Tag Archives: Christianity

Video of the Day: Scene from the 2014 film “When the Game Stands Tall”

Bible Passage of the Day:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything, James 1:2-4.

Biblical Connection:

From 1992-2003, the football team at De La Salle High won 151 consecutive games. This special program from Concord, California established a football dynasty that might never be duplicated. The attached movie clip attempts to recreate the disappointment inside the De La Salle locker room on the night their win streak came to an end. After a player throws his helmet, an assistant coach intervenes to remind this player of the culture that has been established at De La Salle. As players begin to complement their first loss, Coach Ladouceur played by Jim Caviezel addresses the team. Coach Ladouceur uses this painful experience as a teachable moment to challenge and help these young men recover from defeat.

Prior to becoming a leader at the Church in Jerusalem, James was the younger brother of Jesus. According to first century historians, James was like many Jews did not believe that his own brother was the Savior of the world. Following the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, James is transformed by this miracle. As James writes to first century Christians, he begins this letter by explaining how followers of Jesus should embrace trials. Like suffering defeat on the gridiron, life’s trials provide opportunities for spiritual growth. When individuals consider trials a pure joy, long term benefits include maturity and perseverance. This is how God wants people to recover from the agony of defeat.

Closing Song:

An interactive blog to engage our culture in 2025 by Jay Mankus.

Passage of the Day:

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross, Colossians 2:13-15.

Reflection:

In my early years as a Christian, I didn’t celebrate many victories in my faith. Rather, I was fighting a losing battle with my flesh. Dazed and confused like a young apostle Paul in Romans 7:15, I was grasping at straws, searching for a sign of hope. During a Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Summer Camp in high school, I was introduced to today’s passage. This was the hope I desperately needed. As you reflect upon your own spiritual journey in 2024, you may be disappointed, frustrated or want a deeper relationship with the Lord. As you set your mind and heart on a new year, remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on a cross. This self-less act disarmed the power of death 3 days later with a triumph resurrection. May this life-changing historical event move the Holy Spirit to make you alive in Christ in 2025.

Prayerful Action:

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:56-57.

Learning to Love this December as God Forgives You:

As an avid sports fan, adrenaline fills my body with the thrill of any victory. Yet, the agony of defeat sucks the joy out of my life, John 10:10. Subsequently, when you dwell upon temporary pleasures, life can become an emotional roller coaster. This is not the type of faith journey that God wants me to live. Therefore, if 2024 found you experiencing your own prodigal experience, may you come to your senses, Luke 15:17, as your heavenly father is waiting for you with open arms. As you experience the power of God’s compassion, forgiveness and mercy, you’ll feel compelled to help those facing similar obstacles that you’ve finally overcome.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

My spiritual mentor Ken loved today’s song. When he went to be home with the Lord during the Coronavirus, I thought about of the charitable acts that Ken displayed over the course of his life. As I turn my attention to engaging our culture starting tomorrow, may you learn to keep in step with God’s Spirit as your faith journey continues, Galatians 5:25.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world rather than on Christ.⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b] was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead, Colossians 2:6-12.

Reflection:

As I have been introduced to, interacted with, and spent time with Christian brothers and sisters, it doesn’t take long to recognize individuals deeply rooted in Christ from those content with a casual faith. Whether I was serving as a youth director, overseeing leadership teams or casting vision as a church elder, this decision comes down to the lordship of Christ. When Christians don’t make meeting with God daily a priority like Jesus in Mark 1:35, faith can fade and grow cold. Bible study, prayer and worship regularly fuels my faith. However, if I miss just one day with God, this opens the door for other substitutes to take God’s place in my life. As the apostle Paul received news of first century churches reverting back to their former way of life prior to entering into a personal relationship with Jesus, becoming built up spiritually be being rooted in Christ is a call to action.

Prayerful Action:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers, Psalm 1:1-3.

Learning to Love this December as God Forgives You:

The Psalmist selects a conifer tree as a symbol for yielding fruit all year long. There are 20 types of coniferous trees that exist ranging from evergreens, pines and spruces. Roughly 1000 years ago in Northern Europe, conifer trees became synonymous with Christmas. This tradition continues today with nearly 30 million American families choosing real trees over artificial ones. As grasses become dormant every winter, green trees stand out among wilting bushes, plants and shrubs. When Christians follow the advice of the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:6-7, the love of Jesus will begin naturally overflowing out of your heart in the form of charitable acts. However, this process starts by learning to become rooted in prayer and the teachings of Jesus.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

I have seen powerful drama presentations using Everything by Lifehouse. May the lyrics of Everything ignite a fire deep inside your soul to become built up and rooted in Christ for 2025.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation, Romans 5:6-11.

