In recent weeks at IBC, we’ve been discussing the importance of wrestling with our own personal past—our life story—to better understand our present and God’s intentions for our future. This is a vitally important part of our ongoing spiritual growth and development. God has made us who we are through the formative experiences and relationships of our lives: though our heritage, our heroes, our high points, and our hard times.
Read MoreDecisions, decisions. Starting as soon as we get up in the morning, our lives are full of decisions. As Christians, we are familiar with decision making because we were invited to make a decision for Christ. Jesus was crucified, died and was buried, but then he was resurrected. We had to decide whether we believed that or not.
When I think of my personal freedom, I think of these verses and what it cost Jesus to provide that freedom for me. It hasn’t always been this way in my faith journey. For many years I took it for granted. It was easy to say “Jesus died for my sins” as an 8-yr old; not fully knowing at that age what it really cost Him.
IBC's Senior Leadership Team provides an update regarding a pastoral staff transition.
When it comes to human relationships, we have the power to create or destroy, nurture or neglect, heal or traumatize. That’s the power God has placed in our hands. Yet, God’s intent with us when He created us in His image was that we would know Him and represent His character to others. It is our highest calling as humans—and as fathers.
My favorite teacher of all time was my 11th grade history teacher Mr. Bennington. What I loved about Mr. Bennington was that he asked really good questions. What I hated was that he rarely gave me the answers.