Resources relating to nearness, fellowship, and friendship with Jesus while He is absent.
Over the past several years I've written, recorded, or published numerous resources to encourage the body of Christ during the winter holidays. As we are progressing through yet another Advent and Christmas season, I wanted to share them with you. I trust they will strengthen your faith and deepen your fellowship with Jesus as you ponder His birth this year.
Advent is a term originally derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming" or "arrival". During Advent, the Christian church remembers Jesus' first coming and joyfully anticipates His second. From His lowly birth in a feed trough to His humble life among the people of Israel, Advent is a focused time to remember God's humility and faithfulness and to “fan the flame” of expectation for Jesus’ return to gloriously rule the earth from Jerusalem and to be worshipped as LORD by every living creature.
This year, Advent runs from Sunday, December 1st through Tuesday, December 24th...
When something is known to possess worth or value, we seek to honor it, show it, tell others about it, and treasure it for ourselves. Just take one of Apple's latest inventions as an example. Corporate executives, wedding DJ's, high school football players, and stay-at-home moms want to own it and show it off to others. Technology geeks want to do more than just own it - they'll talk about it, write about it, hack it, and buy all sorts of accessories for it. Thieves will break into stores or snatch purses to steal it. Without question, that small metal box of silicon transistors,...
I'm so excited for the launch of my weekly video series, Opening Up the Gospels. In 7-10 minute episodes every Tuesday, I will be chronologically walking through the events of the life of Jesus as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John narrate it. I'm not sure how many episodes I'll have before it's all over, but if the Lord wills, I'll make it all the way to Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 21!
For a good portion of my life of faith...
We are a couple weeks into the new year and undoubtedly for many, the strong resolutions made in late 2012 are already turning into hopeful wishes for 2013. Whether it be the new workout routine, better time management, or healthier eating habits, our human zeal wanes without constant provocation and motivation from others. But even with incentive, our follow-through is often lacking the consistency we desire.
Yet among all of the resolutions we could possibly make for the new year, one will always rise above the rest because it has the guarantee of God's might...
Call it "devotions", "secret place", or "quiet time", our hearts always seem to struggle to maintain time alone with God. If our weak heart and the devil's distraction is not enough, our modern society and culture is also geared to pull us away from solitude. As I wrote about last month, there's enough trinkets, toys, new models, new movies, and new things coming out to numb us to our boredom. Sometimes we find it almost impossible to find that "alone" time with the Lord because there's always one more person to network with, one more email to send, one more phone call to make, or one...
This morning as I was reading and praying with Jon Thurlow's 8am set in the prayer room, this tweet that John Piper posted last year came to mind:
Heaven is not a hall of mirrors where we like what we see, but the grand gift of self-forgetful joy in the glory of Christ.
In this present evil age, sin causes us to believe that life's greatest joys are found in being praised, affirmed, loved, and recognized. In our quest for lasting joy we work...
Have your words or actions ever been misconstrued? Have you ever felt the pain of rejection from close friends or family? Though sin and the curse have made these things a common human experience, God Himself has felt the pain of misunderstanding.
Throughout Jesus' life and ministry, there were several groups of people who interacted frequently with Him:
In our day, some parts of the church are experiencing a resurgence of interest in the book of the Song of Solomon. Instead of bearing the stigma of an obscure book about love and marriage from the Old Testament, the book is increasingly being understood as an allegory between Jesus and His bride. Though this was probably not the primary reason for its inclusion in the canon of Scripture, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit is evidently seen in its resurgence as it undergirds the New Testament truths of Jesus as a bridegroom and His body as His bride (Matthew 9:15, Ephesians 5:32, Revelation 19...
View all available resources by topic/subject.
Partner with Josh through Amazon! Click the red button to make your purchases on Amazon and Josh will receive a small "referral credit" for any products you buy, at no extra cost to you. Also check out Josh's own Amazon.com wishlist.
