On Becoming A New Creation In Christ

by Kevin Burton    In certain animated cartoons you have seen, someone waves his arms, pronounces “presto change-o” and this becomes that. The old thing becomes a different thing.     Is it that way for a believer, becoming a new creation is Christ: Yes and no.    Faith in and surrender to Jesus Christ, converts …

Five Lessons On How To Read The Bible

by Kevin Burton     It was refreshing and helpful to receive in the mail recently, the booklet “What Every Christian Needs To Know About Reading The Bible” from Our Daily Bread Ministries.    There is no other book like the Bible. It can certainly be confusing and intimidating to read. Author Kevin J. Vanhoozer has given …

Are You Hungry For Spiritual Things?

by Kevin Burton    One of the top motivational tools of weight loss is the before and after picture. You’ve seen plenty of those I’m sure.    Those pictures, which are worth a thousand words, say, “You can do it!”     Now this is ridiculous, but what if we could show a picture of your …

How To Read And Understand The Bible

by Kevin Burton    What’s the Bible all about anyway? What am I supposed to make of all this? How do I read it?    What a foundational, fundamental question. It’s a wonder more people don’t talk about this.   Humanly speaking, the Bible is 66 books written by approximately 40 men over a period of …

Patiently, Steadily, Gleaning From God’s Word

by Kevin Burton    Today we present what for me is a new thought concerning the Old Testament book of Ruth.   This comes from Alistair Begg, speaker on the national Truth For Life radio ministry and deals with patience and consistency in learning God’s ways from God’s word.     Ruth is a Moabite woman …

Capturing The Slippery, Deceitful Human Heart

by Dane Massey    (Dane Massey is the former Pastor of Mulvane Christian Church. He is now in ministry in Houston, Texas.)      Today I find  my thoughts captivated by Joel 2:12:    “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and …

My Prayer To God In His Good Morning

by Kevin Burton    What can I say about the morning that poets through the centuries haven’t already said, much better than I can?    And what could I tell you about the morning that you don’t already hold in your innermost heart?    Answer to both: nothing.    With our heads, we know that …

Take Care Of Mom As She Took Care of You

by Kevin Burton    From the cross, the most difficult circumstance imaginable, Jesus took care of His earthly mother.    He knew He was ending his earthly walk and He was telling the disciple John to meet her needs.    “So when Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said …

Steely Dan Takes On Lennon And “Imagine”

  by Kevin Burton One of the few Steely Dan tunes I don’t really like took on more juice recently when I read that the song is an attack on John Lennon’s “Imagine.” I had no idea the song “Only A Fool Would Say That,” from the 1972 album “Can’t Buy A Thrill” casts Lennon as …

A Difference Between Grumbling, Complaining

by Kevin Burton    There is a right way and a wrong way to bring our concerns to God, according to a Christian social worker.    Laura Kuehn, LCSW, writing on the website cornerstonesforparents.com, points to the book of Joel in drawing a distinction between grumbling and complaining.    This is a passage from Joel …