Christianity

Types of crosses: the Gold Cross Pendant in 14K yellow gold with a Jerusalem stone
Types of Crosses: Names, Meanings, and How to Tell Them Apart
You notice a cross with a ring around its centre on an old gravestone and realise you can't name it, or say what it means. The cross you see most... Read more...
INRI meaning: the Holy Land Unity Set, with its INRI crucifix, in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
INRI Meaning: What the Letters on a Crucifix Stand For and Why They Are There
You're kneeling in a pew after Mass, and your eyes settle on the small plaque at the top of the crucifix with its four letters above our Lord's head. INRI... Read more...
The Holy Sepulchre Keys, Holy Land Unity Set and Holy Land Stone Trio frames displayed together
Religious Home Decor: How to Choose the Right Piece for Your Room, Style, and Faith Tradition
You've cleared a wall in the living room, or a corner of the bedroom you'd like to keep for prayer, and you're trying to decide what belongs there. Religious home... Read more...
Holy Land Prayer Altar: Scripture on parchment, an olive wood crucifix and a Jerusalem stone in a wooden frame
How to Choose a Prayer Altar for Home: A Biblical and Practical Guide for Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians
You have cleared a small shelf in the bedroom and are trying to decide whether it could become the place where you pray each day. Choosing a prayer altar for... Read more...
Gold coin showing the Jerusalem Cross, one large cross with four smaller crosses
The Jerusalem Cross: Meaning, History, and How to Wear It with Confidence
You're turning a small gold pendant over in your hand, tracing the large cross at its centre and the four smaller crosses tucked into each corner. That is the Jerusalem... Read more...
Gold coin showing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
Where Was Jesus Crucified? Golgotha, Calvary, and the Sites You Can Visit Today
Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, a site just outside Jerusalem's first-century city walls that is today enclosed within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City's Christian Quarter.... Read more...
Catholic prayer corner with crucifix, Bible, rosary, candle, and Marian statue in a warm home setting
How to Set Up a Catholic Prayer Corner at Home
If you’ve been feeling the pull to set aside a corner of your home for prayer, here’s the short answer. A Catholic prayer corner is a small, fixed place in... Read more...
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem at sunrise
The Holy Land and Christianity: Why This Land Is Sacred to Christians
Christianity is a faith with universal reach, but its central events happened in a very specific part of the world. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He grew up in Nazareth.... Read more...
Romans 6-23 and the Romans Road
Romans 6:23, King James Version.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The plain meaning is what most people take from it.... Read more...
Ancient Bible manuscript open to the Book of Revelation
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent: What They Mean and Where They Came From
Omnipotent means all-powerful, omniscient means all-knowing, and omnipresent means present everywhere at once, and those three attributes are the ones Christian theology most often uses to describe God. They show... Read more...
Christians distributing food to people in need inside a church
Faith Without Works Is Dead: James Was Talking About Feeding the Poor
“Faith without works is dead” gets quoted the way a lot of Bible verses do, as a standalone slogan bolted onto a sermon or a wall hanging. It comes from... Read more...
The Immovable Ladder
The Immovable Ladder Has Moved. Twice.
The Immovable Ladder gets its name from a legend that isn’t quite true. It has been stolen, hidden, and shifted from one side of the window to the other, and... Read more...
A pilgrim kneeling with both hands on the Stone of Anointing in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Stone of Anointing at the Entrance of the Holy Sepulchre
The polished slab of reddish limestone that pilgrims kneel to the moment they cross the threshold of the Holy Sepulchre was installed in 1810. The stone thousands of people kiss... Read more...
Healing Prayer For The Sick
Healing Prayer for the Sick
When you’re sitting beside someone who’s seriously ill tonight and you need words that carry more than recitation, healing prayer for the sick rests on Scripture’s own name for God... Read more...
A pilgrim reaches through the silver disk beneath the Greek Orthodox altar to touch the exposed limestone of Golgotha inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Golgotha Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: The Real Rock
The rock is real, the identification is anchored across four independent lines of evidence, and the ground under the church still shows what the Gospels described. The rock is seven... Read more...
Historic keys associated with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre resting on a wooden surface.
The Custody of the Keys of the Holy Sepulchre: An Eight Century Tradition
How two Muslim families came to hold the keys of Christianity’s holiest church, and why that arrangement has kept the peace inside it since the year 1187. The keys to... Read more...
