Faith Reflections

Matt Garvin’s ongoing wrestle with faith and life

  • About Me
  • Subjects
    • Marriage
    • Parenting and Family
    • Relationships
    • Relationship with God
    • Politics
    • Values
    • Leadership and Faith
    • Community
    • mission
    • Church
    • Work
    • Calling and Vocation
  • Subscribe to Faith Reflections
  • About Me
  • Subjects
    • Marriage
    • Parenting and Family
    • Relationships
    • Relationship with God
    • Politics
    • Values
    • Leadership and Faith
    • Community
    • mission
    • Church
    • Work
    • Calling and Vocation
  • Subscribe to Faith Reflections
  • Bible,  Church,  Culture

    The Church as a Community of Truth: Learning to Discern Together

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    Many Christians know the Bible well but still struggle to recognise God’s wisdom in everyday life. This article explores why the church exists not simply to teach truth, but to become a community where believers learn to discern, embody, and live God’s truth together.

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    2 Comments

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    The Defeated Dragon: A Reflection on Revelation Chapter 12

    September 30, 2024

    The Real Beginning of the Church

    April 27, 2025

    Reality is Not What You Think

    August 24, 2025
  • Bible,  Church

    What Does It REALLY Mean to Live With Hope?

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    We live in a world that tells us to trust ourselves, follow our feelings, and create our own truth. Peter offers a very different vision. Real hope begins with repentance, grows through the work of the Holy Spirit, and becomes visible through lives that love and suffer differently. What if hope is not simply something we believe, but something we live?

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    0 Comments

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    How to free yourself from the oppression of money and time

    March 16, 2025

    Ephesians 4: A Vision of Church Most of Us Have Never Seen

    November 9, 2025

    What the church is meant to be…

    September 28, 2025
  • Bible,  Jesus

    The Answer to Your Biggest Problem (It’s Not What You Think)

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    What if the biggest problem in your life isn’t actually your biggest problem? Beneath every struggle is a deeper story shaping how you see yourself, others, and God. This post explores how that story works—and how Jesus invites you into a better one that leads to real life.

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    0 Comments

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    How to Read Revelation Well: Five Key Principles

    September 26, 2024

    Heaven on Earth, we need it now. I’m sick of all of this, hanging around.

    April 29, 2016

    The Millennium: Four Views and Their Spiritual Implications

    October 13, 2024
  • Church

    The Church as a Community of Truth: How We Learn to See Together

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    We’ve never had more access to truth—and yet less clarity about what is true. What if the issue isn’t just what we believe, but how we learn to see? This post explores why the church must become a community of truth, discerning and following Jesus together.

    read more
    1 Comment

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    Build Your Imperfect Family: Five Practices for Healthier Relationships

    July 27, 2026

    Eat With People — But Don’t Hide at the Table

    March 1, 2026

    The WRONG Gospel and the WRONG Mission

    September 28, 2023
  • Jesus

    Why Is Good Friday Good? (And Why It Matters for Your Life)

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    Why is Good Friday good? Good Friday is called “good” because it reveals how Jesus dealt with the gap between who we are and who we’re meant to be. Through His death, forgiveness and grace are offered—not based on our performance, but on what He has done.

    read more
    1 Comment

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    Why Your Greatest Failure Isn’t the End of Your Story (Lessons from Peter)

    April 5, 2026

    When following Jesus has to wait

    October 11, 2026

    The Answer to Your Biggest Problem (It’s Not What You Think)

    May 3, 2026
  • Culture,  Leadership and Faith,  Politics

    Two Kinds of Power: Why Love Is Stronger Than Control

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    We are living in a moment where power matters more than ever. But there are two kinds of power: the power to control and the power to love. Which one shapes your life?mili

    read more
    0 Comments

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    The Real Story Behind Santa Claus (And What We’ve Lost Along the Way)

    December 2, 2025

    Listening as Mercy: Why It Changes Everything

    February 22, 2026

    Six Ways We Structure Time — And Why It Matters.

    March 4, 2026
  • Church

    Why Church Isn’t About You (And Why That’s Good News)

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    We’ve been taught that church exists to meet our needs. But the Bible paints a different picture. Church exists to shape us into people who love, grow, and live differently together. It’s not about what we get. It’s about who we become—and how that shows the world what God is like.

    read more
    1 Comment

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    You don’t know it, but you need a Kingdom Cell.

    February 1, 2020

    The Church as a Community of Truth: How We Learn to See Together

    April 17, 2026

    The WRONG Gospel and the WRONG Mission

    September 28, 2023
  • Bible,  Calling and Vocation,  mission

    Rethinking the “Great Commission”: 5 Surprising Truths Christians Overlook

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    Most Christians think Jesus’ mission was simply to “go and preach.” But the real Great Commission calls us to much more—a life of apprenticeship, trust, and courage. Discover five surprising truths that reveal what Jesus actually meant when He said “Go.”

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    1 Comment

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    The Glory of God is missing in your Christianity.

