Wayne Stiles's Blog, page 63

Tel Dan—Worshipping at the Altar of Convenience

In the end, we'll find God far more satisfying.

Shady walkways. Cool breezes. Abundant streams. Luxuriant foliage. The Tel Dan Nature Preserve draws the locals as well as the travelers. It always has.

(Photo: Headwaters of Jordan River at Tel Dan. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

In natural beauty, Tel Dan has few rivals in Israel. For the ancients, it had everything necessary for abundant living.

While the Hebrews in the south worshipped in Jerusalem, the natural beauty of T...

Caution: We Worship What We Think We Need

Are people taking the place of God in your life?

When you hear the word “idol,” what comes to mind (other than the TV talent show)? We might think of money, materialism, or even the golden calf. But rarely do we think of people.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

We worship what we think we need—whether it’s God, money, or even people. People make us feel good. Like a sunflower in a sunny field, we face the source that keeps us satisfied and meets our needs. But whom we worship, we will also obey.

...

Resolved: 10 Ways to Stand Strong and Live What You Believe [Book]

Resolved: 10 Ways to Stand Strong and Live What You Believe by Lina AbuJamra (Baker Books, 2016) Resolutions are easy to make. But the Christian life challenges our resolve to stay committed to God by testing our commitments against fear, rejection, and expectations.

Dr. Lina Abujamra has given us the blessing of another book, Resolved, written in her inimitable style and with her characteristic passion. Lina has seen life in all its raw reality—where it’s from the persp...

Rescuing the Gospel: The Story and Significance of the Reformation [Book]

Rescuing the Gospel: The Story and Significance of the Reformation by Erwin Lutzer (Baker Books, 2016) The issues of the past will always be the issues of today, because they are the issues of life. History is doomed to repeat itself when we fail to learn from it.

In Rescuing the Gospel: The Story and Significance of the Reformation, Erwin Lutzer offers an excellent introduction to the Reformation by asking and answering questions essential to every generation of believe...

Being Better than Your Parents is the Wrong Goal

God gives two questions to answer and two courses to follow.

Growing up in a godly home is no guarantee you’ll follow God. You can live better than your parents did. Or you can live worse. It’s true. But it’s also true that a godless home doesn’t doom you to a failed life.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

One man told me had as his goal to be a better father than his father was to him. And he did it. But then he realized that wasn’t enough.

Being better than your parents is doable, sure, but it’s...

Worth Living: How God’s Wild Love for You Makes You Worthy [Book]

Worth Living: How God’s Wild Love for You Makes You Worthy by Mary DeMuth (Baker Publishing Group, 2016) We were designed by God with a worth that reflects the dignity He designed us to have. Sin has marred that original design, but it has not removed our longing for God’s original intention. We yearn to know we’re worthy—but our fallen nature seeks sources for that affirmation other than the One who gave us our worth.

Mary DeMuth’s pen has once again dipped in the inkwe...

Tel Arad—Israel’s Point of Impatience with God

How traveling along the path of the unknown gives us the chance to give God greater glory.

At Tel Arad, the whole land of Canaan lay before the Hebrews. They had waited and wandered forty years in the wilderness. The Promised Land was theirs for the taking. Right there before them!

(Photo: Arad Israelite fort, courtesy of Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Instead, God led the Hebrews on a major detour.

Tel Arad in Israel’s Negev offers many benefits to its visitors. It’s an oasis of ancient a...

Quote by Jason Fried on making time to do what you want. [Quote]

When you want something bad enough, you make the time—regardless of your other obligations. The truth is most people just don’t want it bad enough. Then they protect their ego with the excuse of time. Don’t let yourself off the hook with excuses.Keep reading this post.

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David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason Fried
Rework (Crown Business, 2010), Kindle L...

Why You Should Avoid the Path Of Least Resistance

The life we seek isn't found by avoiding pain. It comes another way.

The path of least resistance is a fact of nature. Rivers always flow around a mountain rather than through it. Electricity always moves through a circuit’s “easiest” route. Human nature is no different. Unfortunately.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

We tend to do that which is easiest, often to the neglect of that which is best.

It’s easier to read a magazine than to read your Bible. It’s easier to sit in front of the TV than...

Are Your Big Dreams as Big as Your God?

Here's how to tell if your dreams match God's desires for you.

Life gets fueled on dreams. Without big dreams or a purpose, we wither and die. As Christians, we have more to do than get up, work hard, and come home for a few hours of TV . . . only to rise and begin again.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

If that’s all we do, we will wake up one day and realize life has amounted to a stack of paychecks and a few laughs.

God wants more for us than that.

Keep reading this post.

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