Chris MacKinnon's Blog

Chrysostom wrote about the importance of allowing the Spirit to enlighten the things of God, as we need the Spirit to understand spiritual things.

But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. (1 Corinthians 2:14 CSB)

I am a little bit of a perfectionist. Maybe I have a touch of OCD. I like to get things right and it kills me a little every time I find out that I have it wrong. This leads me to pick at details.

It is interesting to note how both God and the devil are attributed to being “in the details.” I do not know if there is any psychology behind which phrase you utilize, but the main point is the value and virtue of getting details right. So, honestly, I can get a little nitpicky when it comes to God...

Life is complicated. The world swirls around us in what can feel like ever-increasing chaos. There are pressures put on us by others: work, spouse, children, society, church. And there are pressures we put on ourselves: professional aspirations, finance goals, character development, comparison with others.

Life is also hard. It takes effort, investment, perspiration. If we allow life to “just happen” to us, we get tossed by a current that is unrelenting and unforgiving. “Along for the ride” i...

When do you start putting up Christmas decorations? Some people get started in October, others wait until the November holidays have passed, and some like to do it in the final days before Christmas.

Getting ready for Christmas means in northern North America means Christmas lights. The winter season means even our waking hours are dark more than see the sun. It is helpful to have Christmas lights brighten our homes and countenance.

One of our first steps is often to check the lights to ma...

I have one of those online accounts to document and explore my family tree. It seems like a lot of people do. As of 2023, Ancestry.com boasted to have 25 million users.[1] That is an enormous amount of people looking to connect who they are today, to who has gone before them, and combine all… Continue reading Am I Living on the Wrong Branch of the Family Tree?

Paul told Christians to use the Armor of God to fight against the “evil tricks” of our spiritual enemy: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11, CSB). It is always interesting to see how far preachers and teachers will go with their… Continue reading The Weakness in Our Weapon (Sword of the Spirit, Part 2)

Paul told us to take up the sword of the Spirit. What is the Word of God, and how can we begin to use it in our lives?

There are eight parts of speech, the building blocks of how we communicate. One of these is a dangerous class of wording we need to eliminate in our everyday conversation.

How do we get started down those trails of bad decisions and the scars they leave in and on our lives? Is there a way to avoid these pitfalls on our journey?

“Jesus loves me, this I know.” Did you read the words or sing them? Those of us who grew up in church are familiar with the song we learned a long time ago. It was probably the first thing we absorbed in church. Jesus loves me. God loves me.

God’s love is a one of the most central themes of Scripture. Some would say that without the love of God, He would not have created the universe or put humanity within it.

Another staple of early learning in Christianity is John 3:16, “For God so loved...