    February 22, 2020

    The Answer to Your Biggest Problem (It’s Not What You Think)

    May 3, 2026

    The clash of Kingdoms in Acts 3-4

    May 11, 2025
  • Bible,  Calling and Vocation,  Values

    5 Counterintuitive Truths for Kingdom Living Today

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    Modern Christianity often settles for a thin story about getting to heaven someday. But Jesus invites us into Kingdom living today—a life where heaven’s reality begins now. These five counterintuitive truths challenge comfort, reshape faith, and call us to join God’s renewing work in the world.

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    0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How to free yourself from the oppression of money and time

    March 16, 2025

    Beware the False Prophet: Understanding Revelation 13 and the Second Beast

    October 4, 2024

    Rethinking the “Great Commission”: 5 Surprising Truths Christians Overlook

    October 12, 2025
  • Bible,  Calling and Vocation,  Church

    What the church is meant to be…

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    The church was never meant to be a service to attend or a hierarchy to climb. Jesus calls us to be His witnesses: a body where every part matters, a family where every member belongs, and a temple where God dwells by His Spirit.

    read more
    1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    How to Read Revelation Well: Five Key Principles

    September 26, 2024

    The New Creation: A Vision of Hope and Restoration

    October 20, 2024

    Do you know what Eternal Life is?

    November 25, 2023
  • Relationship with God,  Relationships

    What reality are you living from?

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    We don’t see the world as it is—we see it as we are. Unless Jesus interrupts our story, we live from beliefs shaped by fear, comfort, or culture. He invites us to repent, to replant our tree, and to find real life by rooting our whole selves in him.

    read more
    0 Comments

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    A healthy mid-life crisis?

    February 7, 2021

    Your problem is that belief changes everything.

    August 5, 2022

    A healthy church doesn’t fit into business as usual… it sets an agenda that changes every aspect of life.

    October 28, 2016
  • Politics

    What Donald Trump’s election win tells us about our world. (part 2)

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    Donald Trump was uniquely positioned to tap into the massive societal changes brought about by democratising information and the erosion of traditional power structures.  Trump’s approach to relationships exemplifies this individualistic moment. Known for his transactional style, he builds alliances with those who benefit his goals and distances himself from those who do not. Unlike many conventional politicians who adhered to established rules of political decorum and relied on traditional media, Trump understood the power of direct, unfiltered communication through platforms like Twitter and alternative media channels.  By bypassing traditional news outlets and speaking directly to people online, Trump tapped into a growing distrust of mainstream institutions and capitalised on…

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    3 Comments

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    Jesus was not a socialist or a capitalist.

    March 2, 2018

    Two Kinds of Power: Why Love Is Stronger Than Control

    March 29, 2026

    Left and Right are both Wrong, and I am over it.

    September 28, 2018
  • Politics

    What Donald Trump’s election win tells us about our world. (part 1) 

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    I, like many others have been doing some reflection following yesterdays election result. I am more and more convinced we are in the midst of a massive societal shift that we are only now beginning to wake up to. This is part one of my reflection trying to wrestle with where we are and what it means. Someone I love very much said yesterday, “Are Americans stupid? How could they elect a man like that?” The truth is that while Donald Trump’s re-election has left half of America—and many around the world—bewildered and unsettled, the other half feels vindicated and empowered. Trump’s win feels like a reclamation of values and…

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    1 Comment

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    What Donald Trump’s election win tells us about our world. (part 2)

    November 9, 2024

    Why Nations Rise and Fall

    December 17, 2024

    Left and Right are both Wrong, and I am over it.

    September 28, 2018
  • Bible

    The Millennium: Four Views and Their Spiritual Implications

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    The Millennium reveals God’s justice, mercy, and compassion through different views of Christ’s reign. Whether symbolic or literal, each perspective calls believers to live in readiness, embodying righteousness today as we await His return. Our faithfulness now reflects the hope of Christ’s ultimate victory and restoration of all things.

    read more
    3 Comments

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    Unveiling the Beast: Power, Corruption, and the Call for Faithfulness in Today’s World

    October 2, 2024

    The Baby versus the King: A Christmas Revolution

    December 8, 2024

    Why Nations Rise and Fall

    December 17, 2024
  • Bible

    Faithful Witnesses in a World of Deception—The Role of the Church in Revelation

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    This article explores the role of the Church as faithful witnesses in Revelation, enduring persecution while proclaiming God's truth. It highlights the Church as the spiritual temple, called to resist deception and remain steadfast, knowing God's ultimate victory is assured.

    read more
    0 Comments

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    Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

    The cover-up that has robbed you of precious truth.

    November 14, 2023

    How Should Christians Engage With Politics? A Christian Response to Division and Power

    May 10, 2026

    Who Is God?

    September 7, 2025
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Sites worth seeing

  • Citywide Baptist Church
  • Citywide YouTube Channel
  • Citywide's Facebook page
  • Elizabeth Campbell's blog
  • Fusion Canada
  • Where are we in God's Story? (Eric Kregel's blog)
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