Tommy Mann

The book of Proverbs mentions honey several times, and it does so in a positive light. Here are a few proverbs on honey: “My son, eat honey, for it is good (24:13).” “Have you found honey? Eat only as much of it as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit (25:16).” “It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one’s own glory is not glory (25:27).” These verses speak of eating honey in moderation, but they acknowledge that honey is good to eat. The reason I point this out is I have heard critics of the Bible say that the positive references to honey show that the Bible is wrong. After all, they say, isn’t honey high in sugar? The Bible is an old book written before people knew science; now we know that it is wrong. If it is wrong about honey, what else is it wrong about? Honey truly is high in sugar, 82% fructose, to be exact. But let’s not dismiss honey as something to be avoided just yet. Consider these redeeming elements of hone

It was a swing of the bat that the Dent family will forever remember. Fans of baseball recognize the name Bucky Dent—he played for the Yankees and made a legendary play against the Red Sox 35 years ago this October. Bucky had a good career in the big leagues, mostly because of his defense, but a rare 3-run homer in the 7 th inning in a 1978 playoff game sent his Yankees to the American League East Pennant. After his days as a shortstop were through Bucky Dent entered the coaching ranks. But in 2007 he walked away from his job with Cincinnati so he could watch more baseball; more specifically, so he could watch his son Cody play for the Florida Gators. Cody’s twin sister Caitlyn plays for the NC State Wolfpack. Over the past four years Bucky and Marianne Dent have traveled thousands of miles to watch their children play the sport they love, sometimes watching games in two cities a week depending on schedules. To Florida fans Bucky Dent became a familiar face, often bei

While this handy little chart seems like it pins Bible believers down, the fact that it is blatantly false renders its pointless. Christians teach fellow Christians that the Bible proclaims its own validity, but if I were talking to a non believer that is not the approach I would use. If someone asked, like the graphic does, "How do you know it is infallible?" I would ask them to show me an error in it. Believe me, people have spent 2,000 years trying to find an error in it, and if they could find one they would be talking about that instead of circular logic. The Bible contains thousands of names, cities, dates, and rulers; none have been found to be inaccurate. When the Bible addresses science, it is accurate. Archaeology only confirms, and never contradicts, the Bible. For further proof of the validity and infallibility of the Bible, please read  Is the Bible True? Proving the Credibility of the Word of God Through Archaeology

Randy Pope, the founder and pastor of Perimeter Church in Atlanta, has written an eye-opening manual called Insourcing. Based on his 45 years of making disciples, Insourcing presents a case for what the author refers to as the Life-On-Life Discipleship Model (LOLMD). For too long the church has outsourced discipleship to parachurch organizations, and it is time to begin to insource once again. While this is not the first book on discipleship I have read, it is the first one that includes a composite of what could take place in a discipleship group setting. With admittedly smooth results and quick answers to prayer, these composite sketches give a glimpse into what the reader can hope for; beyond just reading the how-to, these composites show that each disciple is a real person with real needs. These stories are broken up and scattered among the other parts of the book, which include Pope’s advice and teaching on discipleship. The author makes the case th

If you know anything about the group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) you probably know their famous slogan, “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” People will stand up in their groups and introduce themselves: My name is _________, and I am an alcoholic. Some of the ones making that introduction have gone years without so much as a sip of beer, and yet they still refer to themselves as alcoholics. While I do not want to be overly critical of a group that is committed to helping people overcome serious addictions, I do want to scrutinize their label of “alcoholic.” My issue with that term is that it labels people in the present with a sometimes past diagnosis. Cancer survivors don’t say they have cancer, they say they beat cancer. In the same way, why continue to give credit to alcohol when you have beaten it’s seductive powers? What do you expect an alcoholic to do? The answer is obvious: drink alcohol. But what do you expect a former alcoholi