Seems Too Bad to Be Good

Seems Too Bad to Be Good – “The same God who planned Good Friday is your Father. He rules over every moment in your life, and in powerful grace, he can do for you just what he did in redemptive history: take what seems so bad and turn it into something that is very, very good.”

What Do We Think of Jesus, and He Us?

What Do We Think of Jesus, and He Us? – Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” Matt. 22:41-42

Christianity Is About Saving Sinners

Christianity Is About Saving Sinners – “How we assess the central plotline of redemptive history will define the Christianity we live and the Christ we proclaim.”

Hope for the Faltering Christ-Follower

Hope for the Faltering Christ-Follower – “Psalm 130 is a proclamation of hope for the faltering follower of Christ.”

A Life Poured Out

A Life Poured Out – “The world scoffed—and still scoffs—at the blood of Christ poured out at the cross. How much more will they ridicule his followers for pouring out their lives for him?”

The Soundtrack of Heaven: Learning from the Songs of Revelation

The Soundtrack of Heaven: Learning from the Songs of Revelation – “Let’s admit it. The descriptions of the singing of heaven put the sound of any rock concert or sports stadium to shame, not to mention most churches.”

Favorite Scriptures on Christ’s Resurrection

Favorite Scriptures on Christ’s Resurrection – Here are some great reminder and insights.

The Resurrection’s Higher Math

The Resurrection’s Higher Math – “We cannot afford to leave the resurrection out of our spiritual arithmetic, or else all our calculations will be off.”

How Unspeakably Solemn

How Unspeakably Solemn  - “Our reflection on the final judgment is meant to lead us as sinners to see our need for Christ and the redemption He accomplished in His first coming into the world. It is faith in Christ that differentiates between those who will stand in the judgment and those who will not.”

The Resurrection as a Landmark in Acts

The Resurrection as a Landmark in Acts – “There is much more to Acts than only the resurrection of Christ. But the resurrection is indeed one of Luke’s key emphases, and we do well to reflect on its wide-ranging significance.”

Why You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It In The Church

Why You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It In The Church – “Far too many of us want to be Prince Harrys. We want the perks of membership without the responsibilities...We want the intimate relationships in the church without ever committing properly to it.”

Jesus Was “Deeply Troubled” to “Un-Trouble” Us Forever

Jesus Was “Deeply Troubled” to “Un-Trouble” Us Forever – Jesus was troubled in Gethsemane but what a blessing to us. Praise be to the Savior.

One Another Texts: Living in Harmony

One Another Texts: Living in Harmony – “Christian unity ultimately isn’t something we manufacture; it is a gift of God.”

What Didn’t Christ Accomplish?

What Didn’t Christ Accomplish? – “He made certain that all his people would have everything we need to glorify God by being eternally happy in him.”

Losing Forgiveness

Losing Forgiveness – We have become a “quick to condemn and rush to judgment” society. Christians should not be so.

We Cannot Overestimate Heaven: Lessons on Happiness from Jonathan Edwards

We Cannot Overestimate Heaven: Lessons on Happiness from Jonathan Edwards – “There is only one conclusion to draw from this. There will never be so much as a millisecond in heaven when we are not exposed to yet another truth about God, another dimension of his majesty, an additional feature to his splendor and power and glory and strength.”

Preach Obadiah

Preach Obadiah – “Anyone who knows about terrorism should know about Obadiah. As should anyone who feels frustrated that injustice sometimes goes unpunished.”

The Mercy and Magnificence of Palm Sunday

The Mercy and Magnificence of Palm Sunday – The first word of Holy Week was “Hosanna!”, the next word was “Crucify Him!” but the final word was “He is risen!” 

The Stability of Our Times: Rooted in the Steadiness of Christ

The Stability of Our Times: Rooted in the Steadiness of Christ – “Have we ever ached for stability as much as we do now — for the semblance of some new normal, for a return, unmasked and undistanced, to human life?”

