Category Archives: Conscience

Remember Lot’s Wife

Posted on June 12, 2018 by russellmckinney

When the burgeoning camps of Abraham and his nephew, Lot, became so large the same area could no longer support their flocks, the two men separated (Genesis 13:1-7). Lot took one look at the lush, fertile, well-watered plain of Jordan, … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels, Backsliding, Choices, Coming Judgment, Conscience, Desires, God's Judgment, Homosexuality, Influence, Marriage, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Death & the Atheist

Posted on December 21, 2017 by russellmckinney

“A Thought-Provoking Book” series (post #4) In the opening sentence to the preface for the book Why I Left, Why I Stayed, the father and son team of Tony and Bart Campolo jointly say: We are not unusual. Many Christian parents … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Atheism, Belief, Comfort, Conscience, Death, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Heaven, Hell, Human Life, Justice, Personal, Reward, Salvation, Series: "A Thought-Provoking Book", The Bible, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Feelings Might Be Real, But They Won’t Impress an Atheist

Posted on December 17, 2017 by russellmckinney

“A Thought-Provoking Book” series (post #2) We’ve begun a series of posts on the book, Why I Left, Why I Stayed. The book is coauthored by the father-son team of Tony and Bart Campolo and explores the reasons why Bart Campolo … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Belief, Christ's Miracles, Conscience, Conviction, Creation, Discipleship, Doubt, Faith, God's Omnipotence, Guilt, Music, Personal, Preaching, Salvation, Series: "A Thought-Provoking Book", The Bible, The Holy Spirit, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Bottles of Wine

Posted on December 12, 2017 by russellmckinney

An elderly woman who lived in the north of England hadn’t been able to truly pray for years. She needed to pray, even wanted to pray, but each time she tried to pray her mind went to five bottles of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Confession, Conscience, Conviction, Doing Good, God's Will, Guilt, Making Restitution, Prayer, Reconciliation, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Something We Can Learn From the Harvey Weinstein Story

Posted on October 11, 2017 by russellmckinney

I can’t get on the internet these days without seeing a new article about the Harvey Weinstein scandal out in Hollywood. For those of you who might not know, Weinstein has been one of the most powerful men in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Conscience, Courage, Current Events, Doing Good, Entertainment, Fear, God's Work, Honesty, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Sin Costs the Christian

Posted on August 25, 2017 by russellmckinney

New Testament Christianity teaches that salvation comes by way of faith (belief) in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 can’t be much clearer: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Belief, Bible Study, Confession, Conscience, Conviction, Disobedience, Faith, God's Chastening, God's Holiness, Guilt, Holiness, Inner Peace, Joy, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Scripture, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Kicking at the Goads

Posted on March 20, 2017 by russellmckinney

When the risen Jesus met Saul of Tarsus – who would become the apostle Paul – on the Damascus road, one of the things He told Saul was, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5). … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Change, Choices, Conscience, Conviction, Disobedience, Dying To Self, God's Chastening, God's Guidance, God's Will, Guilt, Obedience, Rebellion, Repentance, Sin, Submission | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Styx, My Son, & Me

Posted on November 17, 2016 by russellmckinney

My oldest son, Ryan, attends Johnson University, a Christian college located about ten minutes outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Johnson is a small, private school that has an on-campus attendance of approximately 1,000. Ryan is a sophomore there, lives in a dorm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Balance, Choices, Christian Liberty, Conscience, Fatherhood, God's Will, Guilt, Inner Peace, Parenting, Personal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Simple Test for Standards

Posted on September 17, 2012 by russellmckinney

You’ve probably noticed that Christians have wildly different standards when it comes to matters of personal holiness. Sometimes these differences stem from nothing more than the generation gap. Other times they are created by the varying diversities of local cultures. … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Christian Liberty, Conscience, Decisions, Discernment, Doubt, Dress and Appearance, Entertainment, Faith, God's Guidance, God's Will, Guilt, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Sin, Temptation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mud

Posted on July 18, 2012 by russellmckinney

Following a summer storm, a mischievous little boy raced outside and proceeded to splash the water out of every mudhole he could find. By the time he was finished, the mudholes were all dry and he was covered in mud … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Backsliding, Change, Confession, Conscience, Conviction, Disobedience, Forgiveness, God's Holiness, Personal Holiness, Repentance, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment