Author: howellbible

Ordinary Miracles

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expect-miraclesMy wife and I just had our 7th baby. I know that doesn’t sound right but it is. I double checked. There are seven children living in our house.

Today we have a 9 year old, a 7 year old, a 6 year old, a 4 year old, a 3 year old, a 1 year old, and a newborn. Ten years from now we’ll have five teenagers and two preteens.

Jealous?

Whenever our family is out in public strangers give us feedback. They can’t help themselves. Some people are excited to see a big family. Other people let us know that they think it’s just too many kids. If you want a lot of unsolicited advice from strangers I’ve found nothing more effective than having a large family.

Yes, we know how this happens. No, we don’t have a reality TV show. Thank you for letting us know that college is expensive. Got it.

It goes without saying that my experience as the dad is different than my wife’s experience as the mom. From my perspective, I still can’t get over how amazing it is that God creates new life through our marriage. I am in awe that this person who now fits in my hands lived inside of my bride’s body for nine months. Continue reading →

Worthy of the Lord

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Blessed road

Jesus is not a supplement. He is not an additive. He did not come to enhance or improve your life.

Jesus came to give you a new life.

When we get this confused we may offer a version of Jesus to people that will make them comfortable. Happy. Satisfied. Sometimes people try to convince others that Jesus is worthy of being included in their current life.

Jesus is much, much more than a life-enhancer. He is the life-giver.

Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father. Our sin separates us from our Creator. Jesus willingly gave His sinless life as a substitute on the cross to endure the wrath we deserve and give us the gift of His perfect righteousness.

He makes those who receive Him worthy by His life. He qualifies us to receive an inheritance in the kingdom of God. As a result we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Many people don’t truly understand grace. They think grace is primarily permissive. They think it allows us to sin and be forgiven. This is only partially true. Continue reading →

The Aim of Religion

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Wrong aim

Religion. Relationship.

Depending on the circles you run in these words carry different meaning. Some think one is a bad word. Some think both are.

The Bible consistently warns people against two extremes. We are warned against legalism. We are warned against licentiousness. The first is religion without relationship. The second is relationship without religion. Both are common. Both are deadly.

Many people are deceived into believing that certain deeds are inherently good. Other deeds are inherently bad. Some (perhaps most) are neutral. This is the error of Moralism. This type of thinking can make the drift into religious activity devoid of relationship with the living God easy to miss. Continue reading →

Pocket Jesus

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Faith stones

I still remember the day I first laid eyes on the woman who would become my wife. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Eleven years of marriage and six (soon to be seven) kids later I think she’s even more beautiful. I know her better now. Then my knowledge of who she is was superficial. Today my understanding is deeper. I still have a lot more to learn.

Building intimacy in relationships takes time. It can be messy. Sometimes it’s hard. There are highs and lows. I am enjoying the process. I look forward to growing in knowledge about my bride for the rest of our lives.

This process is true of every relationship. Not everyone enjoys it. Sometimes superficiality is easier.

With that in mind I have a question: What’s your favorite Bible verse? Continue reading →

Are You New?

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I am new

In Ethiopia I saw fruit trees everywhere. Mangoes. Avocados. Bananas. For a city boy like me it was pretty cool.

On one occasion I had the privilege of teaching on biblical salvation. Conversion is a genuine miracle. It is not superficial. Inspired by the fruit trees I said, “Sitting in a church building doesn’t make you a follower of Jesus any more than sitting in a tree makes you a banana!”

They laughed. But their laughter turned to sobriety almost immediately. They understood. In my current context this is more controversial.

My Ethiopian brothers and sisters in Christ have different experiences. We were in a different context. We were sitting outside on a beautiful day. We were sitting next to the ruins of their previous meeting-house. It had been burned to the ground years before. Continue reading →

The Stinkin’ Way

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From Point A to B

Freedom. Sovereignty. Choice. Predestination. Man’s will. God’s will.

My head hurts already.

My headache comes more from the fighting I hear among Christians over these topics than the topics themselves. This biblical tension is something to be embraced. It’s not supposed to be a battle ground.

Sovereignty and human freedom are not enemies. One of the best books in the Bible to help us understand how these themes work together is Jonah. That’s right. The book about the guy getting swallowed by a great fish. Did you know that the whole fish thing is really just a small detail?

Jonah isn’t a long book. It’s only four chapters. They aren’t even long chapters. The whole book is half as many words as this blog post. Really. But many people have never read it. They’ve only heard it told in children’s church. Or mocked by unbelievers who asked, “You really believe a guy got swallowed by a whale and lived?” Continue reading →

The Power of Unbelief

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Mr. Skeptic

Unbelief is one of the most powerful forces on earth.

That may seem odd. But it’s true. There is a section in Mark’s Gospel that makes this so clear. Read it for yourself in Mark 4:35-6:6.

Mark records Jesus calming the wind and sea with a word. The disciples respond to this display of power with fear. They ask one another,

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41)

It’s a good question. The demonstration of Jesus’ power is just beginning. The answer will become more and more clear to them. Continue reading →

Three Obstacles to Salvation

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Obstacle Course

My children enjoy making obstacle courses in our backyard and basement. They enjoy racing against each other to see who can get through the course the fastest. Some adults enjoy obstacle courses.

I am not one of those adults.

Obstacles are annoying to me. I prefer a straight, smooth course. Even still, life is filled with obstacles. They are unavoidable. We must learn to deal with them.

Everyone who desires to live as a witness of Jesus Christ needs to understand three common obstacles to the salvation of others. We must understand and look for them so we can faithfully navigate the way. Continue reading →

Dedication to Glory

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Set of three medals with numbers and ribbon

I watched some clips of the Olympics this week. It is amazing to see what these athletes are capable of. They have spent years fine-tuning their skills and their bodies to perform.

I marvel at their physical abilities. I also marvel at their dedication.

No one rolls out of bed covered in potato chip crumbs and decides to set a world record that day. Winning a gold medal isn’t based on a whim. It takes effort, commitment, focus, and dedication.

These talented men and women are certainly gifted physically. Their dedication to perfecting their craft is even more amazing to me.

I sadly saw a clip of a French gymnast breaking his leg during a vault this week, too. If you haven’t seen it I can’t recommend watching it. It looked terribly painful. Emotionally and physically.

In a moment his hopes for gold were finished. Years of preparation and work were nullified. The injury was catastrophic to his performance.

As I was praying today and spending some time with another believer we were discussing the church. The Bible uses the metaphor of a body to describe the church often. The church is the body of Christ. Like a physical body the church is able to be injured. Injury makes it harder to succeed at our goal. Continue reading →

Under Deconstruction

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Under Deconstruction

When is the last time you evaluated your religious activity? It is easy to fall into a spiritual routine.

Read my Bible. Check.

Go to church. Check.

Pray at dinner and bedtime. Check.

We can become mechanical without even noticing.

When we planted HBC we had a plan for what our worship time would look like. That plan was very similar to what we had experienced in our church-going lives so far.

It looked a lot like what most people expect when they attend any church.

Planting a church requires you to ask “How?” a lot. How are we going to make this work?

After about a year we started asking a different question. “Why?” Why are we doing this? Why are we doing this THIS way? Continue reading →