Category: Christian Living

Surrender Where You’re Planted

Early in the summer as I was leaving my Dad’s farm I noticed a grouping of small plants near the edge of the cornfield close by the house.  In an area about the size of a tennis court, the plants were all about half the size...

From Achan to Zacchaeus

This is the story of a boy who could have been named Achan. You remember Achan, probably the most infamous example of coveting in the history of Israel. He was the man who, during the conquest of Jericho, coveted and took forbidden items from that city....

Crumbs of Mercy

The Gentile woman’s daughter was demon-possessed. Having heard about Jesus from others and learning that he was in her region of Tyre and Sidon, she came and begged him to cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus’ response at first sounds less than gracious, even harsh: “Let...

Jesus’ Counter-Cultural Love

How do you define love? In our age of indulgence, many define love this way: giving another person what he wants, regardless of what may be best for him. For example, if a 30-year old pregnant woman wants to murder her unborn child because she doesn’t...

Memorizing Scripture with a Sanctified Hissing Sound

Have you ever wondered what certain renowned theologians are like behind the scenes in the privacy of their homes? Justin Poythress, son of New Testament scholar Vern Poythress, reflects back on his childhood and takes us inside his house to share about his “different” and “godly”...

Under the Sun: Joy, not Gain

In an attempt to regain some of what has long been lost in my very average brain, I’ve been slowly reading a book about American history. I have learned this: It is much more interesting now than when I was in high school!  Something that I...

Judge Pyncheon in the Chair: Death with Eyes Open

“This was to have been such a busy day!” Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, the antagonist in The House of Seven Gables, died with his eyes wide open while sitting in a chair. This striking event filling one entire chapter in the classic by Nathaniel Hawthorne surprises the...

How God Uses Our Worst Seasons

What’s the worst thing that has ever happened to you? The thing that you feel is too big for God to make any sense of; that no good can ever come from such tragedy? God can turn anything into anything, if we follow Him. Joseph was...

Jesus is the Only One Who Will Never Leave Us

Earlier this year, my family moved from our almost ten year home in Kansas City. We left our church, our friends, and a big part of our ministry. Until our move, I was privileged to serve alongside five other men on a team of elders in...

I Awake, and I am Still with You

I like to know the direction I’m facing—the cardinal direction. If I’m facing north, I want to know it. If the road is headed mostly southwest, I want to know it. Sometimes when I travel, I awake in the middle of the night and don’t know...