Shepherd Press is pleased to announce that the Study Guide for Christ Formed in You is now available. Christ Formed in You is a well respected guide to understanding theology. It has been described as precise and practical. Now that the Study Guide is available this book becomes even more valuable! The study guide will help you answer two important questions: Are you becoming more like Jesus? Are the contours of your character being shaped by his image, formed in his likeness? Here are the recommendations from two leading theologians about Christ Formed in You: Brian Hedges brings a beautiful clarity to our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pulls together a comprehensive patchwork of the Gospel’s implications […]
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Love is a personal thing or so we are told. Problems come when love is too personal. When love is all about me, bad things happen. Love must be defined by God, specifically by the work of his son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit tells us that we know what love is by how Jesus loved (1 John 3:16). By looking at Christ we see that love is other-centered, not me-centered. This takes some radical rethinking. Love is not about what makes you feel good or happy. Love is dying to your wants, your desires. Only by loving Jesus first can anyone experience this sort of love. The Holy Spirit provides specific examples of what other-centered, true love looks like in […]
Jesus directed his followers to pursue him through the narrow gate. The narrow gate opens to a narrow road that leads to life. The narrow gate is not as appealing as the wide gate. The wide gate is the gate that accommodates the crowd. It is the one that offers enticement and intrigue. There are many objects worthy of your worship. Enjoy as many as you can. The wide gate boldly flies its banner: You only go around once! The narrow gate leads to truth. Instead of a multitude of things to worship, there is only one Who is worthy. Not surprisingly, few desire such a restriction. Worshiping one God to the exclusion of all others is too narrow, too […]
The unspoken question most asked about love is, “What’s in it for me?” We are born with this compelling motive regarding love. We are born self-centered and self-consumed. So, if we love something or someone there must be a benefit to be gained. Young children love what makes them happy. Unfortunately, this is a pattern that we never outgrow apart from the saving work of Christ. We were made to love, just as we were made to worship. But, because of sin, we love ourselves and we worship what is pleasing to our corrupt nature. Without being changed by God, both love and worship become distorted and lead to destruction rather than salvation. In God’s mercy he sent Jesus Christ […]
Teenagers are often like Absalom. They present an image of arrogance and power. Yet inside they are hurting. Parents see the power but not the hurt. They may become intimidated and fearful—or angry—at the images their teenagers project. An angry teen is at odds with the God of heaven, and therefore lives with a desperate need for contentment—but he doesn’t know why. Absalom was powerful, handsome, arrogant, winsome and popular. This was the image that he projected and cultivated. However, the image he displayed was not consistent with who he really was. Inside he was hurting. He relied on subversion and raw intimidation to achieve what he wanted. He had no balm for the pain caused by the rape of […]
God created man with the powerful capacity for imagination. This capacity can be a very good thing or a very bad thing. Director Darren Aronofsky used his imagination in a damaging way with the movie Noah. The movie weaves myth, ancient heresies and speculation together to produce a story which is unfaithful to the Bible’s account of Noah. However, author Nancy Ganz and illustrator Matthew Sample show the beauty and wonder of what a biblically informed imagination can accomplish. Here is what Nancy says in the foreword: “You would think there would be a whole book in the Bible called the ‘Book of Noah,’ but the account of that incredible journey is recorded in only one small section of the […]
You cannot measure the faithfulness of God by the intensity of the life’s storms. Christ’s last words in the Sermon on the Mount talk about the storms of life. The final four verses (Matthew 7:24-27) teach that these storms will be powerful and that they cannot be avoided. So, the question is not can I avoid the storm, but how can I remain secure when the storm strikes. This much is certain, the storms will come. Jesus is talking about more than physical dwellings. He is talking about your life. The same things – the rains, the rising streams, the winds will attack each house. Don’t be fooled. The security of the house rests not upon the elaborateness and beauty […]
“She makes me so mad, I can’t stand it!” “He thinks only of himself, he doesn’t care if he hurts me or not. It’s maddening.” Did you ever say or think words like these? Well, you are not alone. But, what do you gain by being mad, by being so angry you lose control? The answer: you don’t gain anything of value but you lose much that is valuable! Often, being mad brings such harm that the damage is difficult, if not impossible to repair. Of course, you think you have good reasons for being mad. You have been hurt and nothing will stand between you and your right to be mad. If you are miserable, then everyone else should […]
There is a new movie out about Steve Jobs. He revolutionized the way our culture communicates and listens to music. iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPad have literally changed the way people live, work and think. Steve Jobs was a legend. However, there was one area Jobs recognized where he was lacking. Steve Jobs was a private man, even from his own children. “I wanted my kids to know me,” Jobs was quoted as saying by Pulitzer Prize nominee Walter Isaacson, when he asked the Apple co-founder why he authorized a tell-all biography after living a private, almost ascetic life. “I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did,” Jobs told […]
Human anger and biblical discipline do not mix. Man’s anger will not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:20) The key phrase is the righteous life that God desires. God did not give you your children so that you could teach them to follow your desires and wishes. When you make parenting about your desires, then, in your mind, God exists to serve you, to support your agenda and standards. When this role reversal occurs, even if unintentional, you attempt to make God subordinate to your will. This will produce anger and frustration, first in you and then in your children. Anger is an indication that your desires have become the most important thing. God has not […]