We often hear the words “Love God and Love Others” but move past them quickly, not really stopping long enough to think about what they really mean in our lives or what God is inviting us to. What does it truly mean to love God and others, and how can we embody this in our … The post Embracing God’s Call to Love and Serve Others appeared first on ScottsdaleBible.com ..read more

I’m pretty sure I learned a lot about marriage, family, and parenting from the “Thank Goodness It’s Friday” (TGIF) sitcom lineups from the 1990s. Exhausted from the trials of junior high and high school, Friday night became the greatest time of the week. I would unwind on the couch with my brother and a healthy portion of junk food and tear through two hours of comedy and life lessons from the likes of Carl and Harriette Winslow on Family Matters, Frank Lambert and Carol Foster on Step By Step, Danny Tanner, Jesse Katsopolis, and Joey Gladstone trying to raise Danny’s three daughters on Full H ..read more

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute New Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall ..read more

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pur ..read more

I was struck by something late one special night. It was January 25, 2011. My daughter had just been born, and I became acutely aware of a shift that had just taken place in my life. It was an irreversible shift, a permanent shift—some would argue, an eternal shift. I had become a father. A 6-pound, 9-ounce helpless little girl lay there next to me on a cot at Scottsdale Osborn Hospital and I was paralyzed by the moment. I just laid there and stared at her sleeping body, overwhelmed by the thought that in the last 12 hours my identity had changed in some way. At some point I wasn’t a father an ..read more

As we look at some of the holidays celebrated in our nation, our hope as a church is to examine how we can observe these special days by putting on the mind of Christ. This article, along with previous ones in our “Holidays” series, offers an opportunity for us to reflect on God’s Word, His plan, and His provision as we celebrate and honor these key holidays recognized by our nation. _____________________ What’s the difference between remembering, and not forgetting? That’s the question I started asking myself as I thought about Memorial Day. I forget an awful lot of things. For example: usern ..read more

It was right around 1999 as I was sitting in a meeting of senior leaders of our growing church in Minnesota when our senior pastor looked us all in the eye and made it clear that if we weren’t giving 10% of our income to the church, we didn’t belong on his team. I’m guessing I wasn’t the only person on the team who was squirming in my chair in that moment. I’m not convinced it was the right way to frame a discussion about what a generous spirit produces, but it sure got my attention, and God used it to great effect in my life. I grew up in a family where the concept of tithing or giving the fi ..read more

Sunday is the day for church, right? We work on the weekdays, sleep in and get a few chores done around the house on Saturday, and then Sunday we get up and go to church. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Well, in our culture today this is often how we treat church. We see church as simply being in a certain place at a certain time. We see church as a place we attend, whether online or in-person. Church has become a checklist item or part of our to-do list, whether we like to admit it or not. We have made church something it was not meant to be—just a place. The Church was never meant to be ..read more

What comes to mind for you when you think about Easter? I know for me, if I am honest, the traditions of Easter sometimes come to mind quicker than the true and profound meaning behind Easter. He is risen! Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is crucial to our faith. Easter marks a moment that changed everything for the believer! Jesus Christ not only lived a perfect life and died for our sins, but HE ROSE FROM THE GRAVE! He conquered the hold of death for all those who follow Him! Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me ..read more

A friend of ours from the UK, Pete, was recently in town to share with our church about his church-planting work in Manchester, England. Pete told us about the challenges he faces living in and ministering to a post-Christian culture. Post-Christianity is a reality where Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion of a society, and its people have gradually assumed secular values, culture, and worldviews. He shared the encouragement that this culture allows him to minister to people who have no concept of Christianity—whether positive or negative, genuine or hypocritical. With this r ..read more