PHall | November 28, 2009
There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Every year it is the same. It happened this year and will happen in the year to come, and those following. People move out, and people move in. Proximity to friends and family will be gained and lost. Ties will be tested. Friendships will begin, and […]
Category: Matthew, Acts, II Corinthians, Colossians, I Timothy, Ecclesiastes |
Comments Off on Matthew 6:33 – Moving
Tags: Article, Church Growth
PHall | November 27, 2009
Life’s unfair. No matter how you look at it, life’s unfair. Despite my believing in God, still life’s not fair. Let me say it again – Life’s unfair. To prove my point, let’s look at Luke 2. Joseph had to return to Bethlehem for the census (Luke 2:3). The rule to return to your “own […]
Category: Luke, John, Romans, Hebrews, Jude, Leviticus |
Comments Off on Luke 2 – Life’s Not Fair
Tags: Article
PHall | November 23, 2009
Matthew 7:16a – “You shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16-20 – “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] “A good tree cannot produce bad […]
Category: Matthew, John, I Peter |
Comments Off on Matthew 7:16 – Circles of Commitment
Tags: Article, Church Growth
PHall | November 23, 2009
If you could, would you choose not to obey certain commands? If you could, would you choose not to believe certain truths? If you could, would you add to or take away from the Word of God? “If you could,” is not a hypothetical question – we do it every day. It’s called
Category: Acts, Revelation, Deuteronony, Jeremiah |
Comments Off on Jeremiah 26:2 – Do Not Omit A Word
Tags: Article
PHall | November 22, 2009
2 Samuel 11:2 – Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. The common interpretation has Bathsheba lacking in modesty because she was bathing in the open, […]
Category: Exodus, II Samuel |
Comments Off on 2 Samuel 11 – In Defense of Bathsheba
Tags: Article, Sex
PHall | November 21, 2009
Rejection, more so than acceptance, tends to make us “wax philosophical” and self-reflect. Questions (such as: Who are we; why are we here; what are we doing with our life; what are we supposed to be doing with our life) can be life altering or life affirming. “To thine own self be true” (Shakespeare, Hamlet, […]
Category: I Peter |
Comments Off on 1 Peter 4:10-11 – To Thine Own God Be True
Tags: Article, Grace
PHall | November 21, 2009
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” so says Newton’s third law. This law of physics might not perfectly fit into the spiritual realm, but one aspect is certainly true – for every sin there is a reaction. In fact, there are more than we care to know about. Here are three: […]
Category: Romans, Ephesians, Jeremiah |
Comments Off on Jeremiah 17:1-3 – Written On Our Hearts
Tags: Article, Parenting
PHall | November 19, 2009
Boca Raton, Florida has a reputation for being somewhat hoity-toity. Due to this reputation a sign I saw did not shock me – “Hair Replacement For Dogs Only.” Yep, this is Boca! Upon closer examination, I learned I had misjudged Boca – at least this time. Instead of “Hair Replacement For Dogs Only” being one […]
Category: Matthew, Acts, Hermeneutics |
Comments Off on Acts 21:29-31 – Hair Replacement for Dogs Only
Tags: Article
PHall | November 19, 2009
Every gift given by God is to bless His people. Do we believe that? If so, let’s look at one gift of grace – pastors. Jesus wanted to bless His people with shepherds, also known as pastors, elders, and overseers: Ephesians 4:7,11 – But to each one of us grace was given according to the […]
Category: Ephesians, Jeremiah |
Comments Off on Jeremiah 3:15-18 – The Blessings of Good Shepherds
Tags: Article, Eldership
PHall | November 19, 2009
God loves visual aids, of that I am certain. The whole world, the entire universe, aid God visually in illustrating His power, love, majesty, and wisdom. Jesus used visual aids – and He was God! So did Ezekiel – and He was inspired by God. When you look at all the visual aids Ezekiel used, […]
Category: Jeremiah |
Comments Off on Jeremiah 13:1-11 – Jeremiah’s Waisteband
Tags: Article