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Future Grace

July 3, 2013

“The Bible says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). In other words, the greatest act of loving sacrifice that was ever performed was sustained by the confidence that God would bring Jesus through it into everlasting joy with a redeemed and worshiping people. That is the way our love is sustained as well.

But there is a difference. Our willingness to endure the sacrifices of love ‘for the joy that is set before us’ was purchased by Jesus’ willingness to do the same. His suffering covers our sins and sets us free to love. Our suffering in the path of love is based on his. His future joy came to him as his right. Ours comes to us as blood-bought grace. His suffering is not just a model. It is the [ … ]

SNEAK PEEK: The Emotionally Destructive Marriage by Leslie Vernick

July 1, 2013

Will this dangerous quest lead the outcast Orphan King toward an ancient secret—or to certain destruction? – See more at: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=226110#sthash.z4sfm69e.dpuf
Searching for Real Faith – or No Faith at All
Your son was created for great things, but he needs your help to appreciate his unique male design and to grow into the strong, loving man God created him to be. – See more at: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=223379#sthash.jSmLxgvy.dpuf
Your son was created for great things, but he needs your help to appreciate his unique male design and to grow into the strong, loving man God created him to be. [ … ]

Life is So Much Better with Jesus in Command

July 1, 2013

Most of us want a helper, someone to lean on, to turn to; we want a boost from a copilot. That makes most of us insane, really, because sane people don’t want God as their copilot. Insane people do because that makes them the pilot and they can have the advantages of his help without the disadvantage of giving up the controls.

We like the whole idea of God working for us. Maybe that’s why we’re generally impotent in our faith, saltless, fruitless with the lost, and dismissed by the watching world. Maybe that’s why we’re frustrated, grasping, angry, and weary. Maybe that’s why others jump out our doors every chance they get!

Sanity really is better. When we’re sane—when we let God be our pilot—we’re inviting, welcoming to the watching world, relaxed, easy to be around.

What if we [ … ]

SNEAK PEEK: Raising Boys By Design by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz and Michael Gurian

June 28, 2013

Will this dangerous quest lead the outcast Orphan King toward an ancient secret—or to certain destruction? – See more at: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=226110#sthash.z4sfm69e.dpuf
Searching for Real Faith – or No Faith at All
Your son was created for great things, but he needs your help to appreciate his unique male design and to grow into the strong, loving man God created him to be. – See more at: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=223379#sthash.jSmLxgvy.dpuf
Your son was created for great things, but he needs your help to appreciate his unique male design and to grow into the strong, loving man God created him to be. [ … ]

SNEAK PEEK: Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax

June 26, 2013

Searching for Real Faith – or No Faith at All

Searching for Real Faith – or No Faith at All

Click here to download chapter one of Clear Winter Nights.

What happens when a young Christian dealing with disillusionment and doubt spends a weekend with an elderly, retired pastor? They talk. And no subject is off limits. Clear Winter Nights is a stirring story about faith, forgiveness, and the distinctiveness of Christianity. Through a powerful narrative and engaging dialogue, Trevin Wax shows the relevance of unchanging truth in an ever-changing world.

Click here to download chapter one of Clear Winter Nights.

Seeking to Follow, Not be Followed

June 25, 2013

“Jesus Christ—the youngest minichurch pastor in history…

Whenever the crowd got big, he’d say something such as, ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’ Not exactly the sharpest church-growth tactic. I can almost picture the looks on the disciples’ faces. ‘No, not the drink-my-blood speech! We’ll never get on the list of the fastest growing movements if you keep asking them to eat you.’

By the end of that speech, all the crowds had left, and only twelve men remained. Jesus apparently wasn’t interested in marketing himself to the masses. His invitations to potential followers were clearly more costly than the crowds were ready to accept, and he seemed to be okay with that. He focused instead on the few who believed him when he said radical [ … ]

Like a Treasure Buried

June 24, 2013

“Jesus’ kingdom invites us to immerse ourselves in the whole gospel He came to preach. We get to listen and consider and think through the staggering possibilities of kingdom living as Jesus taught it. The practical promise of our faith journey together is this: as we live in fidelity to Christ the King, His in-breaking reign will have a transformational effect on us, our communities, and our world. Anything less is not what Jesus came to earth to tell.

In a mysterious yet absolutely real way, the kingdom of Jesus is here now and in power. Like gravity or high-frequency radio waves, this kingdom doesn’t require our attention or consent in order to exist. It just is. Still, I think you’ll find that we have to learn—and deeply want—to see and imagine in new ways. Otherwise we’ll miss it. So [ … ]