"Watch your life and doctrine closely"
The sun provided the perfect counter-balance to the cold ocean waves washing the sand off my feet. From where I stood, there seemed to be an endless supply of water that stretched until meeting the blue sky in the distance. To my left, kids with boogie boards were laughing while trying to catch waves. The…
God has ingrained in us a desire for authentic and meaningful relationships. It’s therefore no surprise that we find great joy in living life deeply with those in our family, church and community. In these relationships we enjoy lots of laughs, make lots of memories, and always have a story to tell. No doubt, the…
Waiting. We’re terrible at it, aren’t we? We don’t like to wait for anything. What used to take forty-five minutes to bake can now be microwaved in two minutes. We want our internet fast and our shows on demand. I even thought about upgrading to a newer Keurig that can brew a cup of coffee…
One of the most disheartening aspects of the prosperity ‘gospel’ is that it makes little of God. Instead of being an almighty, perfect, satisfying, joy-giving and loving Father, it simply turns God into a cosmic Santa Clause. If we do ‘good’ (by having faith or claiming it) then he will give us what we want,…
In elementary school, it was always necessary to enter the playground armed with insults and “your mama” jokes. You never knew when an argument would break out and you would need to tear down not only your opponent, but also his mama. As children, disagreements weren’t solved by listening to an opponent’s view and engaging…
We know we need to pray. We know the Scripture commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). We know the forces of evil will do everything in their power to stop us from praying. We know all that, and yet we often find our prayer life lacking. Why? Perhaps the most common excuse…
If you’ve been married a while you know that couples fight. If you are ever around other human beings for any extended period of time, you know that eventually there’s a need for conflict resolution. It’s what happens when you put sinners together. At some point, there will be disagreement, hurt, or disappointment. Relationships will…
Having young children gives me an excuse to go to the movies and watch shows that I secretly want to watch but could never to go alone. We recently took our kids to watch Christopher Robin. Instead of the playful child of the 100-acre wood, Christopher Robin has grown up and become too busy for…
He tried to let it go, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Cain’s anger and jealously brewed within him leading to thoughts of harming his brother. In the midst of his internal struggle, the Lord confronted him: Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not…
Have you ever been in a conversation where everyone seemed to understand a certain phrase except you? You try to figure it out using context clues, but you can’t. You want to ask, but you’re too afraid it’s an elementary question you should know, so you just play along and act like you understand. Christians…