We serve a God who creates. He makes somethings from nothings. He meets big needs with zero resources on hand. He provides. Twice during Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God provided water from a rock. In both instances, God’s people were encamped in a waterless desert. The first time (Ex 17) was toward the ...

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV) I’ve read this familiar verse all my life. Each time, I’ve understood the writer of Hebrews to be saying that faith is what ...

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. ” (Hebrews 11:3, ESV) By faith we understand. The entire verse is a mind bender. But the first phrase packs enough stopping power to drop the bully of Western thinking to its ...

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ” (Luke 11:1, ESV) The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. What follows inverses 2-13 is Jesus’ answer to that request. His response comes in ...

For those of you who don’t know, I am currently involved in an online discussion called “Belling the Cat”. This is a discussion between me and my dear friend Jace. He’s an agnostic in matters of faith and in rather vehement opposition to Christianity, though not quite as much as he used to be. ...

From the very beginning the enemy has attempted to entice us into unbelief and sin with the suggestion that God is somehow hesitant to give us something good (see Gen 3:5). This is still one of his primary strategies today. Many times I have faced a need for God’s goodness expressed in healing for myself or someone ...

A friend of mine recently messaged me about a struggle she was having. In the Old Testament we read of God doing and saying things that can be hard to reconcile with the idea of God being “good.” Below is my reply to her. It”s not an exhaustive reply, but hopefully a helpful one. If you’ve had ...

AlanSmith_Sermon_WhatsInMyAccount This is the message I gave last weekend at Crossroads Church in Decatur, ...

I was thirteen years old the first time I got on a roller coaster that looped upside down. I was terrified. There were many prior failed attempts. You know what I mean. I waited in line. I made it all the way to the moment of decision and at the last minute stepped into the car and right on through. It took some ...

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.(ESV) Paul here declares that he is being ...