Savior, Lead Me

Savior, Lead Me – “It is a simple profession of confidence in God’s goodness and sovereignty and a simple consecration to his purposes.” This is a beautiful poetic expression.

The Mixed Multitude in Your Church and What To Do About Them

The Mixed Multitude in Your Church and What To Do About Them “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

The Startling Evidence Of A Changed Life

The Startling Evidence Of A Changed Life – “A life that is fundamentally changed by Jesus is evidence to those around you that Jesus is real. In fact, a consistent Christian life lived amongst non-Christians is probably the most convincing piece of evidence you can show someone that our faith is real.”

10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones

10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones – “Here are some good challenges for parents.”

The FAQs: The Fight Over the Filibuster

The FAQs: The Fight Over the Filibuster – Here’s what it is and why it might matter for issues of religious liberty in the days ahead.

Living in Harmony

Living in Harmony – “Let us ask that God grant His church to live in harmony with one another as we love and serve one another, both for His glory and so that the watching world can hear the sweet music of Christians dwelling together in unity.”

Avoid the Hot Takes

Avoid the Hot Takes – “Christians especially should be slow to speak. People are complicated. Explanations that focus only on external factors of race, gender, ethnicity, or legal requirements may miss the motivations that animate individual human beings.”

When You Are Tempted To Think You Are At War With Fellow Christians

When You Are Tempted To Think You Are At War With Fellow Christians – “Social media, online communication, and the speed of the news tempt us to vilify each other for clout, sales, or whatever else. Often, however, the real war is the war in heart—it deceives and tempts us.”

The Good Name of Our Neighbor

The Good Name of Our Neighbor – “Fellow believers in the church can be very careless with regard to our good name and reputation. This is especially tempting in a situation in which an individual has sinned or is thought to have sinned.”

They're Coming for Oral Roberts University, and that Means They Are Coming for You, Too

They're Coming for Oral Roberts University, and that Means They Are Coming for You, Too – “Oral Roberts just found itself accused of violating “basic values of human decency” by merely adhering to what biblical Christians believe and teach.”

The Ultimate Game-Changer

The Ultimate Game-Changer – “The resurrection of Jesus and why it scares people.”

Friendship Costs Considerably But Blesses Infinitely

Friendship Costs Considerably But Blesses Infinitely – “Here are three encouragements from the Bible to help us pursue real friendship.”

Embattled on All Sides, Does Religious Liberty Have a Future?

Embattled on All Sides, Does Religious Liberty Have a Future? – “We defend liberty not to protect people’s right to sin, but to protect their ability to live in accordance with their grasp of truth.”

Sometimes the Best Explanation Is ‘Forgive Me’

Sometimes the Best Explanation Is ‘Forgive Me’ – “Sin infects our syntax. It corrodes our word choice. We let it — even wield it. When will we learn?”

Holiness Begins in Intimacy with Jesus

Holiness Begins in Intimacy with Jesus – “The pull I feel with regard to holiness is really just one version of a common temptation: to try to live the Christian life without Christ. To replace discipleship with technique, worship with emotional hype, communion with a list of rules or spiritual practices.”

Asian American Sisters, God Lifts Your Heads High

Asian American Sisters, God Lifts Your Heads High – “I’ve come to realize that so much of my 22 years as an immigrant has been learning how to live with my head down.”

9 Things You Should Know About International Human Rights

9 Things You Should Know About International Human Rights – “Here are nine things you should know about how human rights developed into an issue of international concern.”

What Is the Gospel For?

What Is the Gospel For? – “First Corinthians 15 may be the clearest definition of the gospel in all the Bible.”

Burdening Ourselves to Death

Burdening Ourselves to Death – “We are more informed than ever, and simultaneously more stressed out and outraged than ever.”