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A Complete Guide for Believers
The place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose. Still opened at four in the morning, every day, by the same two families who have been doing it for eight... Read more...
The High Priest wearing the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim while standing before the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
What Were the Urim and Thummim, and Why Did God Let Them Go Silent?
The Urim and Thummim only show up seven times in the whole Old Testament, and one of those mentions is honestly kind of devastating once you slow down on it.... Read more...
Hillside town with olive trees at sunset, evoking first-century Nazareth
Who Was Jesus of Nazareth? What His Name Meant Then, and Why It Still Matters Now
“Jesus of Nazareth” shows up exactly seventeen times in the New Testament, and almost never in a casual way. It is used as an identifier, the kind of phrase you... Read more...
Prayer for healing for a friend
Prayer for healing for a friend
Seeing a friend suffer or be in pain can be hard to bear, you might be feeling scared and powerless. You might find yourself typing up a message and deleting... Read more...
Prayers for Surgery and Healing
Prayers for Surgery and Healing: For the Night Before, the Waiting Room, and the Long Recovery
Lord, we place [NAME] and this surgery in your hands. Steady the hands of the surgeons and the minds of everyone caring for [him/her]. Quiet the fear on all sides,... Read more...
A wooden cross on a hilltop against a golden sunset sky
What Is the Gospel Message?
The gospel message is the announcement that Jesus Christ died for human sin, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. It is not a philosophy or... Read more...
Before Meals to Thank God for Food
8 Prayers Before Meals to Thank God for Food and Family
Saying grace or a prayer before meals is a simple and meaningful way to thank God for His provision and the sustenance it provides. Scripture also teaches us about the... Read more...
Why is Good Friday Good
Why Is Good Friday Called Good? The Real Etymology, the Passover Parallel, and the Six Hours That Explain Everything
Most of the Christian world doesn’t actually call it Good Friday. In German it’s Karfreitag, from an Old High German word meaning grief or lament. In French it’s Vendredi saint,... Read more...
Toughest Battles to His Strongest Soldiers
“God Gives His Toughest Battles to His Strongest Soldiers”: What the Bible Actually Says
You searched for this phrase because something heavy is happening right now. Not out of curiosity. Not for a theology paper. Because someone sent it to you, or you saw... Read more...
Cross standing on a shelf with the sign of getting close to god
How to Get Closer to God: What James 4:8 Promises, and Seven Practices That Follow
The Bible answers the question of how to get closer to God in one line, and it’s worth reading it before doing anything else: “Draw near to God, and he... Read more...
Prayer For Health And Healing
Prayers for Health and Healing: What the Bible Actually Prays For, With Prayers for Every Season of the Body
The one place in the New Testament where someone explicitly prays for another person’s physical health is 3 John 1:2. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you... Read more...
Philippians 4 13 meaning
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
(Philippians 4:13) is a widely quoted Bible verse written by the apostle Paul while he was in prison, about learning to be gratified in every situation, no matter the hardships... Read more...
A family holding hands in prayer around the dinner table
15+ Powerful Family Prayers for Healing For Every Crisis Your Family Is Facing
When someone you love is suffering, finding the right words to bring before God can feel impossible. This collection of family prayer for healing is organized by situation so you... Read more...
A simple wooden cross on a grassy hill at sunset
The 5 Assurances of Salvation: The Framework, the Scriptures, and the Empty Tomb They All Rest On
The famous list of “5 Assurances of Salvation” that gets passed around Christian discipleship groups isn’t in the Bible as a list, and it isn’t a piece of ancient church... Read more...
Thanks in All Circumstances - Pray for God
Give Thanks in All Circumstances: The Greek Word Behind Paul’s Command
The word Paul uses for “give thanks” in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is eucharisteo, and it’s the same root that gives us the word Eucharist. He isn’t just asking the Thessalonians... Read more...
Woman praying with a rosary beside an open Bible and candle, seeking healing, comfort, and strength for a loved one
Healing Prayers for Loved Ones: What the Bible Actually Shows Us
When you love someone who is sick, you already know what you can’t do. You can’t take the pain out of their body. You can’t be there every minute. Sometimes... Read more...