By Denise Shick “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strengththrough His Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 (NLT) “You know this has been weighing heavily on my heart for quite some time.” The urgent tone ofthe email pierced my heart. The 22-year veteran middle school teacher—I’ll call himTom—wanted prayer support. “I am being forced to teach a controversial curriculum … thatboth violates my conscience and is opposed to my religious beliefs. … I must teach about sexualorientation, gender identity and expression, and abortion (to name a few) and equip kids withresources and clinic information to enable…

Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT) According to a recent Gallup poll, the percentage of US adults who self-identify as “something other than heterosexual has increased to a new high of 7.1%—double the percentage from 2012, when Gallup first measured it.” More alarming is that “roughly 21% of Generation Z Americans” (born between 1997 and 2003) identify as LGBT.¹ Why are so many young people rejecting heterosexuality? Could it be as simple as Bill Maher recently suggested, “The prime directive of every teen is,…

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” — Matthew 7:12 NIV THE GOLDEN RULE “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is a life principle taken from Jesus’ teachings. Most people modernize the statement by saying, “Treat others the way you want them to treat you.” Show respect if you want to be respected. Show kindness if you want to receive kindness. And so on. Few disagree with this reciprocal principle known as The Golden Rule.  Jesus spoke these words in the…

“You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. … My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. … Your eyes saw my unformed body.” — Psalm 139:13, 139:15-16 NIV Transgender athlete Lia Thomas gained global attention in December 2021 by shattering collegiate women’s swimming team records. Before coming out as transgender in 2019, Thomas had competed on the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s team. After a year’s hiatus and female hormone therapy, the biological male joined the women’s team and immediately outswam teammates and opponents.   Regarding recent accomplishments, Thomas says, “I’m very…

Can The News Media Make You Gay? Grace’s Story To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; to God be all the glory. I remember my mother telling me how she praised God regularly during her pregnancy with me. She also said that she suffered no pain during my birth. My mother was a woman of strong faith, and I grew up listening to her story of how Jesus miraculously healed her after doctors had given up on her. She also said that when she cried out to the Lord for healing, He told her it’s better to be saved than…

English poet Alexander Pope once wrote, “One truth is clear, whatever is, is right.” But most of us would emphatically say that there are many situations and actions in this world that are not right. In fact, as the Bible plainly reveals, much of what is, is wrong. The apostle Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10). This lack of righteousness—right thinking and…

God expects His people to learn and grow throughout their lives. If we hold wrong beliefs (opinions), we need to accept that our views are mistaken, and we need to replace those wrong notions with the right views based on universal principles. Maybe you can identify with this person’s struggle to release destructive opinions: When I was in church or with my Christian friends, they would just tell me that the behavior was wrong, and I should repent. They didn’t know how many times I had tried quitting, how many times I had tried to be a good Christian. When…

I want to begin by saying thank you to all the prayer warriors, parents, and friends who have kept your struggling loved ones in your prayers. I testify to the power of prayer. God still performs miracles, and He’s sitting on His throne! Although I grew up living with my mother and stepfather, I vaguely remember the presence of my father, and the few memories I have are pleasant. My parents divorced when I was about five years old, and I had to learn to live with the man my mom chose as her new husband. When I was about…

Marriage has become a controversial issue in the Christian community. But it shouldn’t be. Marriage was created and defined by God as a holy union between one man and one woman. His ultimate goal in a marital union is for husbands and wives to have oneness expressed within a relationship bound together by a Holy Covenant. Any other union is an imitation—designed by the Master of Deception, not God. Do you remember how you felt last year when you first heard the U. S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the legalization of same-sex marriage? I experienced an initial disbelief. I was…

Compassion is at the heart of the gospel. Because of His compassion, God sent His Son to save a world full of sinners. Without doubt, the world is a better place when human hearts, like God’s heart, are moved by compassion. But compassion does not—cannot—stand alone. In this fallen world Bradley referred to, sin has consequences. So while we must treat our fellow sinners with godly compassion, we also must treat sin with godly disdain. Bromide it may be considered, but fundamental truth it is that Christians must love the sinner but hate the sin. God’s Word simply does not…