 

Aim All You Have at Heaven: How God Inspires Ambitious Generosity

Aim All You Have at Heaven: How God Inspires Ambitious Generosity – “If we do not learn how to lay up treasures in heaven, we will inevitably settle for the treasures of earth — and miss out on something far more lasting and satisfying.”

Rejoice Together, Suffer Together, Repeat

Rejoice Together, Suffer Together, Repeat – “It is for the joy set before us to be conformed into his image, to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice for the glory of our king.”

Self-Driving Cars and the Resurrection

Self-Driving Cars and the Resurrection – “We can try to change our circumstances, locations, and relationships, but we can’t run from ourselves. I’ve found that whenever I try to run from me, I show up with me at the end of the run.”

Hot Takes Are Harming Us

Hot Takes Are Harming Us – “It’s not easy to follow James’ command to be ‘quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger’ in a world that rewards those quick to broadcast, slow to think, and quick to express the anger of the echo chamber.”

The Inspiring Legacy of Godly Women

The Inspiring Legacy of Godly Women – “Sometimes the future looks uncertain, the path ahead appears murky, and the faith to take a leap doesn’t come easy. It’s then that a glance at yesterday might be the best thing to push us into tomorrow.”

Many Out of One?

Many Out of One? – “What is being presented is not multicultural at all. Just as serial monogamy is another term for promiscuity, so this serial multiculturalism is a euphemism for what is, in effect, a new form of segregation.”

Delivered from the Tyranny of Emotions

Delivered from the Tyranny of Emotions – “My emotions have a place, and rightly so, as God made us to be feeling creatures, but my emotions shouldn’t have the final say about what is true in a situation.”

Seven Signs of Money Sickness

Seven Signs of Money Sickness – “Jesus identifies seven symptoms of money sickness in this story...”

The Equality Act, People of Faith, and Religious Freedom

The Equality Act, People of Faith, and Religious Freedom – “Anyone who maintains a traditional understanding of human sexuality, gender identity, and marriage will no longer be allowed to disagree out of good will and commitment to one’s beliefs but will treated as one guilty of discrimination.”

A Week of New-Heart Growth

A Week of New-Heart Growth – “We long for the Day when our hearts will only marvel at Jesus’ beauty, beat for his glory, and love with his kindness. By the power of your Holy Spirit—who now lives inside us, keep changing, healing, and freeing us. We crave a servant’s heart, a humble heart, a trusting heart.”

What Is Sweeter Than Honey?

What Is Sweeter Than Honey? – How about a theology of sugar?

Jesus Changed Everything for Women

Jesus Changed Everything for Women – “No wonder Christianity was so attractive to women. Jesus had changed everything.”

9 Things You Should Know About the Dead Sea Scrolls

9 Things You Should Know About the Dead Sea Scrolls – “Earlier this week, Israeli archaeologists announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing biblical texts...Here are nine things you should know about the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times.”

Do You Have Enough Faith to Be Kind?

Do You Have Enough Faith to Be Kind? – “When we fail to be kind to brothers and sisters in Christ, we are failing to trust God in some way, perhaps his power to change hearts or the sufficiency of his Word.”

How Can I Fight Sin Without Losing Sight of Christ?

How Can I Fight Sin Without Losing Sight of Christ? – “What Christ secured for us on the cross is not just pardon for sins, but God’s power to break the bondage to sinning.”

Pressing On Through Changing Seasons

Pressing On Through Changing Seasons – “As we reflect on the last couple of months, we notice who we are becoming through the chaos and the calm of life. Where we look for sources of truth will determine where we land up.”

Thy Way Is Best

Thy Way Is Best – “It is a simple but moving profession of faith amidst all of life’s circumstances.”

You Don’t Need to Understand Now

You Don’t Need to Understand Now – “In that one sentence, Jesus captures a profound reality that is our frequent, and to some extent continual, experience as Christians: not understanding what God is doing (or not doing) and why.” 

Should Christians Expect Only ‘Spiritual’ Blessings?

