Christward Collective

“Parting is such sweet sorrow." This is one of William Shakespeare’s most oft-quoted lines. What few realize is that it was uttered in the context of Juliet saying goodnight to Romeo “till it be tomorrow.” The sorrow of that parting was sweetened by the knowledge that...

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, said, “A Christian is free and independent in every respect, a bondservant to none.” In the very next sentence he stated, “A Christian is a dutiful servant in every respect, owing a duty to everyone.” We see this reality throughout the...

Many have experienced the kind of hard providences that have brought them near to the end of their faith. Seemingly Earth-shattering events are common to all men, and are heightened in the life of the believer by the trials that we uniquely face ( e.g. persecution for the sake of the Gospel). The...

There has been a recent series of posts, blogs, and articles about the use of hymnals, the loss of hymnals, what we gain with screens, what we lose with screens, etc. Behind these posts is an assumption that whether it is printed or pixelated on a screen denotes two different types of music. As...

Some opponents of Reformed theology argue that the doctrine of election produces unfeeling and fatalistic preachers: “If God has already chosen who will believe, what’s the point in preaching passionate and persuasive evangelistic sermons?” However, although that’s (usually...

My kids love the game of Hide and Seek as much as I did when I was a kid. They love the thrill of pursuit. They love the stealth and sneakiness of hiding. They love the discovery of finding their friends. But hiding isn’t always a good thing. I remember in school sitting through Fire Safety...

Criticism is far and away one of the most difficult features of life in this fallen world. Two things in particular complicate the practice of giving and receiving criticism . Pride revolts when others point out areas of our lives in which change may be needed; and, many who raise criticisms are...

What does it mean to you that Jesus faced temptation? The fact that Jesus experienced temptations is important for our salvation as well as for our own daily battles with temptation. The writer of Hebrews captured the significance of this vital aspect of Christ's ministry when he wrote: “...

As the lives of western Christians become more and more dominated by the content that is brought into their lives by various forms of media, we must ask the question, "With what do I fill my mind?" The Apostle Paul makes several pertinent points regarding this question in Romans 12:2,...

A recent study of 3 million American drivers over 570 million trips found that the drivers used their cell phones during 88 out of 100 trips. Even in states where hand-held phone use by the driver is illegal, the study found that drivers still pulled out their phones regularly. On average, American...