christians. My dad is a preacher. Both sets of my parents’ parents were/are also Christians, as well as my great-grandparents. One of my great-grandfathers was a preacher. My grandfather is, or at least has been, an elder at his church. Does Christianity eventually…
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