Articles
First Light Blog
“Are You a Hardcore Christian?”
“So, are you a hardcore Christian?” This is the question devout Muslim Nabeel Qureshi asked his roommate David Wood.
Why Worldview Matters
In Plato’s Apology, Plato describes the moment Socrates is found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens and told to recant his philosophy. Plato quotes Socrates as having responded, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” What did Socrates mean by that and is he...
When Wickedness Is Winning
You read the news and you see wickedness winning. You attend your local school board meeting or city council meeting and you see wickedness winning. You skim social media and see that hurtful person from your past celebrating a win, a victory, a “blessing” that hasn’t...
What Makes Self-Love Self-Defeating
Self-love is self-defeating. Now, that may seem contradictory. But before we can explain what makes self-love self-defeating, we must first define what we mean by self-love. According to Dr. Jeffrey Bornstein, “Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself . . ....
Pray Like It Works
Are stories about “great prayer warriors” encouraging or discouraging to you? Let’s take the story of George Mueller for example. Mueller started and maintained an orphanage in Bristol, England, which was home to hundreds of orphans over the years. The needs of...
What Does It Mean to Be Content?
As Christians, we know that we are commanded to contentment. There is a sprinkling of passages throughout the Bible that address contentment. Psalm 37:16 says, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” In Luke 12:15, Jesus said,...
Grace, Grit, & Gratitude
On my office desk sits a wooden plaque. It says simply, “Grace, grit, & gratitude.” I’ve called it my motto for this season of my life. I want to live life with lots of grace, a little grit, and loads of gratitude. I don’t always—maybe not even often—but I want...
Can God Bless America?
We have just celebrated a very special holiday—July 4th, Independence Day. On that day, we celebrate the unique freedoms we enjoy as American citizens and the Declaration principles that made it all possible. Yet there is a little healthy fear mixed with the...