Clik here to view.
A Letter to the Caliph
Background: The latest headline-making iteration of Islamic terror is the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which split with Al-Qaeda in 2010 because (believe it or not) Al-Qaeda was too timid...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Three Ways Our Deeds Relate to Our Salvation
One effect of close attention to Scripture is that sweeping generalizations become problematic. This is notably true of the way our works (including our attitudes and words and behavior) relate to our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Am I in Trouble?
It’s not just a question from the mouth of a disobedient toddler.It’s the same question that many of us ask when we think about opening God’s word after an absence of days, weeks, or months.“How can I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Journal As a Pathway to Joy
Maybe you’ve never thought of journaling as a spiritual discipline.It’s seemed like something only for the most narcissistic of introverts, or cute for adolescent girls, but impractical for adults....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Own Your Desperation
Don’t be fooled by the world’s paradigm for leadership, or the whisper of your indwelling sin.We cringe at the thought of being seen as needy and coming off as desperate. Especially in positions of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OCD and the Death of the Christian
For better or worse, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has tumbled into popular culture as a label for our uptight and detail-minded acquaintances. Many of us know someone who is OCD about his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Majesty of the Teacher in the Sermon on the Mount
One of the first books I read in seminary was The Riddle of the New Testament by Edwyn Hoskyns and Noel Davey. The riddle was this: How did Jesus himself relate to the teachings of the New Testament?...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Van Gogh That Breaks My Heart
Vincent van Gogh aspired to become a Calvinist pastor, like his dad.He pursued ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church until he hit a roadblock by failing his academic training, and then experienced what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stumbling into the Future
Macy’s department store had men’s summer suits on sale for $6.95, which shoppers could top off with cool straw hats for a low price of $1.59.For readers of the Sunday edition of the New York Times on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
God Works Wonders
We’ve all seen some kind of concert put on by kids. Either at church or school, most people have been to a children’s assembly of some sort. The kids, the smaller the better, line up as the teacher...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Caring for the Anxious Pastor-in-Waiting
“What do I do while I wait?” It’s a question I’ve heard dozens of times.Trained men, ready to rumble for the gospel, can sometimes find they lack immediate opportunity to fulfill their ministry dream....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Joy Will Come
I received unexpected news recently. The kind of news that made my heart hurt and tears burn my eyes. I felt the pressure of its weight on my entire being. David’s words in Psalm 6 mirrored the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Incalculable Wonder of Being a Christian
Being a Christian means experiencing the supernatural every day. Living as new creatures in Christ is amazing beyond calculation (Galatians 6:15).The fact that many believers do not know this, and do...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Single Man’s Journey to Sexual Happiness
It was afternoon New Year’s Day and I was sitting in my room, sad and alone. I had met another girl, and I could already tell that pursuing her would lead to another failed relationship. The more I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Five Ways to Flourish in Journaling
Good journaling is not just an exercise in introspection, but a pathway for joy— and a powerful tool in the hands of love.Perhaps you’re sold on the potential spiritual value of the discipline of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You Don’t Have to Know a Lot of Things
Polymaths are people who know a lot about a lot of things (think Leonardo Di Vinci, the quintessential “Renaissance man”). They are the Enlightenment demigods. They are the Ben Franklins and the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Your Wedding Is Still Something Worth Wanting
Maybe marriage isn’t all that great after all.When divorce rates are high and the surviving marriages around us seem broken, messy, and unhappy — and there are plenty of other good things to keep us...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Swimming in Winter
Now and then we print a poem. You might wonder what we think poetry is. Here’s my definition.Poetry is an effort to awaken or intensify, and usually to share, a moving experience by using language that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Priceless Grace of Pressure
Pressure is one of the more resented of God’s graces.I’m not wired to appreciate pressure. But I am wired to need it. I find that when the pressure is on, I often wish it were off. But I also find that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What We Learn from Nude Reality TV
G.K. Chesterton said public nudity is never practical, except on occasions that are entirely artificial. So nude reality TV, it seems, was unavoidable.Several current shows point the camera at the...
View Article