New Identity Magazine

WHY JOIN A CHURCH?

Délice Williams — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 18:20:25 +0000

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians have to be church members. Hebrews 10:24-25, verses that are often quoted in discussions of church attendance, does specifically tell us not to “[give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (NIV). That is a clear direction to gather regularly with other believers, and that instruction is connected to encouragement in our walk with…

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FEAR LESS

Délice Williams — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:49:40 +0000

Photo Credit: Steven Leonti | Flickr (Creative Commons) I’m writing this piece in October, the month when grocery stores haul out mounds of candy, and when pumpkin-flavored items appear in unlikely places. Orange and black seem to be the color scheme for just about everywhere, and Halloween costume ideas have already started appearing on my social media feed. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will…

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ON CHRISTIAN “HYPOCRISY”

Délice Williams — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 21:59:07 +0000

I once paid for gas with a counterfeit bill. At the time, I had no idea it was counterfeit. I thought the $20 I pulled from my purse was valid, perfectly real. Paying for gas with it was supposed to be a routine transaction. Only when the cashier used a bill detector and told me she couldn’t accept my money did I learn the truth. It was embarrassing, and I almost tripped over myself trying to…

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FEAR THE LORD?

Délice Williams — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:41:37 +0000

Photo Credit: Korin Nameless @ Flickr (CC) Fear is not a feeling that most of us enjoy. We avoid the uncertainty, vulnerability, and powerlessness that often make up that emotion. Fear of an opponent can become a mental barrier that keeps us from winning, and fear of failure can keep us from reaching our potential and pursuing our dreams. Fear can get in our way and leave us with regret.

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ARE CHRISTIANS JUST NICE PEOPLE OR NEW PEOPLE?

Délice Williams — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:55:13 +0000

Photo Credit: Leandro Mocca @ Flickr (CC) I’m a huge fan of makeovers. I could spend hours watching rooms, houses, and people being rehabbed, dressed up, spruced up, or slimmed down. My dream cable TV station would be The Makeover Channel, featuring all makeovers all the time. I’d binge watch past episodes of What Not to Wear, The Biggest Loser, and Extreme Makeover (home and body editions).

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MONEY MATTERS

Délice Williams — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:13:43 +0000

Photo Credit: Sean McGrath @ Flickr (CC) Few topics produce as much discussion, concern, and even anxiety as the topic of money. Most of us spend a good portion of our days trying to earn, save, and figure out how (not) to spend it. In the context of marriage, financial pressures and the constant need to make decisions about money can sometimes be a strain. In fact, one 2012 research study…

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FOLLOWING THE LEADER

Délice Williams — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:58:10 +0000

Photo Credit: Daniel Lee @ Flickr (CC) Whether we celebrate it, run from it, long for it, or seek to reconfigure it entirely, most of us would agree that the family is a crucial shaping force in our lives. In family life a whole host of concerns—psychological, political, economic, emotional and religious—converge in powerful ways that affect us directly. Family life can be both filled with joy…

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CLOTHED IN CULTURE OR CHARACTER?

Délice Williams — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 07:14:52 +0000

An old-fashioned word for a seemingly old-fashioned virtue, the word “modesty” doesn’t have much caché in American culture. Even in religious or Christian circles, the term sometimes smacks of school marms and Puritans, rigid dress codes and killjoys. In the most extreme cases, it conjures up images of Taliban-like sexism and the overzealous (and often violent) policing of women’s bodies.

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RECOVERING EDEN

Délice Williams — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 21:04:34 +0000

The first earthly paradise, according to Genesis, was a garden. Chapter 2 of the first book of the Bible tells us that after God created his perfect universe “and saw that it was good,” he made the pinnacle of his creation–human beings. God then “planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant…

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