Category: CHRISTIAN LIFE
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...
Remember
The first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians contain only one imperative—that is, he only asks them to do one thing: remember. Other than that single instruction, mentioned in 2:11 and then repeated in 2:12, the first half of the letter is Paul’s list...
The Endless, Downward Spiral of Harbored Hurt
“A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.” (Proverbs 19:19) I lived for many years beside a very, very bitter man. The slightest issue would set him off. If any neighbor children’s...
To Whom Shall We Go?
When it happened, it took everyone by surprise. Another well-known Christian writer and speaker publicly renounced his faith in Christ, letting everyone know he no longer considers himself a Christian. It was very discouraging news for believers, especially since, in addition to betraying Jesus and his...
Living Like Lula: Making Friends with Unrighteous Wealth
We always honked on the final turn as we left Fordyce, my birthplace, for Warren, Arkansas, my mother’s birthplace. “Miss Lula” lived in the neat little White House there—Miss Lula, “the giver.” She earned this reputation because of her lifelong generosity. That’s the way I’ll always...
Commanding the Ravens: God’s Unexpected Provision
If we’re honest, our view of God’s provision for us is pretty narrow. Following typical western assumptions, we think that if we work hard at a good job, or any job, we will see a good return and be provided for. That’s how God does it—through...
