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2020-02-26 to 28 Pictures: Charleston, South Carolina

One of the few upsides of having to cancel our Spring Break trip last March at the onset of the pandemic is that we are "stuck" with a rather large voucher from one of those discount airlines. Last autumn, Tricia and I spent a weekend in Savannah, Georgia and had a...

A John 3:16 Craft for Kids

John 3:16 is one of the most well known and reassuring verses in the Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 (NIV) The following is a little craft I threw...

2020-03-01 Pictures: Lyndsey’s College Signing Day

This afternoon Lyndsey made it official, signing her letter of intent to play college basketball for the Hiram College Terriers starting next year. While she made the decision and committed to Hiram before Christmas, she has been looking forward to this day since her...

2020-02-13 Pictures: Lyndsey’s 18th Birthday

I am little behind on posting photos. These are some of my favorites from a couple of weekends ago when we got a chance to celebrate Lyndsey's 18th birthday. It's hard to believe that my little girl is officially an adult. It was nice to have the family all back...

If You Want It Done Right

In all likelihood, you know how the phrase ends: If you want it done right, DO IT YOURSELF! This is a bit of a mantra for me, and frankly, something that I struggle with daily both in leadership and in my Christian walk.  In theory, this is easy to accept. ...

What Does God Hate?

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Six Ways to Persevere Through the Sluggish Times in Ministry

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know the kind – where you really aren’t “in to” what you’re doing and you feel like you rather be doing just about anything else.  What do you do when those times correspond to your time in ministry. I wrote this...

What is DOCTRINE?

Introduction

I love working with kids, and I love teaching them hard concepts in ways they can understand. To that end, for years I have been working on a dictionary of theological terms for kids and teens. In sharing those definitions, there seemed no better place to start than the word doctrine.

Word of the Day

DOCTRINE

Definition

DOCTRINE means teaching or instruction. When people are talking about the Bible or the Church, DOCTRINE refers to those things which are taught in the Bible.

Explanation

When people talk about Doctrine they mean those truths that are taught in the Bible and are always true.  For example, a math book might teach you that 2 + 2 equals 4. In the same way, the Bible teaches us that Christ died for our sins. That is DOCTRINE.

Scripture

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

It is important that we understand doctrine because God gave us the Bible so that we could understand more about Him.

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:9 ESV)

It’s not always easy to understand the Bible. That means we need to have people we trust in our lives that we can ask questions of. Understanding doctrine allows us to help other people to understand the Bible better.

Activity for Kids and Teens

Read a favorite story out of a children’s Bible or a regular Bible. Look for any doctrine (ideas) taught by the story. Don’t worry about whether you know the name for the doctrine, just look for any doctrines taught by the story. Ask someone for help if you need it.