Is it Biblical to Anoint a Home with Oil?

ByVan Barrett June 8, 2026 0 Comments
 Recently, someone brought up the topic of anointing one’s home with oil and challenged the legitimacy of it. On the surface, I immediately thought, “It has some parallels with biblical ideas, so it must be okay, right?” As one who has prayed using oil and prayed for someone’s home while using an oil devoted to God’s use, I decided to review the Scriptures and make sure it was indeed...

About This Life Blog Spotlight: Phillip Anthony Mitchell

ByVan Barrett April 26, 2026 0 Comments
 If you’ve never seen or heard Phillip Anthony Mitchell in the last 2-3 years, you’re probably living in seclusion or you aren’t on social media (which could be a good thing—see here). I briefly want to spotlight this preacher and pastor not because I know him well, but because I’ve been impressed by what I’ve heard from him so far. His passion, practical and Christ-centered...

External Book Review from Thomas Schreiner: “From Genesis to Junia” by Preston Sprinkle (A Message On Recycled Tropes Against Complementarianism)

ByVan Barrett March 8, 2026 0 Comments
Dr. Thomas Schreiner is a scholar and theologian whom I respect due to his seemingly gracious but unwavering commitment to the Bible. Recently, I read his review of Preston Sprinkle's From Genesis to Junia and found it to be a helpful and needed writing for a society that struggles to see value in the seemingly antiquated biblical views like women's role in the family and church. In fact, I...

Sex Before Marriage – Is it a Sin?

ByVan Barrett February 2, 2026 0 Comments
 Consider this headline: “Mega Church Pastor Says Premarital Sex is Not a Sin.” You may think this to be a ludicrous proposition, but I assure you it’s not. Though the news surrounding this story is almost a year old, I didn’t hear about it originally and only recently saw a Facebook post referencing it. While the actual headline for the article is “Baptist Preacher Says There’s...

A Brief Consideration of Jesus’s Transfiguration

ByVan Barrett January 1, 2026 0 Comments
 It’s a New Year, and recently, the Lord has been speaking to me through Scripture in a somewhat fresh and frequent way. Yesterday, I was looking at the passage of Scripture where Peter, James, and John are with Jesus, and Jesus transfigures before them. The full text is below for your review, but I focused on Peter’s immediate response to the situation. He first made a declarative...

Commonly Misused Bible Verses #11 – Prov. 13:24(ish)

ByVan Barrett November 9, 2025 0 Comments
“Spare the rod, spoil the child.” - ??? This is yet another Scripture that isn’t really a Scripture—people just think it is. In reality, there is a Scripture that’s closely associated with Proverbs 13:24. It reads He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.  Prov. 13:24 KJV  Common (Mis)usage: The saying “spare the rod, spoil the child”...

About This Life Blog Spotlight: Voddie Baucham Jr.

ByVan Barrett October 5, 2025 1 Comment
   Voddie Baucham Jr. passed away suddenly on September 25, 2025, at the age of 56. Being roughly two weeks removed from his passing, I can’t help but contemplate how God used him to bless me over the last 15 years or so. I wish I would have done a spotlight on Dr. Baucham before his passing, but despite that notion, I realize his passing has caused me to assess the impact he had...

Bible Translations – Which One Should I Use?

ByVan Barrett September 14, 2025 0 Comments
   This post is gently adapted from a text message exchange with a good Christian friend who wanted to select a Bible for her children. I was honored that she reached out to me, as I surmised she had some consternation with using/not using the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. The following is a gently adapted version of what I sent her with additional modifications for my blog...

Knowledge Feeds the Ego. Love Nourishes the Soul.

ByVan Barrett August 3, 2025 0 Comments
   The title is a stretch of a paraphrase connected to a familiar passage, 1 Corinthians 8:1, which reads, “…This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up.” In context, Paul was talking about the knowledge Christians at Corinth had regarding meat offered to idols. Some of the Corinthians’ “knowledge,” that the idol was essentially of no concern, caused them to operate...

Scripture Markup (Exposition)

ByVan Barrett June 15, 2025 0 Comments
   I know it’s been a while since I provided a substantive post (and unfortunately, this one isn’t deep or lengthy either). I’ve wanted to post, but I’ve been a little preoccupied with other activities. These other activities have been good, nonetheless—they just haven’t been quite “blog-centered.” With that said, the picture above is a markup of Matthew 7:21-23. I...

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