briandainstg

TRYING TO IMPRESS?

We ALL feel the pressure to impress. I feel it. You feel it. We all feel it. In Genesis 27, Jacob felt the same. So much so he went to great lengths to impress his father. The method he used, is one we use frequently – whether or not we realize it is another issue. …

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CONVERSION CASE STUDIES

In Acts 17:11-40, Luke records how three different people experienced the saving power of Jesus Christ. My belief is that Luke records them one after the other because he’s showing us how it is people come to saving faith. The bottom line: people get saved in different ways. The first is Lydia. Paul wanders down…

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HOPE FOR THE PRODIGAL

Jacob is a prodigal. He’s on the run from God and his family. He’s burned bridges. He’s soured relationships because of his deception. He’s alone. God feels remote. And Jacob isn’t pursuing God. He’s not crying out to God. Some of you have been, are, or have someone in your life who is in a…

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THURSDAY MORNING LAUGHTER

From the men who gave you the music for “What’s in the Bible?” comes…”It’s My OCD.”

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A CALL TO CHURCH COMMITMENT OVER CHURCH CONSUMERISM

I don’t know that any society has had more options available to them over the course of human history than we do in the U.S. in 2017. As I scan my home office where I’m writing this, I see a door knob (attached to a door), a backpack, my phone, the computer I’m writing on…

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AGAINST PLAYING IT SAFE

God encouraged risk-taking. When you stop to think about what God was asking Abraham to do in Genesis 12, it really is unreasonable – according to conventional wisdom. God tells Abraham to leave home. Home represents everything that is familiar and comfortable. God says, “leave it behind.” That would be hard enough, but it gets…

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PARADISE LOST

Do you know the book of Genesis? Below are some short video illustrations that will help give you a refresher.

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THE PROBLEM WITH DIVINE JUDGMENT

In the famous story of Noah, we are confronted with divine judgment which is a problem for many people. Modern people often find the notion of divine judgment distressing and even primitive.  Miroslav Volf is a Croatian. As you can imagine, being from the Balkans, he is intimately familiar with injustice. Volf writes this, “Violence thrives secretly nourished by…

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LAS VEGAS AND JESUS

The world is yet again numbed by the senseless atrocity of Las Vegas this week. Shock, horror and grief have gripped the U.S. Inevitably cascading from this deluge of killing are the questions: “Why?” “How?” “Who?” There are no shortage of Christian reflections on this, so this one isn’t intended to be all-encompassing that accounts…

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IF I OBEY GOD, I WON’T BE HAPPY

This is one of Satan’s tactics. If he can get you think God isn’t really looking out for your interest; if he can get you think God isn’t good, then he’ll get you to think, “If I obey God about this or that, I won’t be happy.” Through the enemy’s attempt to disorient us, we…

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