by Jessica K. Bunce Waking up on wintery mornings to a wonderland of white have become a favorite of mine as of late. For the past two days, Louisville has awoken to a brilliant display of snow and ice that transforms the landscape into something out of a Christmas card. The snow hasn’t lasted long, … Continue reading WINTER
Commit to Christ in Your Suffering
“You don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.” -Keller There are often 4 kinds of people with 4 subsequent responses in times of suffering in life. The unbelieverThe saved, but untouchedThe saved, and bitterThe Christlike Do you identify with Christ in his sufferings or do you reject them? … Continue reading Commit to Christ in Your Suffering
βασιλεία
This Greek word, which sounds like bah-sil-lay-uh. Occurs in the GNT (Greek New Testament) 162 times! It is clearly important!It simply means kingdom. It is most often associated with the kingdom of God, or synonymously, the kingdom of heaven. It is the same word Jesus uses in the model prayer, or Lord's prayer, that he … Continue reading βασιλεία
ἀλήθεια
"Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια;" (Pronounced: al-ay'-thi-a)"What is truth?" Our culture has an increasingly odd view of truth. Instead of truth being what is right and objectively so, truth has morphed into something subjective. It is frequently categorized by the individual's feelings or perspective. "Her truth" or "his truth" are valid categories to many in our current … Continue reading ἀλήθεια
Zealous
What comes to your mind when you first think of this word? Perhaps it is a mob of protestors raising signs? Maybe you think of Twitter trolls, or religious fanaticism? Another alternative is to attribute zeal to those with great drive; these are the people with a "get up and go!" mentality. They are the … Continue reading Zealous
Yearning
Have you ever wanted something so badly that you felt ill? Have you hoped for an event to occur or awaited the outcome of a decision that you literally ached for your desire to become a reality? The Cambridge Dictionary defines this feeling in this way: A strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something … Continue reading Yearning
Everyone’s A Theologian
One of my most prized possessions is a signed copy of R.C. Sproul's "Everyone's a Theologian." Many people would never classify themselves as theologians. In fact, many Christians would never classify themselves as theologians, this in and of itself is a tragedy. The fact of the matter is not that everyone CAN be a theologian, … Continue reading Everyone’s A Theologian
Xenophobia
Fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.-Mirriam-Webster Dictionary Stranger Things We are intrigued by, curious about, and scared of things and people that are strange or foreign to us. Unfortunately, awareness of potential danger has made so much of our world reclusive and isolated. I was in … Continue reading Xenophobia
Crossway Scripture Journals
Due to the amount of reading, studying, working, parsing (for Greek), and valuable time spent with my wife, I haven't had as much time to write my Weekly Word posts! There will certainly be more as I cross books off my semester reading list and harken back to old favorites. This week, I am recommending … Continue reading Crossway Scripture Journals
Will
"Whatever God may will""Where there is a will, there is a way." "I will order a pizza soon." As I've become acutely aware in my Greek classes, there is a term known as semantic range. This is in reference to the variety of definitions possible for one word. Sometimes, the word may mean something different due to … Continue reading Will
Awe
Being in Kentucky has been a great experience overall. For one thing, I have been able to witness a much more dramatic unfolding of the seasons! I have seen the green leaves transform into an assortment of colors that even Crayola must envy, I have seen icicles formed on the sides of cliffs turn into … Continue reading Awe
Valued
How many likes did you get on your last post? How many people complemented your last work? How many followers/friends do you have? What is your net worth? Are you more or less interesting than others? Our culture is obsessed with meaning, with value, and with worth. We want to know that what we are … Continue reading Valued
What is the Gospel?
This week, I'd like to highlight one of my current textbooks. I'm in a personal evangelism class and I'm getting to re-read this short book. I am incredibly thankful for Pastor Greg for his clear writing and his ability to help readers understand what is and what is not the gospel. He highlights several ways … Continue reading What is the Gospel?
Unformed
"Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:16 My siblings-in-law just had their first baby! The baby's name is Isaiah and he was born the day we arrived in Florida for … Continue reading Unformed
Steal Away Home
One of my favorite books to read, one I discussed fairly recently, is Pilgrim's Progress. I am not the only person who has held such affinity for Bunyan's work; another man — by the name of Charles Spurgeon — said he read the book over a hundred times. Spurgeon, famously known as the "prince of … Continue reading Steal Away Home
Called To Words GIVEAWAY!
Click Here to ENTER to WIN! Thank you for visiting CalledToWords.com! I am excited to give away a Called To Words mug and book "Steal Away Home" for FREE as a gift to one (1) reader as we celebrate Christmas and look forward to 2019. 3 Things you must do to enter: (And Don't Forget To Click The Link Above to … Continue reading Called To Words GIVEAWAY!
Theology
I am currently enrolled as a student at a theological seminary. Theology is what I study, but it is also the lens through which I interpret everything going on around me. You too have theological lenses, here are a few things to inform you and encourage you in...
The Storm-Tossed Family
Dr. Moore argues for gospel centrality in today's families. "For those of us in Christ...storms should be no surprise. They need not panic us, nor need they destroy us." (Page 3 of The Storm-Tossed Family) Winning the 2018 award for Book of the Year, Dr. Russell Moore has helped readers look into their family situation with … Continue reading The Storm-Tossed Family
Sovereign
"What is Calvinism?" I asked earnestly, and nervously, after gathering a large amount of courage to enter into uncharted theological waters with my pastor and several church staff members. I was at a youth event at Dave & Busters. While my friends were running around racing cars, spending tokens, and earning tickets, my 15 year-old … Continue reading Sovereign
Weekly Word
It's the 2nd day of Advent! What are you reading?? 'Tis the season for Dickens' classics, yuletide carols, Christmas novels, and advent devotionals. Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I encourage you to take a few minutes out of each day and read from this week's recommended book; whether it is just you, … Continue reading Weekly Word
Remember
"(To) have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past)." -Dictionary Recuérdame is "Remember me" in Spanish. The animated character, Miguel, sings this song in the Disney/Pixar movie, Coco. In the movie, if you have forgotten to put … Continue reading Remember
Weekly Word
Welcome to a new portion of Called To Words! This section will be for book reviews, articles, other blogs I read, etc. I want this to be informative and helpful, which I would love your help with! Please feel free to submit your own opinions on books, send and suggest books and articles for me … Continue reading Weekly Word
OMNI
Three “Omni” attributes of God. (Omni is a prefix, simply meaning “all” or, “Of all things, in all ways and places.”) As a human, a characteristic I assume is shared by all of those reading this post, I am well acquainted with finitude. “Nothing lasts forever” or “all good things come to an end” are … Continue reading OMNI
Words… An Introduction
Life, Death, Power, Weakness, Hope, Discouragement, Victory, Defeat, Love, and Hate. Words are powerful tools, placed in bold, italicized, or underlined; read, typed, written, highlighted, spoken, shared, shredded, misquoted, mistaken, misheard, enjoyed, examined, extracted; they govern our thoughts, they dictate our actions, express our desires, relate to others, govern our beliefs, illuminate our imaginations, and puzzle our preconceptions. Our … Continue reading Words… An Introduction
γνῶσις
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to converse with a man I sharply disagreed with; he is a Hindu from India. I will not share his name for the sake of his personal privacy, but we had a very enjoyable discussion that went on for over two hours. (Notable Observation: It IS possible to disagree … Continue reading γνῶσις
