So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the ...

Do you want to see the best of what humans can do together? Look at the Pyramids of Egypt. Inspire them to a great task, organize them, and equip them. What do you have, a pile of stones reminding us of millennia gone by. Do you want to see what o...

If you have spent any time around Christians at Christmas, you have probably heard the phrase ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’. It’s a good statement, intended to counteract the overwhelming voices saying otherwise, voices bent on making...

Imagine buying a partially completed house and having to complete that house from its current state. If you didn’t have the original blueprints, there’s a good chance some disaster would happen without knowing how the house had been built up t...

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16 Hymn Story Every so often, a song comes along that you know is going to endur...

24/7. Constant media. Instant communication. Endless entertainment. Sounds. Sights. Distractions. Every minute our minds and souls are bombarded. And far too often we let it in. While many of us spend time with the Lord daily, the world still snea...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ~ John 1:1 Hymn Story One of the earliest hymns to result from the collaboration between Keith Getty and Stuart Townend (which...

You can be in prison and be free, or you can be free and be in prison! We read about Paul and Silas in prison in Acts 16, experiencing treatment that was unjust, hurtful, and humiliating. And yet they were free in their inner man as they ...

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High… Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered t...

The season of celebrating is almost upon us – and for a little more than a month – from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve – we will start seeing the surge of “picture-perfect” family moments on social media. The Thanksgiving din...

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ~ J...

Recently I was sharing with my friend, Cheryl* the concern I felt over my brother and his rejection of the gospel as found in Scripture. Eric* claims to love God and would say he’s a Christian who is heaven-bound, but his beliefs lack substance ...

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! ~ Psalm 130:1-2 Hymn Story In 2018, Keith & Kristyn Getty expressed their d...

Why does Faith Bible Church send and support global partners (what we used to call missionaries before it became a dangerous word)? Many years ago, I was at a missions banquet at a large church in Portland. The MC went around to the six global par...

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:11 Hymn Story Not a whole lot is known about the exact origin of this hymn. The text was first published un...

On Friday evening, September 5, 1969, I recited the following words to Louise Kinnoin before God and over 300 assembled witnesses, “I, Keith, take you Louise to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, from this d...

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 Hymn Story Singer/Songwriter Dustin Kensrue h...

“Is he your first?” My answer gets stuck in my throat as the barista hands me a coffee and tries to eke smiles out of my four-month-old, who seems far more interested in stuffing fingers into his mouth than smiling. That question gives me paus...

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inherit...

“Boom!!!!” The noise of crunching metal and a loud impact tell us that a car accident has occurred outside of our house. The sound of a barking dog might alert you to the arrival of a visitor. Crying from a child tells you that some sort of ne...

The house I grew up in was beautiful in the fall. A maple tree twice its height would be ablaze with the colors of autumn right out front. Pumpkins adorned the steps that led to the front door, which often had cornstalks propped up next to it and ...

Praise him, sun and moon,praise him, all you shining stars!Praise him, you highest heavens,and you waters above the heavens!Let them praise the name of the Lord!For he commanded ...

Have you ever wondered where your teenager came from? No, I do not mean that the way you think I do. I mean literally, do you know where this whole idea of teenager came from? The concept of the “teen years” is a rather recent social invention...

I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.Hosea 13:4 Hymn Story This new hymn was written collaboratively by members ...

I am super excited about the topic for our upcoming Transform Conference! Dr. Stuart Scott is going to help us all develop a better understanding of what God’s will is, and how we are to seek to live it out faithfully. Here is my attempt to give...

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! - Revelation 22:20 Hymn Story The authorship of this hymn is unknown, as it was originally published without a title page...

People go public about a lot of things. Have you seen posts on social media of an engagement, a baby gender reveal for an expecting couple, or a new job? Baptism is exponentially more exciting and more important than any of those things. There is ...

I believe, help my unbelief! - Mark 9:24 Hymn Story The Apostle's Creed is one of the oldest existing confessional statements of the Christian faith, dating back to the 2nd century. The word "creed" comes f...

We have officially begun our 2019-20 fiscal year at Faith Bible Church! This may sound weird to some, but finances excite my heart—especially when we are discussing the finances of the church, because I am always excited to see how God ...

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!" - Revelation 4:8 Hymn Story Reginald Heber was an ardent missionary and hymn-writer during the early 19th century. He wanted to compi...

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! - Psalm 150:6 Hymn Story The words to this hymn were written in 1674 by an Anglican Bishop named Thomas Ken. These particular lyrics were original...

Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)...

I learned a couple lessons from golf this year. And I don’t think I’m the first one to learn these sorts of life lessons from the very difficult game. But perhaps the application I’ve thought through has some distinctiveness to it. Now, I ad...

We are a caffeinated and competent people, with no shortage of things to go and do. There always seems to be another problem to conquer, a new technology to employ, a new mindset to engage. We are good at fixing problems and we like it that w...

There are certain books that come along every so often that serve as a knife to the soul and Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in our Own Land is one of those books. Not the knife that injures but as a needed scalpel in t...

Alexander just showed up! He had seen a flyer posted in the hallway of his apartment complex about a Bible conference at a nearby evangelical church. The theme attracted his attention—the family! He knew all too well the mess of his marriage, an...

While drinking coffee at Siam Mall with Alcides (missionary pastor in the Adeje church) on our recent visit to Tenerife, he asked me to share any life advice with the two youth who accompanied him. I responded, “persevere!” I saw the ...

Quitting is relatively easy! You just quit! You just walk away! Persevering is significantly more difficult! You must continue! You must keep going! The author of the Bible book called Hebrews knew of this probability of drifting away. He ...

“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have...

When the wind storm tore up our artificial grass in Tenerife and laid it over the wall, it also took our neighbor’s metal outdoor furniture and threw it onto our driveway. We had not met these neighbors before, but this act of God’s providence...