God Versus Religion - Do Your Beliefs About God Match What He Says About Himself?

Did God command or warn Adam in Eden - shown in a minimalist concept art of a split path in an ethereal forest; the left path is blocked by a dark obsidian wall with glowing red symbols, while the right path is bathed in golden light leading toward a protective shield inscribed with "Wise Guidance."

“Don’t” in Eden: Did God command or warn Adam?
How this one issue affects our entire view of God

If you’re told, “Don’t do this”—or, “You must not do this because…”–do you perceive them the same? Probably not. How we read a similar statement at the very beginning of the Bible completely changes our view of God’s character, and how we respond to His offer of salvation. Let’s look at the choice we have in Eden.

watercolor image of God holding out a gift box, waiting for us to accept it.

Free salvation – How can it cost nothing but ask for everything?
Counting the Cost: Part 1 — Why "Free" Salvation Asks for Everything

We often talk about salvation as a free gift, but what happens when we open the box? This post begins a three-part look at Jesus’ command to “count the cost”—starting with why God’s free gift of salvation ultimately requires our whole lives.

An orange tulip, fully grown, in snow-covered ground.

Grown-Again Christian (Part 2)
Taking the Next Step into Mature Faith

What is a grown again Christian?, Grown-again Christian

Being born again gets us through the door, but God never intended for us to stay spiritual babies. Discover how to move past spiritual milk and take the next step into a mature, grown-again faith.

A split-screen cinematic digital painting of King David anxiously writing a scroll under a harsh beam of light, juxtaposed with a pregnant Bathsheba standing in shadows looking out a window with a thoughtful expression.

David and bathsheba – Moral ambiguity in the Bible
A Theological AI Conversation on Moral Ambiguity in Scripture

Conversations with AI 🤖

Did David’s cover-up actually make sense, and how much agency did Bathsheba really have? Join an AI-assisted conversation exploring the deliberate narrative gaps in 2 Samuel and what biblical moral ambiguity teaches us today.

A bright red card, with lots of small light red hearts lined up on it, top to bottom. Centered in the card, in gold, is a big gold heart, then the words: I LOVE YOU AND I'M SO PROUD Of YOU !!!

When God says I’m So proud of you
Learning to live the life you were given, not waste it

Grown-again Christian

I know lots of Christians who say the first thing they’ll do when they meet Jesus is bow down to

surrealist image of two pop tarts exploding out of a toaster on a kitchen counter.

Beyond Pop Tart Christianity: Moving from Milk to Real Spirit-Filled Power
Stop Being a Pop Tart Christian: How to Truly Fill Your Spiritual Life

Grown-again Christian

Are you relying on initial faith but living on empty crust? Discover why moving beyond nominal “Pop Tart Christianity” requires daily filling and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Black and white cartoonish, somewhat cute, little devil with a scythe. He's holding his arms out wide, to go along with the words, "Hug me" at the top of the image.

How evil will we become before Jesus returns?
What the Bible Says About the World’s Final Descent

Are we nearing the End Times

A biblical look at the world’s final descent before Christ returns — from Revelation’s bowls of judgment to Jesus’ warning about the days of Noah. This article considers how growing hardness of heart, violence, and our cultural choices reveal a world seeming to be rushing toward the moment Jesus described.

A tiny bit of green rising up through snow covered ground. Impossibly, a bright orange flower is already sticking out of the snow above the little plant.

Grown-Again Christian (Part 1)
Why Being Born Again Is Only the Beginning

What is a grown again Christian?, Grown-again Christian

Being born again is essential, but it isn’t the finish line. A deep dive into John 3, Nicodemus, and why spiritual rebirth is simply the first step on the path to maturity.

A hi-tech surveillance camera system, in plain sight, watching, gathering, and remembering everything it sees.

They’ve been watching you. But why?
Are We Nearing the End Times? Learning to Discern the Signs Without Panic

Are we nearing the End Times

What began as routine license plate tracking has evolved into widespread surveillance. Explore how modern tracking technologies align with biblical warnings in Revelation and Matthew, and why Christ instructs His followers to be shrewd as serpents, wise, and completely unafraid.

Hi tech, computerized "to do" list, with all the entries blank.

Apart from me you can do nothing
Shifting from the To-Do List to Abiding in the Vine

Grown-again Christian

When Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” did He mean we can’t literally accomplish anything on our own? Discover what this statement truly means for our daily efforts, why human achievements fall short of eternal fruit, and how letting go of our own rigid to-do lists opens the door to living in the Spirit.