Category: CHRISTIAN LIFE
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...
The Necessity of Meditation: When Skimming Through Just Won’t Do
Do you ever find yourself scanning quickly through a lengthy email? Do you ever not do that? What about other reading in your life? Are you able to read and think about a subject for an extended period? Jon Bloom points to one of the reasons...
Three Keys to Achieving Christian Harmony
Imagine a group of young children playing together without selfishness or unkindness, without one child pouting and complaining if things don’t go her way, without another feeling bullied or excluded, and all without constant parental intervention. You’re probably thinking, “I’ve never seen that kind of natural...
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”...
A Valentine Form Jimmy
Valentine’s Day brings back some strange memories for me. I’m especially haunted by the fact that after signing my batch of Valentines on the night before the classroom exchange I would invariably inscribe some with “Form Jimmy.” I hated that. I knew the difference between “Form”...
What Are Lies, and Where Do They Come From?
A lie is an intentional misrepresentation of the facts with the goal of deceiving another person for personal benefit. Lies are usually spoken (or written), but words are not necessarily required. The sin of lying can be committed using silence, feigned ignorance, deceptive facial expressions, or...
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...
Where Do Your Convictions Come From?
All true Christians agree on the most important doctrinal beliefs—the ones that actually classify us, through belief in them, as Christians (for example, the identity of Jesus as the divine Son of God, his literal death and bodily resurrection, salvation by grace alone through faith in...
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...
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...