Reflection:

In this age of self-help books, it’s rare to find an author who actually lives out what they talk about at seminars and writers’ conferences. From a spiritual perspective, how many Christian leaders do you witness living out the words of the Bible that they proclaim from the pulpit? In the first century, the apostle Paul could not get over the demonstration of love in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Although no one earned this love or deserved this, Romans 3:9-12, Jesus died while we were still sinners. This is love in action.

Prayerful Action:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34.

Learning to Love this December as God Forgives You:

Over my 55 years on earth, I’ve learned that everyone has a back story which has shaped how they act, behave and respond to others. When someone reaches their breaking point, you might face the brunt of their emotional outburst. Subsequently, when Jesus responds to the people in the crowd on that first Good Friday, Jesus prays for their forgiveness. Love understands that people often don’t realize what they’re doing. This is another powerful demonstration of love.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

Today’s feature song is my favorite Christian song from college. While modern-day Christians don’t have access to Jesus like the disciples, we do have a Father’s love that continues today. This Father is only a prayer away.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast, Ephesians 2:1-9.

Reflection:

December 4th is my spiritual birthday; the day I placed my faith in Jesus, Romans 10:9-10. Back in December of 1984, I was an emotional wreck, suffering a nervous breakdown in October of my sophomore year of high school. One of my teacher’s, Mr. Horne, noticed this train wreck from afar, inviting me to a Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Bible Study. While I turned down Ken on numerous occasions, he didn’t give up on me. When I joined the Concord swim team, now as my coach, Ken offered an olive branch in the form of free tickets to an event in Valley Forge. When I heard that Philadelphia professional athletes were speaking, I was sold. While today’s featured passage was not referenced on that cold December night, I was introduced to the concept of becoming alive in Christ.

Prayerful Action:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do, Ephesians 2:10.

Learning to Love this December as God Forgives You:

For the first 14 years of my life, I was living for myself. I attended church on Sunday to appease my parents. Yet, when an individual takes the leap of faith described in Proverbs 3:5-6, you begin to think about what God can do through you. Just as one Old Testament prophet shared a similar message in Jeremiah 29:11, God has a plan for every Christian’s life. For these good works to become a reality, Christians need to mature spiritually like the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 12:1-2. As 2024 is about to end and another year inches closer, may the Holy Spirit fill you with a desire to become alive again in Christ Jesus. As you do, others will notice the difference in how you love and forgive.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

I went to a Jeff Deyo concert, the original lead singer of Sonic Flood, while living in Columbus, Indiana. When music is your ministry, you’ll go and sing wherever people will open their church. May the lyrics of today’s song inspire you to become alive in Christ each and every day.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[i] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” – Matthew 5:43-47

Reflection:

There are moments in a good sermon where a congregation is challenged to take their commitment of faith to a higher level. If Christians aren’t forced to leave their spiritual comfort zones, faith will become stagnant, eventually resulting in idleness. As Jesus transitions from how to apply the Ten Commandments in modern times toward pure and impure motives, He leaves those attending the Sermon on the Mount with a shocking statement. On the surface, this is call to action is impossible to achieve on your own. Yet, upon further review, Jesus is merely calling followers to do their very best daily.

Prayerful Action:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect, Matthew 5:48.

Learning to Love this December as God Forgives You:

As you finish your final preparations for Christmas day, most adults will be exhausted, seeking to create a memorable experience for your family. Yet, seeking perfection as a human being often results in disappointment. Therefore, don’t beat yourself up when human nature gets the best of you. In your failures to love others this Christmas season, let Jesus become strong, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. The more you lean on the Lord, Christ’s love will shine, rising above your own weaknesses.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

As you prepare to worship the birth of Christ, sometimes you need to go back to the basics of faith. May the lyrics of Back to the Start prevent you forgetting your new identity in Christ Jesus. As Jesus becomes more in your life and you become less, loving to a higher standard can become a reality through the power of the Holy Spirit.

by Jay Mankus