New Identity Magazine

BRIMSTONE AND BEDTIME STORIES

Brandon Hurlbert — Mon, 22 May 2017 18:41:07 +0000

Photo Credit: lauren rushing | Flickr (Creative Commons) Imagine a children’s storybook filled with images of chaotic carnage, of bodies strewn across the damp hills and burning cities crumbling under the weight of molten brimstone. Imagine tucking a child into bed after recounting these gruesome stories and then simply telling them that God loves them. With no further explanation than moral…

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DOES GOD HELP THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES?

Gary VanDeWalker — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:33:14 +0000

Photo Credit: Benjamin Balázs | Flickr (Creative Commons) A long the busy streets of Burbank, comedian and talk show host Jay Leno, once approached random people on the sidewalk with a biblical question. People were asked to name one of the Ten Commandments. With no close second, the number one response was “God helps those who help themselves.” This is a strange response, in light of the fact…

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THE TEMPLE THAT IS MY BODY

Greg Whyte — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 16:30:18 +0000

Photo Credit: lauren rushing | Flickr (Creative Commons) As I write this, people are working on their New Year’s resolutions – promises we make to ourselves in order to change the way we do things, in hopes that our lives will improve somehow. However, if we are really honest with ourselves, by the time you are reading this, many of these promises have been long forgotten. As for myself…

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HEARING FROM GOD FOR OTHERS

Luke Geraty — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:30:18 +0000

I’m an equal-opportunity coffee drinker and pretty much enjoy all things coffee, so I’m often found working in coffee shops. I love the culture found in coffee shops. There always seems to be a nice buzz, and you can easily watch people if that happens to be one of your hobbies. And yes, that does include me, but don’t tell anyone. I was once sitting in a coffee shop when another customer…

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IDENTIFY: Advice On Life, Faith & Relationships

Lindsey A. Frederick — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:02:08 +0000

Photo Credit: Johnny Silvercloud | Flickr (Creative Commons) Dear Lindsey, I recently started going to church regularly and now consider myself a Christian. I keep hearing how important it is to tell others about Jesus, but I’m wondering if I can do that in a world that seems so hostile toward Christianity? —Afraid to Come Out Dear Afraid, The fact that you even asked this question…

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IN PURSUIT OF INTIMACY: CORPORATE WORSHIP

Hannah Helms — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 16:52:49 +0000

Photo Credit: Susan Lloyd | Flickr (Creative Commons) Prior to having children, I had not considered that participating in a faith community could be an act of spiritual discipline. I have learned over the past three years that the 10 minutes, and sometimes 3 hours, before church on any given Sunday tend to be the most unholy minutes or hours of the week. They are prime-time for marital discord…

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CHOOSING SPRING

Bethany Wagner — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:07:37 +0000

It was a sharp and cold yet bright winter day on my grandparents’ farm outside Salem, Oregon; a glorious Christmas morning. My grandpa’s dog Bo followed me as I walked down the driveway, past the barn, and turned onto the path leading to the orchard. My family had just said goodbye to my grandpa. His story on earth had ended. As I walked through the orchard, the apple, pear, plum…

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