An Open Letter to Every New Bride
They tell you the rose-colored glasses come off. And the newness you feel now – that excitement of standing on the brink – it will unfold into the new-old of day to day, still novel, yet normal. Don’t let it go.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Gospels
Moving from the Old to the New Testament in the gospels at last, this episode of Verity podcast delves into the reliability of the gospels, how they were written, why their date of authorship matters, and more!
The gospels build on the Old Testament foundation and rely heavily on the witness of the prophets. Jesus liberally quotes the Old Testament as proof of His own authority. Knowing both is important to appreciating the authority of Scripture.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Writings
The Writings are the third portion of the Hebrew Bible, made up of books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These books were believed, by the Jews, to have one level less authority than prophetic books. Some of them were debated regarding canonicity, such as Song of Songs. But interestingly, it is books of Wisdom/Writings (the Ketuvim) that are read at every major Jewish festival.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Prophets
The Prophets are the second of three sections in the original Hebrew Bible. Now that we know how the canon of Torah was established, it’s important to ask HOW and WHEN the prophetic (and historical) books were deemed authoritative.
In this episode of the Canon Series on Verity, we delve into the canonization process and history behind these books.
How the Bible Was Canonized: Torah
This series answers ALL your questions about the compilation of Scripture from the beginning to the end! In this first episode on the canon of Torah, we discuss the first five books of the Old Testament (also called the Pentateuch), who authored them, and how they lay a foundation for the rest of the Bible.
Racism and the Western Church
How do we respond to racism as believers in Christ? Where is the balance between what the world teaches and how we, the church, should respond?
In this special bonus episode of Verity with Phylicia Masonheimer, I interview my friends and co-pastors Emmanuel and Samantha Danso of Grace Innovation Church in London, United Kingdom. They offer a gospel perspective on an issue that is dividing many in the body of Christ.
God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle
There’s this rumor that God won’t give us more than we can handle.
We use the line as a comfort when our friends encounter hard times. We console ourselves with it when life becomes overwhelming. But the scary thing about this rumor is that it’s quite simply untrue.
To the Girl Who Doesn’t Love God
I knew love as a choice. Even when falling in love with my husband, it was the product of a planned, discerned choice for a man who shared my values and life goals. Love was not an impulse, sometimes not even an emotion. It was an action. It was resolve.
The Day I Scheduled God Out of My Life
It goes against my nature to not schedule something. But I’ve found that God can’t be scheduled in every season. I have learned to arrange my life to be reminded of Him throughout the day: fifteen minutes at the kitchen table, ten minutes while nursing, five minutes on a walk, fifteen minutes at midnight. God isn’t looking for a consecutive minutes spent on Him. He’s looking for hearts that seek Him wholly.
Dear Girl, Not Everyone Will Like You
If you are seeking God and His approval, you will walk in such a way that you need not fear offending those around you. You will walk in the fruits of the Spirit – love, kindness, self-control – that make us more ‘likeable’ in general. But you will not be bound to people-pleasing because you will have pleased the One whose opinion truly matters.