Category: Christian Living

Careless Conduct

I didn’t pay careful attention. We changed insurance carriers, and the new company denied my diabetes medicine that had been keeping my blood sugar levels in check. I temporarily switched to some “over-the-counter” insulin to use occasionally when my blood sugar spiked. But I was careless....

Pursue Love

Two simple words forming one simple command lead the way in Paul’s introduction to 1 Corinthians 14 — the chapter best known for Paul’s instruction about spiritual gifts in the meetings of the local church. “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts . . .”...

Two Men Worthy of Imitation

The NBA’s annual slam dunk contest was epic when I was a boy. It’s hard to imagine it getting better than the immense power of Dominique Wilkins versus the insane athleticism of Michael Jordan! They were spectacular examples for me. Of course, I don’t mean I...

An Enemy Has Done This!

When Jesus told his parable about the weeds growing alongside the wheat, he exclaimed, “An enemy has done this!” It was so. Good seed had been sown, but the workers found weeds growing among the grain which at the time were nearly indistinguishable to the laborers....

Moses on Marriage

Moses, the biblical author of Genesis to Deuteronomy, contemplating God’s creation of man and woman, wrote perhaps the single most important sentence about marriage found anywhere in the Bible: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they...

Strategic Hospitality (Without Grumbling, but Possibly With Eggs)

When I was a boy, we didn’t lock our house during the day, even if we left. Those were the “good ol’ days.” I’m sure security at my parents’ house has changed. We also had an if-you-show-up-we’ll-have-some-dessert-for-you policy. I’m positive that hasn’t changed. I’m thankful to...

Book Fire!

I love this old photo. How we need knowledge and the best wisdom of the ages! Making books available for children, for instance, is a critical work for creating an orderly and educated society. One wonders, with the advent of social media, if this is still...

Yes, Bear Burdens—But Must They Bear Mine?

I once met a man who had suffered a near fatal gunshot wound in the crossfire of others in downtown Chicago. He was paralyzed for the remainder of his life. His wife had to care for him every day and in every way. Yet, in the...

Now that Philippians is (Almost) Committed to Memory: Ten Ideas to Help You Memorize Larger Sections of Scripture

“The thing that you do crowds out the thing that you might have done.” That was a line I heard in a message this summer at a youth camp for multiple churches. It was said in a message about Enoch walking with God, and connected to...

Your Very Worst Problem

Death is not the worst thing that can happen to you. The worst thing that can happen to you, or to any human being, is to die on the wrong side of God’s judgment. As Jesus said of Judas after he exposed himself as a greedy...