American culture has become a mixing bowl for two ingredients that are devastating when combined together. And the church—especially my generation—has not escaped the devastation. Most men have turned women into objects of lust who only serve to satisfy sinful desires. And most women have bought the lie, doing their best to become the most … More A Downward Spiral: The Deadly Blend of Body-Image and Lust
My friend Sarah Dyer responded to my post about Hebrews 11 and the signatures and verses in my Bible by quoting 1 Corinthians 15:58 as her verse and asking me what verse I would write. I would write Matthew 5:8 — “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” There are two things … More What Verse Would I Write?
FoolishBlog Post #2 I was going to comment on Scott’s post about spiritual warfare but decided to turn my comment into a separate post. It is frightening that we in the West have to hear the testimony of those who have traveled to other continents in order to be convinced of the straightforward truth of Ephesians … More Overt Covert: Thoughts on Spiritual Warfare in America
I love Hebrews chapter 11. It’s sandwiched between the end of chapter 10 and the beginning of chapter 12, both of which speak of endurance. This means that faith (11) is the meat in the sandwich of endurance (10 and 12). To use another metaphor, the writer is saying that faith is the fuel that … More My Hebrews 11
This is going to be a long post. If you prefer short posts or only have so much time right now, try reading the next three paragraphs and then decide if you want to keep reading, come back later, or skip it. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, countless media reports, news stories, and political … More Hurricane Katrina: “Has Not the Lord Done It?
My pastor preached on slander this morning from James 4:11-12. More accurately, he preached against slander from James 4:11-12. “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer … More The Intricacies of Slander
When I wrote my previous post about Tuesday’s challenging seminary experience, I had no idea what the Lord had in store for me today. Today it was my turn to preach in Preaching Lab. So I preached. At least I thought I preached. Apparently, my sermon resembled “a good chapter in a book” or “a book report,” but not … More Don’t Wing It: Thoughts on Exercising Your Gifts
I started seminary classes today (for the third year). Preaching Lab and chapel in the morning, and Ordination Prep in the afternoon. Ordination Prep is meant to prepare us for the process of pastoral ordination, especially in terms of Bible knowledge. Ordination, especially at Grace Community Church, is rigorous, comprehensive, and intimidating. And it should … More A Seminary Pop Quiz and the Need to be Challenged
Returning TMC students come back to campus and move into their dorm rooms today. There’s an interesting situation in Hotchkiss Hall. Hotchkiss Hall is a dorm that’s two stories tall and built in the shape of an “H.” There are four wings for girls on one side of the H, and four wings of guys … More Hotchkiss Housing: “It Is More Blessed to Give than to Receive”
A lot of people died this summer. A lot of people die every summer, but what I mean is that a lot of people that I knew died in the past few months – more than during any other period of my life that I can remember. Stephanie Wood/Perfect and family. John Bower. Lynda Varner. Bethany Rehrer and … More “House of Mourning”: A Meditation and a Poem
I learned something tonight. Something very simple, and something that many people already practice, no doubt. But as always with me, the overall lesson was greater than the immediate lesson. During the summer, the church we’re a part of has dinner together every Sunday night. Tonight we had StoneFire. During the service, an offering was … More Ready to Give
This is one of the sporadic August postings. I’m up late tonight because I took a nap this evening. Also, based on a few gracious comments I’ve received (thanks to those of you who spoke/wrote – it’s encouraging), it seems like it’s beneficial to keep writing. I’m very blessed to have the study/office that I have in our … More My Study, and a Prayer by John Piper
There wasn’t really a “Humility – Part 1”, but since my last post was about one of my recent lessons in humility and since I came across this humility-focused post by Tim Challies, I figured his could qualify as a “Part 2” of sorts. It’s called “The Greatest Sinner I Know.” Don’t read it lazily. Tim writes: I am … More “The Greatest Sinner I Know” – Humility (Part 2)
My five-month-old nephew Jackson is here visiting us (with his mother, of course). As you might expect, he is amazingly cute. I am not often around children his age. I wish I were more. A natural sense of compassion grips your heart when you’re around children of Jackson’s age. Usually this compassion takes the form of goofy faces, unintelligible and … More Good to be an Uncle: Lessons from My Nephew
There’s a very inspiring post by Scott Zeller at FoolishBlog called “That One Who Should Live in My Time.” It’s very much worth taking the time to read.
Time to post again. I thought that my online writing would become relegated to a website, but it’s hard to get away from the type-and-click efficiency of the blog. It’s both convenient and dangerous. Two related blessings have gotten me thinking about convenience and its effect on the Christian life. Those two blessings are (1) recorded Christian … More The Danger of Convenience
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