Bible Archives - Page 6 of 7 - The Sparrow's Home

Grace…Then What?

April 24, 2017 by Susan 4 Comments

After we’ve been shown grace, then what? We light the path for those behind us.

Do you watch the Amazing Race? My husband loves that show, and has recently been catching up on years of missed episodes. I don’t love it and here’s why: the bickering. If I want to hear people arguing, I’m perfectly capable of picking a fight myself (quite skilled, in fact. 😉 )

But watching other people argue? It stresses me out.

In one recent episode he was watching, I noticed that when groups found a clue, they would try to stealthily read and record information without other groups knowing. And that’s good strategy when you’re competing.

If they were all on one team, when they found the clue they’d call out, “Found it!” so everyone could run over and see the information.

And that’s exactly what I’ve been noticing that both King David, and the Apostle Paul did in Scripture…and what we, as believers, are supposed to be doing.

Is Your Church a Pew-Filled Adult Daycare or a Hardcore Training Facility?

March 27, 2017 by Susan 9 Comments

When we create a judgement free church, are we dooming members to failure? The Planet Fitness model will not result in changed lives, reconciled to God.

My eldest began working out a lot a couple of years ago, and as a birthday gift last year, we told him we’d get him a gym membership. He talked to a few friends about their experiences with nearby gyms. One guy told him stories about Planet Fitness that had us rolling on the floor laughing in disbelief.

They serve pizza? Candy? Flashing lights and alarms go off to shame people for working out “too hard.” Does this ‘gym’ even want its members to get healthy?!

I had forgotten all about it until recently, when a well-meaning Christian friend posted something about how we should “create churches that the un-churched love to attend”. For some reason, the descriptions we’d heard about Planet Fitness immediately came to mind.

I’m Really Tired of Hearing How Unloving Christians Are

March 13, 2017 by Susan 26 Comments

Unloving Christians. How often do you hear that? It’s bad enough that Christians are portrayed this way, do we really have to perpetuate the myth ourselves?

I’m minding my own business last week, when an article comes across my desk instructing me (and all evangelical Christians) how to show love to all of these people we supposedly hate. The conclusion? Stop being Christians and agree with everything the world says…then they’ll know you really love them. (my paraphrase)

The media has been telling us for years that Christians are unfeeling and unloving. But the evidence doesn’t show that. It’s a deception and it is not true.

When You Can’t See God Anywhere

October 10, 2016 by Susan 24 Comments

You’re reading Scripture but it just feels like empty words. You can’t see God anywhere you look. Abandoned. Defeated. Alone. Those are the words going through your head.

I think we all have fleeting moments of these feelings. Sometimes, however, we get stuck there. Instead of passing through, we unpack and move in.

During seasons of darkness, we need the light of truth more than ever. Truth doesn’t always feel true, you know. And it especially doesn’t when we’ve set up camp in the land of ‘nobody understands’. That’s why I believe that we must do two things when we find ourselves there.

Don’t Ignore This Phrase When You See it in the Bible

September 26, 2016 by Susan 6 Comments

The warning, “Do not be deceived” carries with it a particular message whenever we see it in Scripture. What is it? How can we protect against deception?

I find words fascinating. We just watched Dead Poets Society tonight with the boys. There’s a scene in the movie in which Mr. Keating says,

Avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Say what you really mean.

When we read the New Testament, there’s a phrase that appears a number of times. It’s a phrase that often just fades away as we focus on what follows. But I don’t think it was included by the writers as a throwaway, I believe it was intentional. There’s a lot of significance to be found in these few words.

“Do not be deceived…”

If we look at the context each time this phrase occurs, we’ll find some things in common. Each time, what follows this warning is something that is likely to deceive us. It’s as if the writer is putting a giant red arrow in the text that says, “Hey, you! Take note! THIS is something that is going to deceive people…don’t let it be you!”

Fact or Fraud: 4 Common Science Textbook Errors

September 19, 2016 by Susan 12 Comments

Did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false decades ago? We examine these common textbook topics:

Peppered Moths
Embryonic Homology
The Miller Experiment
The Geologic Column

If your child’s textbook taught that bloodletting, heroin, and mercury were effective medical treatments, I imagine you’d take issue with that. After all, those practices were proven false long ago. Well, did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false (by mainstream science) decades ago.

Several years ago, my husband began studying evolution and the age of the earth with a critical eye. Since then he’s travelled to a number of states to present at camps, churches, and a Bible College. For Christians, he presents solid Biblical evidence. He also provides ample scientific evidence that is easy to understand that proves that evolution, besides being mathematically impossible, is wrought with lies and deception.

So let’s dig in to determine fact or fraud. I know some of these examples will look familiar to you…get ready for (as Paul Harvey used to say), “The rest of the story.”