Should Christians Expect Only ‘Spiritual’ Blessings? – “The God who has blessed us in Christ won’t stop until all the earth is his and his people enjoy his presence forever.”

No Bitter Root

No Bitter Root – “Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, but sometimes I do. And sometimes I have to blot out the record because bitterness is a willing plant, ever ready to put down deep roots in my heart.”

Trust, But Verify, the Science

Trust, But Verify, the Science – “When people admonish me to Trust the Science, what I hear sounds less like science and more like faith. All too often, the people appealing to science aren’t asking me to accept a certain scientific conclusion about how the world works. They’re asking me to accept their preferred policy prescription for how to change it. That’s because science can only describe the universe.”

How My Mind Changed about End-of-Life Care

How My Mind Changed about End-of-Life Care – Biomedical ethics related to “end of life” scenarios are complicated in our modern world. This discussion looks at the issues involved.

To Those Who are Frustrated with the Church

To Those Who are Frustrated with the Church – “Set your expectations of the local church wisely. It’s hard enough for two sinners to make a good marriage. So how much harder is it for 200 sinners or 2,000 sinners to make a good church? When we see Him we will be like Him, but until then we are like a building under construction.”

Where’s the Lie?

Where’s the Lie? – Where will we put our trust? Here, the author shares why the Bible is more reliable than any other source of truth.

 

Where Do Christians Go When They Die?

Where Do Christians Go When They Die? – “There is a danger, then, that our ideas about heaven might have more to do with sanctifying what we currently love the most about this world than they do with what the Scriptures say about where we go when we die.”

What if…?

What if…? – “Have you ever asked yourself a ‘what if’ question as you think about the unknowns of the future?”

On Aging Well

On Aging Well – These are good reminders for those who might already be considered “age-d” and for those who are “aging”.

Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis

Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis – “We must prioritize sharing the gospel, even in challenging circumstances.”

Notifying Lazarus

Notifying Lazarus – “Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb by name lest all the dead arise!”

The Equality Act and the Rise of the Anti-Theological State

The Equality Act and the Rise of the Anti-Theological State – “The passage of the Equality Act would mean the death of religious liberty. It would force all religious institutions and citizens to prove to the government’s satisfaction that their convictions merit constitutional protection.”

How to Redeem a Wasted Life

How to Redeem a Wasted Life – “No one wants to waste his life — but what if you fear that you have? The thief who died next to Jesus on the cross, and lived a most ravaged and pitiful life two thousand years ago, stands out like a flower grown between cracks in the pavement, showing how, even on life’s final page, even in its final lines, a wasted life can be redeemed.”

Why Are You Breathing? It’s Not about You

Why Are You Breathing? It’s Not about You – “We are not the gravitational center of the universe. We’re in orbit around something else, around someone else. And I believe that this someone is God.”

Honoring Our Limits When We’re Limited on Time

Honoring Our Limits When We’re Limited on Time – “One secret to stewarding our time well is honoring our limits. We do this through embracing rest, turning to community, and practicing vulnerability.”

Satan’s Purposes in Your Suffering

Satan’s Purposes in Your Suffering – “The unrelenting blows of suffering can twist our hearts away from God. Satan has purposes for your life. Satan has intentions for your suffering.”

6 Questions about the Fear of God

6 Questions about the Fear of God – “I want you to rejoice in this strange paradox that the gospel both frees us from fear and gives us fear. It frees us from our crippling fears, giving us instead a most delightful, happy, and wonderful fear. 

Three Traits of a Disciple-making Disciple

Three Traits of a Disciple-making Disciple – “Peter and the disciples show us the three characteristics necessary to become a disciple-making disciple and be part of the unstoppable movement of the gospel around the world.”

Jericho’s Blind Beggar: Responding to the Bible’s Critics

Jericho’s Blind Beggar: Responding to the Bible’s Critics – Here is a good discussion of a complicated Bible question.

