Cases of diverticulitis have been on the rise in the U.S. (iStock photo) Diverticulitis, a disabling colon problem that can cause pain, obstruction and fever, became more common in the U.S. from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, a new study suggests. The findings are from one Minnesota county, but other research indicates that hospitalizations for diverticulitis also increased in […]

Does the grace of the cross give us a license to disobey God's Word? (Christian-wallpaper.com) Does the doctrine of grace nullify the law? Does God still expect us to at least attempt to obey His Word? The way some people preach grace today makes it seem as if obedience no longer mattered. Maybe it doesn't matter to some preachers, but […]

There is a big difference between the call and the commission. (Lightstock) Allow me to become extremely practical, if I may. I once preached about answering the call with urgency, and afterward someone came up to me and said, "God called me to the mission field, but you said I should obey now. Does this mean I should quit my job and […]

Peace Pound (Vitaly Vitorsky)           Americans are blessed in so many ways, and we should be the most thankful people on earth. But we quickly show our ingratitude when our Internet signal gets weak or when our iTunes download takes too long. Our first-world "problems" are pitiful. We complain of cramped seating on planes when only […]

Steven Khoury (Sean Roberts)                       For far too long, we in the American church have taken our freedom to worship God for granted. As believers, we can walk into a church and sing praises to Jesus without apprehension of verbal or physical confrontation. With few recent and rare exceptions, we […]

"As I looked at this word suddenly the letters began to rearrange and the word went from 'TRUMP" to "TRIUMPH.'" (Lucas Jackson/Reuters, phot/Eric Thayer for The New York Times) Firstly, I want to preface this word by saying that I do not have a political agenda for the United States of America. I am simply one person in Australia who […]

We don't celebrate Halloween per se; we remember Jesus' victory on the cross and how He overcame evil. Many churches offer Fall Festivals and celebrations for this very reason—to redeem the theme of Halloween.  (theofficefurnitureblog.blogspot.com) Author's Note: There is always an attempt to de-emphasize the true, spiritual significance of Christian holidays and place emphasis on Santa, toys, bunnies, baskets and […]

"On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). "And that rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4). Christians have been targeted for death in a school in Oregon. On a beach in Libya. In the villages of northern Syria. In a hospital in Afghanistan. In the bush of Nigeria and the […]

In search of the lost tribes of Israel by Rabbi Jonathan Bernis It reads like a modern-day suspense movie screenplay. A mysterious tribe in a remote corner of the world makes an astonishing claim about its members' historic identity. Ostracized by their neighbors, these lowly outcasts stubbornly insist they're descended from the world's most storied race of people—the Israelites. Skeptical […]