Josh Harris has been in the news in recent weeks, and it isn’t good. The author of the controversial Christian bestseller I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and the impetus behind a youth ‘purity movement’ twenty years ago, announced first that he and his wife, Shannon, parents of four children, were ending their marriage. Then, in an
Phil Congdon, NBBC, July 5, 2019Recently I returned from a two-week trip to Denmark and Norway – with a few hours in Sweden as well. It was a wonderful trip, with some of the most breathtaking natural beauty I’ve ever seen. The creative hand of God is evident everywhere, and His abundant blessings to boot.
Phil Congdon, NBBC, June 1, 2019Last month in this space I wrote that the most significant decisions we make in life are spiritual decisions. These decisions affect everything we do, and dictate how we respond to things which happen that are beyond our control. Spiritual decisions not only determine where and how we will spend
Phil Congdon, May 3, 2019 The unexamined life is not worth living. About 399 B.C., the classical Greek philosopher Socrates was tried for impiety and corrupting youth. He was sentenced to death, and given the option, chose death rather than exile. It was at this point that he supposedly said, “The unexamined life is not
Spring is the season of resurrection – as the whole world seems to come alive from its winter hibernation and burst forth with new promise. Here in Texas, the profusion of bluebonnet, Indian Paintbrush, verbena, and a host of other wildflowers is a vivid reminder – resurrection time is here! For Christians, the word ‘resurrection’
Phil Congdon, NBBC, March 1, 2019 Recently in my study, I was reading Hebrews 12.14, which exhorts Christians to “pursue…holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” The author’s idea is this: One day we will stand holy in God’s presence – not because of our own merit, but because of Christ’s sacrifice for
Phil Congdon, NBBC, February 1, 2019 As I write this article, I’m bouncing along at 32,000 feet above the north Pacific Ocean on my way to Tokyo, and from there on to the Philippines. The pilot warned us before departure that we would have turbulence, and he wasn’t wrong. It can be unsettling at times.
Some of the most gripping drama is found in true stories of soldiers fighting on the front lines. Movies like Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty capture the life-and-death conflict that war is. I can’t watch movies or read books about combat without deep gratitude and admiration for those
Phil Congdon, NBBC, December 4, 2018 Christmas is a season anchored in history. The coming of Christ was first foretold the day Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3.15), at the dawn of creation, and through signs and revelation progressively came into focus throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament chronicled
Such lovely words – “Thank you!” We say it at the grocery check-out, when we’re served at a restaurant, or when an usher hands us a bulletin as we arrive on Sunday morning for worship. We hardly give it a thought – it’s almost obligatory. Like saying “Fine” when someone asks “How are you?”There are