Grief Is An Exhausting Journey

Grief Is An Exhausting Journey – “In the valley, we have anchored our faith to three stabilizing truths drawn from three portions of Scripture.”

A Second Adam to the Fight and to the Rescue Came

A Second Adam to the Fight and to the Rescue Came – “There is more grace in Christ than there is sin in you. Just as Jesus towers above Adam, so too his grace towers above our failures. Praise our Lord Christ!”

Embracing the Butterfly Effect

Embracing the Butterfly Effect – “Perhaps the ‘butterfly effect’ finds no better test case than in our life of prayer. Many of us struggle to pray because its main activity is insubstantial, the One we are addressing is personally invisible, and the results are not readily quantifiable.”

Where He Met Me

Where He Met Me – “He said before His bodily presence left us. He dwells with us in Spirit now, filling us, holding us in the mysteries of this life before Life.”

Finding Hope in God’s Unfolding Plan

Finding Hope in God’s Unfolding Plan – “God will forever be glorified in us by our forever being satisfied in him.”

What Is Life’s Ultimate Good? Open Letter to an Atheist Loved One

What Is Life’s Ultimate Good? Open Letter to an Atheist Loved One – “God, then, created humans for his own purpose. Our purpose — the meaning of life — is also importantly objective, just as morality is: it is human-independent.”

State Court Rules Christian-College Professors Are Not Ministers

State Court Rules Christian-College Professors Are Not Ministers – This is a significant religious liberty challenge. It also speaks to how government sees Christians in their workplace.

Deconversion Is Not as Countercultural as You Think

Deconversion Is Not as Countercultural as You Think – “The far more radical—and truly countercultural—choice isn’t to abandon Christian faith. The radical choice is to keep the faith.”

How Is Christianity’s Message of Salvation Different from Other Religions? (Video)

 

How Is Christianity’s Message of Salvation Different from Other Religions? (Video) – Here’s a three minutes explanation that covers the topic well.

Better Than Starbucks: The Local Church and the Beauty of Place

Better Than Starbucks: The Local Church and the Beauty of Place – “We’ve grown to love non-places—airports, shopping malls, and chain restaurants that lack true human connection.”

An Encouragement to be More Encouraging

An Encouragement to be More Encouraging – “Jesus is returning, there is not time to lose, so…let us all grow in our encouragement.”

Ordinary Christian, You Have an Extraordinary Mission

Ordinary Christian, You Have an Extraordinary Mission – “Throughout the Bible we see ordinary, uneducated, blue-collar men and women answering Jesus’s call and doing extraordinary work by the power of the Spirit.”

Three Helpful Secrets for Putting Empathy to Work

Three Helpful Secrets for Putting Empathy to Work – “How do we convince ourselves to engage in compassionate acts for others?”

Your Body Will Be Whole: A Physician’s Meditations on Heaven

Your Body Will Be Whole: A Physician’s Meditations on Heaven – “The brokenness that afflicts the world also afflicts our earthly bodies, ushering us from the bloom of youth into pain, fragility, and ultimately the grave. For many of us, humiliation and pain, frustration and grief accompany us on our decline.”

Drowning in an Ocean of Encouragement

Drowning in an Ocean of Encouragement – “There are not many in this world who are at risk of drowning in an ocean of encouragement, of being swept away by a tsunami of cheer, of being pulled under by great waves of comfort.”

 

In the Name

In the Name – “A phrase like ‘in the name of Jesus’ is too crammed with meaning to be spoken with little awareness of what is being said.”

 

Five Truths About the Body of Christ

Five Truths About the Body of Christ – “The Bible’s teaching about the church isn’t easy to grasp. The church is a ‘mystery.’ It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can really begin to understand it at all. But God wants us to know who we are, and so He teaches us through pictures, analogies, and images.”

Who Is God?

Who Is God? – “When I turn from myself to these places where God has revealed himself — here’s what I see in answer to the question, Who is God?”

