The New Year’s Resolution That Matters Most
What is the new year’s resolution that matters most? It’s the one most closely connected to our ultimate purpose as humans. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where—” said...
Bobby Harrington
What Anxiety Means and How Christians Can Respond
What anxiety means and what fear means are different. This article by clinical psychologist Andrew Haworth helps distinguish the two and explores how Christians can respond to anxiety in healthy ways. In order to properly understand anxiety, one must first understand the difference between fear and anxiety. Imagine for a moment you decide to go...
Andrew Haworth
When Life Hits, Think About Joseph in the Bible
When life gets tough and your dreams fall through, it’s time to think about Joseph in the Bible. It’s a story of human endurance and God’s faithfulness. So, you’re working away at your calling. You put in extra hours and invest your heart and soul into the role. You’re doing so well that your boss...
Stephen Brownlow
Top 10 RENEW.org Articles in 2021
In our list of the most-read articles which RENEW.org published in 2021, you’ll notice a common thread through many of them: it’s the theme of VS. You’ll see progressive Christianity VS historic Christianity. LGBTQ+ activism VS biblical views of sexuality. Marxism VS Western civilization. We aren’t out to be pugnacious or pick fights, but we...
Renew.org
Where Christmas Originated
Have you ever wondered where Christmas originated? It goes back to the birth of Jesus Christ in ancient Israel, but how we celebrate Christmas today comes from traditions from all over the world. What’s more American than McDonald’s? It was started by the McDonald brothers in San Bernadino, California, in 1940. Since then, it has...
Daniel McCoy
10 Ways the Holy Family Experienced the Stress of Christmas
Although most paintings don’t give any hints, Mary and Joseph experienced the stress of Christmas in ten major ways. Traditional Christmas cards often feature a painting of the Holy Family: Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. All three are poised in holy reverence. Every hair is in place. Every robe ironed and spotless. Halos crown their...
Daniel McCoy
Mirage: 5 Things People Want from God That Don’t Exist
These days, reasons for irritability pop up as regularly as Facebook advertisements. Of all the reasons to be irritable, this one has to be the worst: We often want things that turn out not to exist. People can spend their…
Daniel McCoy
A Thrill of Hope: Rediscovering Joy by Returning to the Original Christmas
Although the romanticism of Christmas can fade, we rediscover lasting joy by returning to the original Christmas. I love the Christmas season. I always have. I took my family to a local Christmas tree farm to cut down our own tree this year. Any other time of year, the errand would’ve seemed a nightmare. Who...
Tim Casey
Did Jesus Have Siblings?
Did Jesus have siblings? How many kids did Mary and Joseph have? At first glance, this seems like a rather easy question with a straightforward answer. The Gospels mention four brothers of Jesus and his “sisters” (plural). So it would seem Mary and Jospeh had a full house of kids. However… Our Catholic and Orthodox...
John Whittaker
The Spiritual Meaning of Christmas: It’s Bigger Than “God Loves You”
What is the spiritual meaning of Christmas? The central message which defined the original Christmas and continues to shape spirituality today is that Jesus has come to earth as our rightful King. This places Christmas far beyond feel-good sentimentality, planting in the realm of both history and transformative spirituality. For most of us, Christmas wins...
Daniel McCoy
Contentment: Verses in the Bible and a Snapshot from Cambodia
Learning contentment can be challenging, but we find help from verses in the Bible as well as from stories of contentment amid difficulties. International disciple maker Andrew J describes contentment by taking us back to his first mission trip. One of the most common questions asked when visiting an underprivileged part of the world is...
Andrew J
5 Insights from the Wise Men in the Bible
What can we learn from the wise men in the Christmas story of the Bible? By digging into the historical narrative, we come away with five surprisingly robust insights from these mysterious Magi. The wise men have been a source of inspirational sayings (“Wise men still seek Him”), narrative fiction (e.g., Martin Sheen’s The Fourth...
Daniel McCoy
Storytelling: Tips on Writing Stories in Layers
Continuing her series on storytelling and the Bible, author Taffeta Chime gives tips on writing stories in layers. There are three layers to keep in mind when crafting a story: the shallow story, the applicable story, and the crafted story. Other articles in this series include “Why Storytelling Is Important to the Life of a...
Taffeta Chime
Who is King Herod in the Bible?
Who is King Herod in the Bible? He was a great builder, dynasty namesake, skilled politician, and paranoid king who killed any perceived threat. Although an Idumean, he married into Jewish royalty and was proclaimed “king of the Jews” by Rome. This explains King Herod’s unease at hearing about a baby “born king of the...
Daniel McCoy
New Testament Writers: Who Were They?
Who were the New Testament writers? There are 9 authors who wrote the 27 books that came to be known as the New Testament, and in this article, John Whittaker describes what we know about these authors. When reading the Bible, it’s important to remember that it wasn’t just dropped out of heaven to us....
John Whittaker
Does Our Character Affect How We Understand Scripture?
Cultivating a virtuous character influences how we understand Scripture in three ways: it helps us understand Scripture’s relevance, Scripture’s requirements, and Scripture’s richness. Do our character and obedience play a role in how well we understand Scripture? This is an important question because it forces us to back up and ask, well, what is Bible...
Michael DeFazio