Topic > Spiritual Growth
10 Reasons to Believe Christians Can Look Like They Are Not
Disappointment is often attached to our encounters with people who don’t measure up to what we had hoped them to be. This is true of Christians as well. Followers of Christ sometimes fail to match the ideals of our own faith, or the expectations of a watching world. Still, is it possible to be a Christian, yet not act like it? This brochure offers careful thought on this challenging issue.
Wonderful!
As our plane began its descent, the flight attendant read the long list of arrival information as if she were reading it for the thousandth time that day—no emotion or interest as she droned on about our impending arrival. Then, with the same tired, disinterested voice, she finished by saying, “Have a wonderful day.” The dryness of her tone contrasted with her words. She said “wonderful” but in a manner completely absent of any sense of wonder.
Wait On The Lord
With so many instantaneous forms of communication today, our impatience with hearing a reply from others is sometimes laughable. Someone I know sent an e-mail to his wife and then called her by cell phone because he couldn’t wait for a reply!
Sometimes we feel that God has let us down because He does not provide an immediate answer to a prayer. Often our attitude becomes, “Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails!” (Ps. 143:7).
Healthy Ingredients
My wife, Martie, is a careful shopper when it comes to buying healthy and nutritious food. No matter how attractive the packaging looks, she checks the list of ingredients on the back of the box.
Stand Firm
As our final project for a high school earth science class, a friend and I built a stream table. With extensive help from my father, we built a long plywood box with a hinge in the middle. Then we lined it with plastic and filled it with sand. At one end we attached a hose.
Seeds & Soils
If you like growing pumpkins, you have probably heard of Dill’s Atlantic Giant variety of premium pumpkin seeds. Developed on a family farm in Atlantic Canada, the pumpkins grown from these seeds have set records around the world. In 2011, a pumpkin grown in Quebec set a new world record at 1,818.5 pounds (825 kg). That size of pumpkin could yield almost 1,000 pieces of pie!
I’m Invisible
My friend Jane said something at a work meeting and no one responded. So she repeated it and again no one responded; her co-workers just ignored her. She realized that her opinion didn’t matter much. She felt disregarded and invisible. You may know what that’s like as well.
“Gorgeous Inside”
It’s a rather nondescript house that sits on a busy thoroughfare. With no distinctive characteristics, this rather plain home is easy to ignore. But as I drove past it the other day, I noticed a “For Sale” sign in the yard. Attached to the sign was a smaller notice that happily announced: “I’m gorgeous inside.” While I’m not in the market for a new house, that sign intrigued me. What could make this otherwise forgettable house gorgeous inside?
Life After Loss: Grieving with Hope
“Grief is a journey that sooner or later we all must take,” writes counselor Tim Jackson. Sharing his personal experience and pointing us to the cross and the power of Christ’s resurrection, Jackson shows us how we can take that journey with hope. In the pages of this booklet, he walks with us through the grieving process and reminds us to “lean on our Creator and each other” for comfort.
Color Courage
A radio ad for watches suggests that listeners buy a watch with a bright color band and then wear it with clothes of other colors. When people notice your watch because of its contrasting color, the ad says, “They’ll see that you have ‘color courage.’ And they’ll want to be like you.” Something in us enjoys having others follow our example.
A Difficult Place
When a sudden change in technology made his job obsolete, a highly trained scientist found himself working in a fast-food restaurant. One evening after our Bible study he described the situation as difficult and humbling. He said, “One good thing I can say is that the young people there seem very interested in my faith.” A member of the group responded, “I admire you for being humble. I know your faith must have something to do with it.”
The Power Of Affirmation
During a recent study, 200,000 employees were interviewed to discover the missing ingredient in their productivity. The study concluded that appreciation and affirmation topped the list of what they wanted most from their superiors. This research implies that receiving affirmation is a basic human need.
An up-close perspective on Matthew 6 to better understand Jesus’ message
Many of us have heard the Sermon on the Mount preached from the pulpit, but what would it have been like to hear that powerful message from Jesus Himself? Let's put ourselves into that first-century audience to better understand Jesus’ message.
Longing To Grow
The 2010 documentary film Babies followed four infants who were born into very different circumstances in Namibia, Mongolia, Tokyo, and San Francisco. There is no narration or dialogue from adults in the film, only the sounds babies make as they begin to discover the world into which they have been born.
Let’s look to James chapter 2 for guidance on responding to pain with compassion
When a friend or loved one is going through intense grief it can be difficult to find the right words to say, and the best time to say them.
