CHRISTCORE: DEVOTIONS

Because That Is What Is Demanded by "Nick Durr"

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:21:22 -0600

This next piece stands near and dear to my heart. It was probably around six or seven years ago, and it was a Sunday morning service at First Baptist of North Terre Haute, about two years prior to my fallout. Giving the sermon was our pastor, Mark (one of the most righteous and Godly men I have ever known, Lovingly called “Tobes” for short). The Topic: Servitude and Self-righteousness. He began with a solemn look, and for the life of me as I write this, I can’t remember the first half of it. Then the part that sticks with me to this day began at the ...

The Point of No Return by "Nick Durr"

Wed, 02 May 2012 17:38:09 -0600

The Point Of No Return When it came to faith, I always struggled with value. When I had realized how far in my life I had gotten away from Christ, I was beginning to think there was no possible way I could go back...like a point-of-no return scenario. I had knowingly lied and forgotten my faith. I knowingly did things that were wrong. I had come to a point at which I just flat out felt that I had bigger fish to fry. Religion was for the weak, just a crutch for them to use to survive and to get ...

Faith At It's Best by "Nick Durr"

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:27:49 -0600

Reading the Bible has always been a challenge for me. I am not going to lie and say that everytime I crack it open, I understand exactly what God is trying to tell me. But that is because I am no where even close to being worthy enough for it to be that easy. God challenges us for a reason. If anything were easy to attain, there would be no value to it. And what is faith without value? There is a particular person in the bible that comes to mind when I think about the challenges I face in life. And that person is Job. If you are unfamiliar with Job, I will say he is ...

The Christian Atheist by "Nick Durr"

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:06:26 -0600

The Christian Atheist I just finished a book by Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch.TV, and I must say it really spoke to my heart. So let me start my first devotional as a ChristCore writer by saying one thing: Hi, my name is Nick and I am a recovering Christian Atheist. No, you heard me right. I said CHRISTIAN and ATHEIST. You may be thinking to yourself, "He must be mistaken because you cannot possibly be a Christian and an Atheist." So I will explain. I lived a great life. My great-grandfather started a church in T...

Just For Tonight by "Brian Morrissette"

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:22:24 -0600

I’m part of the group called The Corner Kids. You know who we are; we're the kids in your youth group who sit in the corner and know no one. It isn't that we don't want to meet anyone; we just can't. Maybe because we have a problem with social awkwardness that makes it hard for us to go up and talk to someone (that's me). Others just don't want to be at the youth group but go for some unknown reason, maybe because they have a bad home life or feel rejected at school. It does not mean they won't stay if they see how kind and cool “Christian&...

Learning the Shepherd's Voice by "Brenda Abel"

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:05:17 -0600

“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” [John 10:2-5] How do you hear God? How do you tell the difference between God’s voice and your own? When other voices speak into your life, how do you know if they ...

The Question: Saved and/or Salvation? by "Brian Morrissette"

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:19:11 -0700

When I first heard that you could separate being Saved from Salvation, to say I was shocked would be a serious understatement. I grew up thinking that you could not separate the two and maybe they still can’t be, but what if they are.… That would be pretty big news, right? It seems to me that they both need each other. I mean, I have heard that you could lose your Salvation even when you are Saved, but is Salvation something needed to be earned or a totally new step in the “Ticket to Heaven” process? This stuff gets my head tied in a knot and excited too...

Forget about God's will for your life by "Bryce Cooley"

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:41:52 -0700

We live in a society that plans. In our society we tend to have 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year plans for ourselves, our families and our faith. Because of this we like to plan ahead. People choose their professions, their schools, write out their wills, and get life insurance so that they can rest in the knowledge that they know what’s coming. I believe this has bridged over into our faith as well. We want to plan out our lives as Christians. We want to make sure that our life of faith goes smoothly and with little surprise. So we ask this huge ...

Fear the Lord!... ? by "Bryce Cooley"

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:01:29 -0700

I enjoy Francis Chan. He seems to be grounded in the word and straightforward and challenging in his teaching. Recently while preparing for youth group, I watched a short devotional video by Francis entitled “Basic : Fear God.” This is a devotional based off of that video. I am not wholly convinced by his words, but I do see a validity to them, and they have challenged me to look at my preconceived ideas of what “fearing God” means and see what the Bible says. Francis’ basic premise is that when scripture says “fear God,&rdqu...

When God Calls Us To Wait by "Brenda Abel"

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:59:24 -0700

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6 “Waiting on the Lord” is a commonly used phrase within the Christian community, but I am finding that it is a phrase many of us know and use but do not really know how to actually do. The truth is, we are human; we are of a fallen nature. We live a life that fights the daily battle between flesh and soul. Waiting on the Lord while livi...