Not Born Ready: Why Jesus Went to High-Priest Training School

Not Born Ready: Why Jesus Went to High-Priest Training School – “Gethsemane didn’t happen in kindergarten.”

You Cannot Please God and People: Five Remedies for the Fear of Man

You Cannot Please God and People: Five Remedies for the Fear of Man – “The two passages are a several-sentence textbook on how to resist people-pleasing in any relationship, including at least five important lessons.”

How Can We Know God?

How Can We Know God? – “I’m going to point to five places where I hope you will look — not to me; look there — places where God has revealed himself to us to tell us who he is.”

The Right Fight

The Right Fight – “The issue is not whether we ought to stand up for our rights. Rather, the issue is why we fight so desperately for them. I fear that we, the American church, are more concerned with fighting for liberty than fighting against Satan. While I cannot reiterate enough how grateful I am for that liberty, I don’t want it to be my greatest treasure.”

Your Helper in Prayer: Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit

Your Helper in Prayer: Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit – “Rely on the Spirit to help you know what to say in prayer, and in the worst times, when you do not have the words or the strength to say anything, know that the Spirit is propping you back up into your chair so you can press on.”  

Don’t Quit on Your Friends

Don’t Quit on Your Friends – “Today I want to highlight some things that eternity can teach us about the nature of true love. By God’s grace and with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can apply this type of eternal love to any relationship, but today I want to particularly focus on our friendships.”

She Did What She Could

She Did What She Could – “‘She did what she could,’ Jesus said. She had taken her life savings in the form of perfume and anointed His head, weeping in gratitude for His love. For His gaze, noticing her in her ordinary life.”

Let Go of Lies About Heaven: Eight Myths Many Believe

Let Go of Lies About Heaven: Eight Myths Many Believe – “In an age when people try to make doctrines more appealing by ignoring or twisting biblical truth, here’s the irony—the true biblical doctrine of Heaven is far more attractive than the dull, inhuman view of the afterlife that has long prevailed in evangelicalism.”

God’s Presence is Our Safety

God’s Presence is Our Safety – “For those in Christ, the safest place to run to (the only place to run to, really) is none other than God’s presence.”

Like a Treasure Hidden

Like a Treasure Hidden – “Jesus is telling us, in no uncertain terms, that the kingdom is very valuable. It is also, apparently, very accessible. The man who found the treasure did not travel to a faraway galaxy. He didn’t change his situation. He went about his day and, to his surprise, dug up the treasure.”

Christians Fast Because Satan Is Hungry

Christians Fast Because Satan Is Hungry – “We fast because Satan is hungry, and his meal of choice is us.”

How to Spot a Cult

How to Spot a Cult – One great way to determine whether or not a group or message is cultic is by asking the question, “What do they believe about Jesus?”

An Elephant in the Room-Sized Post on Gluttony

An Elephant in the Room-Sized Post on Gluttony – We don’t live in a world where we are encouraged to stop consuming, be it food or anything else. In our culture’s estimation, there is no such thing as “enough.”

Our Most Destructive Assumption About Heaven

Our Most Destructive Assumption About Heaven – “If I could eliminate one belief about heaven, it would be the heresy that the physical world is an enemy of God’s redemptive plan rather than a central part of it.”

Offer Grace And Not Just Criticism

Offer Grace And Not Just Criticism – “They don’t see the wonder of Jesus but find something to criticize. And as is pointed out in the conversation that followed from this, their concern was not even a Biblical one but a tradition of the elders.”

How God’s Father-Love Could Change Your Life

How God’s Father-Love Could Change Your Life – “Too often our striving, our insistence on control, and our insecurity suggest that we have not truly grasped this magnificent truth, that God is our Father.”

To Souls Who Fall Asleep: Six Ways to Stay Awake to God

To Souls Who Fall Asleep: Six Ways to Stay Awake to God – “In the end, the call to sober-mindedness is a warning against spiritual sleepiness and laziness.”

