Christian Life
Honesty: The Means to Having More of God
So how do honesty and grace connect? The grace of God is the very thing that allows us to be honest with God. If it were not for His grace – the combination of his unconditional love and his unrelenting mercy – we would not be able to say the things to God we need to say. Because He...
How to Love a Prostitute and The Way God Loves Me
Perhaps one of the most unique of all the Minor Prophets is Hosea. Within the Bible pages is an unhappy love story that illustrates the loyal love of God and the spiritual adultery of Israel. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, is used as a reflection of Israel and its wicked and sinful state that is so vastly contrast from God’s holiness....
Words: The Currency of Honesty
Being honest means that we use words to express what reality is to us (more feeling to fact). On the other hand, hypocrisy (or image management, as I call it) means that we use words to cover up what reality is. In the world of honesty words are the currency. However, there are many counterfeit expressions that have been...
If Your Life Was a Newspaper, What would I Read?
In our Christian faith, it is normal to say, “Praise the Lord” for something good that happens. It is normal to pray for someone in pain. It is normal to quote Jeremiah 29:11 when someone is not sure what their life is all about. Bu it is not normal to be honest. One time I was sitting at a Claim...
Anger Makes Us to Do Crazy Things
A few nights ago I was at a restaurant with my wife and her sister. As we arose from the table I noticed the two guys sitting behind us checking out my sister-in-law. I overhead them making crass comments about her what they would like to do with her if they ever got the chance. My sister-in-law is an...
The Blind Preacher Who Saw Quite Well: A Short Bio of George Matheson
Some of the people who have impacted me the most in this life are those who have already passed from it. The preachers and writers of old have recorded deep thoughts about God that still echo through the generations and continue to proceed from their grave. One of those men is George Matheson, otherwise known as “The Blind Preacher.” In 1842...
Afraid of God or Fear God?
My brother said to me, “I think that I am afraid of God more than I fear God.” This honest statement echoed within my own soul. I contemplated the way I view God and the shallow attempts I make to appease Him in order to somehow restrain He wrath. There are things I say – or don’t say to...
Do Angels Really Exist?
Timidly she approached me after all the other youth had emptied the room. Her question was nothing to be embarrassed of, yet she still hesitated asking it. She slowly muttered, "My friends tell me that angels are not real… that they only exist in movies n’ stuff." Then, in a sort of whisper so no one would hear her,...
Cutting to the Soul: A Manifesto to Not Follow Ms. Abramovic’s Example
Sometimes you just gotta call things what they are. The sky is blue, the grass is green and Ms. Abramovic (Ah-BRAH-moe-vitch) is sick. Ms. Abramovic is a world renowned artist from Yugoslavia. This 60 year old woman’s portfolio of artistic accomplishments does not include any pieces that you would hang on your living room wall. Her art is perverse because...
How to Talk to a Teenager
Have you ever had your teen just sit there and stare at you when you are trying to talk to them? You swear they aren’t even hearing a word you are saying and all they’re doing is sitting with their jaw dropped open as if they are doing their best cod-fish impression. Taking to a teen can be hard,...
Jesus Saves from Punishment & Sin
George McDonald, one of C.S. Lewis’s favorite authors, once wrote: “Jesus did not come to save us from our punishment; He came to save us from our sin.” This is a quote that I wrote down years ago because I was astonished by its simplicity and sheer brilliance. However, I do disagree with McDonald to an extent. Jesus did come to save us...
Relying on Christ Requires Faith
Dwight Robertson once said, “The greatest gift you can give the world is your own intimacy with Christ.” Yet all too often we think that we can leave a mark on this world by our own efforts. Though we may not admit it to anyone else, including ourselves, we all too often are falsely confident in our own talents and...