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Philosopher Walter Kaufmann wrote a book ironically titled The Faith of a Heretic. After explaining our cosmic insignificance, he concluded: “What I want to do and would advise others to do is to make the most of life: put into it all you have got, and live, and, if possible, die with some measure of nobility.”I cannot help but to say, that to tell us to die with nobility when there is no hope beyond this short life is farcical at best. Compare Kaufmann’s philosophy to Jesus

You thought you were lonely before. Now, this quarantine. Many Bible characters could identify with you. Jesus spent a lot of time alone, and he knew the pain of feeling all alone in the world.God cares for you and how you are feeling right now. But he also has answers, and there are some things that you can do in the middle of this to help. But you have to be committed to following through. Start by viewing your situation differently. There are people who crave the kind of

I think most of us are wondering, “When will we be back to normal?” Dr. Anthony Fauci recently suggested that it will be months before normal  returns. But is that what you want? Do you really want normal back? Is that what you are shooting for? Honestly, I’ve never wanted normal. Normal is average, or the median of a set of data. Is that what you want? Not me. For all of us, there are some things from our pre-COVID-19 lives that needed to be changed. It’s usually during a ti

There is good reason we get afraid. Fear protects us from doing things and being places that would harm us.But fear can become overwhelming. It robs people of joy. It hurts important relationships. It can become a barrier to life itself. Like every emotion, the good in fear can betray us and make us think we are just taking proper precautions, when in fact, we are being ruled by unreasonable distress.In a time like this, it's good for us to self-examine. Am I keeping fear in

People are panicking. Unless you just emerged from a cave, you know what I’m talking about. Grocery stores are void of canned goods and toilet paper because so many are stocking up. Every day there are new announcements of cancelations, for fear of spreading this new virus. The airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights, not just to quarantined countries, but domestic flights as well. People do not want to get on an airplane filled with potential COVID-19 carriers. Scho

When hiring people for a ministry staff position at The Bridge, one of the things I pay closest attention to is how the candidate converses during off-times, when not being interviewed.Who does he/she talk about? Is it always, or even, usually, about themselves? Do they show genuine interest in others, or do they work to get people interested in them?There are some people who are very good at getting conversations back to their own thoughts, opinions, experiences, or interest

“How do I know what God wants me to do?”I get that question a lot. Sometimes the answer is straightforward. If it’s addressed in Scripture, there you have it. But often it’s not a matter that’s addressed in the Bible. Like, “Should I switch jobs to this other opportunity?” or “Is it time to buy a house?”God cares about all of your decisions and he wants to be included in them. But that doesn’t mean that there are always right or wrong answers to the choices we make. Here are

This post could revolutionize how you show Christ to others through your life. Look at what prison-bound Paul says at a time you’d think he’d be complaining like crazy. Listen to how he tells the Philippians that they can be shining lights for Jesus: “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world ” (Philippians 2:14-15 HCS

It’s the big scare of 2020. By that, I don’t mean that the virus named for the crown that can be seen on it through a microscope, is not a dangerous threat. It certainly is, and people are dying because of it.There is good reason to be concerned. First, this particular virus (Wuhan Coronavirus) is one that has never been seen before. So it’s new, or at least, new to us. Because of that, we don’t have a vaccination for it or an effective treatment, other than boosting the body

This is one of the most damaging misunderstandings of our day. You don’t have to let your feelings dominate your life. You can manage your emotions. But the more you tell yourself that you can’t, the more likely you will give in and struggle with emotional dominance. And when a person is controlled by their feelings, the outcome is almost always detrimental to their lives, as well as the lives of those around them.A life dominated by feelings, rather than by wisdom, is at odd

I did a lot of fishing as a kid. I have memories of my friends and I waking up in the dark, riding our bikes with fishing poles in tow, to the river, to have our lures in the water by dawn. We fished like real fishermen. We kept and cleaned the fish we caught, and our families often ate them the same day. Fresh fish was a delicacy in my home.There aren’t very many fisherman who actually keep and clean fish anymore. When people tell me their fish stories, I ask, “Do you keep t

In last week’s post, we talked about having a Quiet Time . Maybe you’ve tried to establish one before. But after a couple of days it fell by the wayside. How can you get a daily quiet time established and then stick to it? Start by making a reservation for God, a time, an appointment in your day, and be absolutely religious about keeping it. For me, first thing in the morning works best. I find it to be the best way to start my day. You might have to get up a little earlier,