The Dangers of Doomscrolling

The Dangers of Doomscrolling – “We know we inhabit a fallen world. We’re saddened, but not surprised, when our news feeds confirm our doctrine of sin. But it seems we’re drawn to observing this fallenness. We want to watch it. And so we scroll.”

 

Regeneration

Regeneration – “If you’ve not been born again/regenerated you cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3,5 which fulfils Ezekiel 36:25,26). If you don’t understand regeneration you will misunderstand the whole of the gospel.”

We Cannot Cling to Bitterness and God

We Cannot Cling to Bitterness and God – “And after you have forgiven, after you’ve been released from the prison of bitterness, you may be amazed at how quickly God begins to flood your life with the joy and peace you lost.”

Engaging Our Emotions, Engaging With God

Engaging Our Emotions, Engaging With God – “If you are surprised to hear that God actually wants you to draw near to him when you feel like you are an emotional mess, remember this: the Bible views emotions as fundamentally good. How do I know this? Because we are image bearers of God and he has emotions.”

A Case of the Simples: Beware

A Case of the Simples: Beware – “What are we to do in this complex world with its complicated problems while attempting to live out our profound faith?”

Render to God

Render to God – “According to Jesus, some things do belong to Caesar (though not everything Caesar thinks is his belongs to him).”

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking – “Positive thinking holds up in everyday struggles, but in the deepest and darkest times offers very little. The gospel, however, shines brighter than ever in the deep darkness.”

The Sin of Doing Nothing

The Sin of Doing Nothing – “For those of us who have settled down and grown pudgy, we have much to learn from the men of Reuben and Gad, two Israelite tribes who wavered on the brink of the Promised Land. They were tempted with the sin of omission...doing nothing.”

Why Did Jesus Choose Judas?

Why Did Jesus Choose Judas? – Here are some ideas.

How Can I Think About the Billy Graham Rule?

How Can I Think About the Billy Graham Rule? – “Jesus’s example models for us that interactions between people of opposite sexes who aren’t married is at least permissible, and at its best can be profitable.”

Live According to a Plumb Line, Not a Pendulum

Live According to a Plumb Line, Not a Pendulum – “The mistake is to follow the swing of a pendulum rather than adjust your position according to a plumb line.”

Is Paying Off Your Mortgage Wise Stewardship?

Is Paying Off Your Mortgage Wise Stewardship? – Here is a good list of pros and cons on both sides of the discussion.

Love Your Enemies

Love Your Enemies – “Think of that person in church who bothers you the most – the one whose Facebook posts drive you crazy, the one you try to avoid in the foyer, the one who is least like you and least compatible with you. Okay. Now that you have them in mind – commit to loving them.”

Why Do You Want to Go to Heaven?

Why Do You Want to Go to Heaven? – “We may imagine we want a thousand different things, but God is the one we really long for. His presence brings satisfaction; his absence brings thirst and longing. Our longing for Heaven is a longing for God.”

Adultery’s Lies: The unspoken heartaches

Adultery’s Lies: The unspoken heartaches

You’ve Got A Friend In Me

You’ve Got A Friend In Me – “When we forget eternity, we look to people to give us what only God can provide. This always leads to disappointment, frustration, criticism, and conflict. But because we don’t see our eternity amnesia, we are convinced that our friends are the problem and that they need to change, not us.”

Five Steps to Navigating Loss

Five Steps to Navigating Loss – “Helping people deal with seasons of loss is an important part of ministry. It’s not your job to explain all the tragedies of life. But you can give them a reason to hope.”

The Counsel and Care of the Elderly

The Counsel and Care of the Elderly – “While there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), ours is an increasingly narcissistic culture. This is nowhere more evident than in our disdain and disregard of the elderly.”

