Sometimes the best place to start when exploring the wonderful world of apologetics is with some of our own questions. What are some of the big questions you or your children have? What about some of the loved ones in our lives or our neighbours or coworkers? What questions do they have? Why not ask them? You might be surprised how much you love exploring the answers.

A couple of years ago I was reading the book called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and I was caught by this phrase: “Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits“.    Our identity is of course in Christ, as His children, but how we live out that …

This past weekend at Coastal Church we took time to honour and bless the mothers of our congregation. We don’t do this out of social convention or because it’s on our calendars. We do this because blessing and honouring parents is not only a Biblical principle, it’s a command. In

Have you ever been desperate to know God’s will for a specific life decision and desire to do the right thing? Or perhaps you are in a bind about circumstances and don’t know what to do practically?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8  Followers of Jesus everywhere have been called and empowered by the Spirit of God …

God wants to speak to us, and He does so through the words of Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit. Have you been longing to hear from God?

Christians all over the world recently celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday. They remembered that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity and rose again on the third the day, proving He really is the Son of God, confirming that all He had said is true, conquering death once and for all. Now by believing and trusting in Jesus, we can be forgiven of our sins, and live a new life of righteousness in Him! What amazing news this is for everyone, no matter who you are or what your background is.

It would be an understatement to say that humans are a chatty bunch. We may not get all our steps in or get enough sleep or eat all the right foods, but we definitely talk. On average, each one of us speaks approximately 16,000 words a day , and with 8 billion people in the world, that means there are 12,800,000,000,000,000 words spoken every day. Maybe we should ask ourselves, “What is good conversation?” What is healthy conversation for Christian pilgrims and how do we avoid careless, unhealthy or destructive conversation?

Today, it’s hard to know who or what to trust. Misinformation, strong opinions, and conspiracy theories are everywhere. There can be so much noise as people passionately argue that their point of view is the truth, and not only that it is ‘the truth,’ but that you must accept and agree with it in order to get along with them. Did you know that the devil is the author of confusion and misinformation? In fact, in the opening scenes of the Bible, his primary tactic was to misrepresent and undermine trust in God and His word. That’s what happened in Genesis chapter 3; it’s literally the oldest trick in the book.

Doubt and despair. Who hasn’t experienced uncertainty and the lack of trust in something or someone? Doubt can make us hesitant in making decisions or question someone’s motives or capabilities. Despair is the feeling of hopelessness. It’s when we end up in a place in our minds that keeps us caged and feeling defeated and doomed. Difficult and painful circumstances in life can lead us to despair. In life we will all find ourselves in times of hopelessness, discouragement and even doubting God’s presence or goodness. But the good news is that there is a way out of doubt and despair.

No matter what storms of life you might be going through, or feel like you cannot “get back on your kayak”, you can always have an assurance of His hope if you have Jesus as your anchor and put into action some of the steps above by faith.

Vanity Fair from “The Pilgrim’s Progress” has many lessons for us today. By understanding the dangers of materialism, developing our discernment, and building a strong community, we can stay true to our spiritual journey and avoid being led astray by the distractions and temptations of the world.

The church is God’s family, it’s God’s remedy for loneliness, and it’s God’s strategy for bringing His Kingdom on earth. No matter your family situation or marital status, this is good news for all of us who follow Jesus! We never walk alone. God has given us His family all over the world, but especially in our local church context. That being said, this profound and exciting truth comes with a challenge to each of us who desire to live out Jesus’ command to love each other as God’s household of faith.

In April 1932, something that was previously thought impossible happened. In a Cambridge laboratory, two men, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, split the atom and paved the way for the creation of the nuclear bomb. It was then that the world discovered something that is just as true in the spiritual world as it is in nuclear physics; the greatest release of power does not come by making bigger bombs, but by making changes on the smallest level. In nuclear science it came from splitting one of the smallest things in the world, the atom. In life, the biggest changes come from renewing our minds.

We can know that God will provide will be a place of refreshment in the face of our biggest challenges in life. Maybe a worship song will come to you, or a friend will send you a Bible verse. Refreshment often comes in times of fellowship at church or when your Life Group prays for you – but these places are not parking lots. Can you imagine a runner sitting down and taking a nap at a water station? They keep running! There is a goal ahead and they don’t lose sight of that in the middle of a hill.

Whenever you’re reading your Bible, pray first and ask the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher and to give you understanding of what you’re reading. You will notice a marked difference when you recognize your need for the Holy Spirit to give you illumination and when you acknowledge Him as your Teacher and Interpreter.