Faithlife Blog

July 10, 2017 By Tyler Smith | 1 Comment

5 Ways Busy Christians Can Continue Their Bible Education

This is a guest post by Peter Krol.

I loved seminary while it lasted. The academic environment, the spiritual fervor, the disciplined accountability. Lectures, discussion groups, and access to both an exceptional library and a brilliant faculty. What a treat.

So you can imagine my chagrin when it came to a premature end. I had to move across the state. Life’s expanding responsibilities held me by the collar. The seminary had to drop my tuition discount. And there was not yet such a thing as distance education. Mine was a cold, hard providence.

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July 7, 2017 By Tyler Smith | Leave a Comment

Faithlife Roundup: Free Books, Free Media, 50% off Commentaries & More

Summer is here at last, which means it’s the perfect time to catch up on your reading or relax with a great Christian movie. Here’s a roundup of free books, new movies, great deals on Christian resources, and other ways to while away the summer hours with something truly meaningful.

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July 5, 2017 By Tyler Smith | 6 Comments

How the Curse of Adam & Eve Shows Up in Everyday Life

This post is by Jeannie Seery. It has been excerpted from Moment with God: A Devotional on Every Biblical Book.

Perhaps it’s because of the immense joy and pain I’ve experienced being a parent that I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about how the actions of Adam and Eve, our first parents, influence our daily lives.

As I’ve read it and heard it preached, the curse itself seems to be pretty straightforward: Women will toil in childbirth while men toil in work. I find myself wondering, though, how is this ancient curse evidenced in our modern existence, as we seek to work out our salvation with fear and trembling?

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July 3, 2017 By Robert Elmer | Leave a Comment

4 Quick Ways to Rock Your Church Media—Without Crushing the Budget

Finding fresh graphics for church slide shows, websites, or bulletins doesn’t have to be a weekly headache, time pit, or drain on your church resources. On the road to protecting your budget from unwanted bumps and bruises, cheap is good, and free is better, right?

Maybe. Common wisdom says it’s good to be aware of the agenda behind the offer. (Yes, there usually is one.) Some free alternatives may not provide everything you need.

But don’t give up just yet. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned graphic artist, here are four safe ways to score high-quality (and non-cheesy!) graphic resources. Each one will breathe new life into your weekly presentations, from pre-service announcements to song lyrics slides. What’s more, they’ll provide cost-effective solutions today—and into the future.

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June 22, 2017 By Robert Elmer | Leave a Comment

When God Meets Ebola: Facing Darkness on Faithlife TV

We thought it could never happen to one of us. Until it did—and medical missionary Dr. Kent Brantly became the first American diagnosed with the deadly ebola virus in July, 2014.

But we still haven’t heard the whole story—until now, in the new documentary on Faithlife TV from Samaritan’s Purse, Facing Darkness.

Despite every precaution, Dr. Brantly contracted the disease while treating patients in the midst of Liberia’s horrendous epidemic. Co-worker Nancy Writebol also became ill around the same time. And though the outbreak would ultimately claim more than 11,000 African victims, the fate of the Americans would dominate headlines worldwide.

Beyond headlines, Facing Darkness reveals how God intervened in ways medical professionals have yet to explain, and brings us face-to-face with Christians who disregarded their own safety to help save thousands of lives. As Dr. Brantly explains in the film, “Medicine is a way to love your neighbor as yourself.”

Yet if Facing Darkness helps explain the “why?” behind one doctor’s selfless attitude, it also poses an unsettling question for the audience: Are Christians always sheltered from the storm, or sometimes called to serve directly in it?

This critically acclaimed documentary received top honors at the Heartland Film Festival and standing ovations at special viewing events.

Now it’s available through Faithlife TV across North America for pre-orders until the July 11 release date, and after that for instant streaming on your Roku, Apple TV, or other device. Learn more.

Note: Although the redemptive storyline will inspire the entire family, some scenes may be too intense for younger (under 10) viewers. This is, after all, a story of Christians who ran toward the plague, not away from it.

Release date: July 11, 2017 (U.S. and Canada only)

Pre-order today!

June 9, 2017 By Robert Elmer | 5 Comments

Truth is Strange: Do UFO Stories and the Unseen Realm Overlap?

“If we’re really honest,” says Dr. Michael Heiser, “the world is a lot stranger than we think.”

In Aliens & Demons, this respected Bible scholar adroitly navigates the fringe world of tabloid tales and government conspiracy theories. Along the way he uncovers a weird intersection between UFOs and the realm of angels and demons.

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March 24, 2017 By Ryan Nelson | 3 Comments

The 5 Main Ways People Find Your Church

Every person has a unique journey to your doorstep. A story that led them to your church.

Maybe they just moved into town after years of being highly involved in a church that’s now miles away—and you’re conveniently located near their new apartment. Maybe a friend has been inviting them for months and they finally gave in. Maybe your latest community service project impacted them personally, and they decided to come check you out. Maybe your last sermon directly addressed something they’re going through—and your church shared it on social media.

Whatever their story is, they discovered you and decided to show up.

You can’t control how people find your church, and you can’t force them to come back. But every time a new person discovers your church, you have the opportunity to become part of their story—and you give them the opportunity to become part of a much bigger story.

Listening to Emotions—and Learning Love

Today’s guest post is by Dr. Daniel Bush, author of Live in Liberty: The Spiritual Message of Galatians, Embracing God as Father: Christian Identity in the Family of God, and the forthcoming book, Undefended: Discovering God when Your Guard Is Down. Dan holds a B.Sci. from Michigan Technological University, the M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland).

Another Christmas and New Year are in the books, and soon the decorations will be repacked in basement boxes, the tree taken down, and the last leftovers devoured. Life will return to “normal,” and we’ll settle into the struggle to get the year correct on our checks.

Yet for some, the festivities haven’t been joyous, warm, or celebratory. Instead, they were marked by sadness, loneliness, long-frozen memories thawed only to be burnt. It was a time of searching for distractions; a period of bewilderment that doused kindling joy with the chill of doubt; a season of awakening to unfulfilled longings and a cry for compassion.

Church Website Advice: Design Your Site for Visitors

“Think of [your website] as like your online home base,” says Justin Wise, author of The Social Church. When people arrive at your website, they should be able to find their way around and get an accurate feel for what it’s like to set foot in your church.

“Before people come to our actual churches, they’re checking us out online,” Justin says. If your church website isn’t optimized for visitors, people who find you online have a hard time deciding if you’re worth checking out in person.

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