Finding the Confidence to Pray

Finding the Confidence to Pray – “Prayer is part of the plan for how God accomplishes his purposes in the world.”

Mothering In The Midst of Failure

Mothering In The Midst of Failure – “God didn’t choose us because we never fail: he chose us because he never fails. He is good, kind, loving, and merciful, and that is why he saved us.”

Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms

Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms – “As a way to take a small stand against such passive reading, I decided to be more active with two psalms—approach them as spiritual exercise and work up a sweat over them. “

The “Pivot” Away from Biblical Christianity

The “Pivot” Away from Biblical Christianity — Bethany Christian Services Announces It Will Not Hold to Biblical Definition of Marriage... “And the pivot, in this case, means capitulation.”

Divided Heart

Divided Heart – “A divided heart leads to ruin. Fragmented loyalties weaken resolve. Consider Solomon.”

Sin Is Cosmic Treason

Sin Is Cosmic Treason – “Every sin, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is an act of rebellion against the sovereign God who reigns and rules over us and as such is an act of treason against the cosmic King.”

It’s Okay to Be Hopeful

It’s Okay to Be Hopeful – “In Christ, we don’t let the growing hopelessness around us dampen our hope. And in him, we don’t apologize for having real hope, and being hopeful; we don’t give in to the pressure to stoop and be as cynical as our surroundings.”

Four Ways to Expand Your Student’s Social Awareness

Four Ways to Expand Your Student’s Social Awareness – “Social awareness is the ability to comprehend and appropriately react to both broad problems of society and interpersonal struggles. Being socially aware involves being aware of your environment, what’s around you, as well as being able to accurately interpret the emotions of the people with whom you interact.”

Remaining Faithful While We Wait

Remaining Faithful While We Wait – “Remaining faithful while we wait begins with daily surrender to God.”

Worship, Sorrow, and God-Exalting Grief

Worship, Sorrow, and God-Exalting Grief – This is a powerful personal testimony of loss, grief, and grace. “We cannot escape the grief, the sorrow, the deep inner pain, but we can still go to our God. And He will be more than enough.”

The Sovereign State Of Facebook vs. The World

The Sovereign State Of Facebook vs. The World – “Facebook’s 3 billion monthly active users, its mountain of money and its control over the flow of information all put the company on an equal footing with governments around the world — and, increasingly, it’s getting into fights with them.”

Should the Government Forgive Student Loans?

Should the Government Forgive Student Loans? – Here’s some perspective on a complicated topic.

Set Your Mind on Things Above: How to Live Heavenly Minded

Set Your Mind on Things Above: How to Live Heavenly Minded – “What does it mean to be heavenly minded? Not merely to live then and there, but to live now in light of then, here in light of there.”

Letter to a Young Christian Man

Letter to a Young Christian Man – “There are no shortcuts in the way of the cross.”

Homecomings

Homecomings – “God uses the picture of adoption to describe our grafting into His family.” 

4 Reasons Not to Move in with Your Partner

4 Reasons Not to Move in with Your Partner – “While Scripture doesn’t explicitly mention cohabitation, it offers guidelines for our modern age, when living with a partner before marriage is now commonplace. If you’re thinking about moving in with your partner, consider these four facts.”

I’m Likely Going to Prison — Now What?

I’m Likely Going to Prison — Now What? – “There will be a future and a hope that may seem impossible now, but nothing is too hard for the Lord.”

Turning Water to Wine

Turning Water to Wine – “To understand the overlapping symbolism of this miracle, we have to start not with the empty cups of wine at Cana, but with the shriveled vine of Israel.”

Help! I Don’t Like the Music at My Church

Help! I Don’t Like the Music at My Church – I definitely have my preferences and priorities and we all have them. How do we worship in song together? Here are some things to consider.

Evangelism Is Mercy Ministry

Evangelism Is Mercy Ministry – “Even the most fundamental of all gospel work—that of evangelism—is a ministry of mercy.”