There are lots of resources out there about the dangers of porn—what it does to your brain, and the evil inherent in the industry—which goes far beyond just people having sex in front of cameras. I won’t rehash all the statistics about pornography or the various mechanisms people...

God’s Word is a gift to be cherished, heeded, and heralded by God’s people. When we hold the Bible, we hold the word of God. This should be taken seriously.

In the summer of 2017, I was sent to Germany to join a missionary couple supported by my church. From June until August I had...

I know, you read that title and may be thinking to yourself: “What sort of friendship is passive?” I can explain, but first, let’s look at sanctification and active friendship.

Sanctification, as Wayne Grudem writes in Systematic Theology, is “a...

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

It’s sobering to acknowledge how my regrets have changed. At age 25 or so, if you had asked me to name...

Which element of prayer is harder to practice? Confession or thanksgiving? This would seem to be an easy question to answer. The confession of sin is obviously more difficult than the offering of thanksgiving, right? Not necessarily. Pride makes our flesh resist both elements.

• A proud heart...

Since news of the killing of John Allen Chau at the hands of Sentinelese islanders became public, the blog and Twittersphere have been ablaze with opinions about the actions that lead to his death. Should Chau be lionized as a heroic Christian martyr, or should his memory be pilloried as a...

Hebrews 2:10-18 says,

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to...

Most people today have heard of Henry VIII and his six wives. Countless books, television series, and movies have documented and reenacted the conspiracies, adulteries, and executions surrounding the House of Tudor. It is no exaggeration that Henry and his wives are some of the most famous...

No parent likes to be tired. God created us to need rest to function and raise up our kids another day. A good night’s rest is a gift, and we see this more clearly when it’s lacking—and let’s be honest: For most parents, quality sleep is often lacking

When the nights are...

Lift Her Chin With Love

Greg Morse writes about men beholding beauty in their wives in a godly way. He shares about combating against the world's standards for beauty and pointing to the deeper reality of the beauty God creates. 

"Jesus And Me" Christianity

"It’s time to remember that your...

Backsliding is easy.

Going with the flow only requires letting go.

Our old nature seems to be our default nature.

Knee-jerk reactions seem to be our only reactions at times.

Should we expect it to be any different? I was having a conversation with a friend during a discipleship time when he asked...

“I hope that everyone gets to rich and famous and have everything they ever wanted so they could see it isn’t the answer.”

This quote, most often attributed to actor Jim Carrey, has become a popular meme on social media over the last few years. Its frequent sharing is rather...

"Thou art all fair, my love."-- Song of Solomon 4:7

The Lord's admiration of his Church is very wonderful, and his description of her beauty is very glowing. She is not merely fair, but "all fair." He views her in himself, washed in his sin-atoning blood and clothed in his meritorious righteousness,...

Memory from trauma is an unpredictable beast—lying dormant for weeks, months, or years. Then, without warning, it rears its head. The untamed roar breaks into our consciousness and temporarily severs our hold on the present. We lose our grip—suddenly launched back to a time we wish we...

I’m sitting in my office working on my sermon for Sunday. The text is Malachi 1:2–5, and it’s about God’s love. A softball, right? Not really. This text deals with the “love” of choosing, the “hate” of rejection, and the Lord being angry with a people...

Do you love Christ?

Let’s start to answer that question by asking another: Is love something you feel, or something you do?

Love is undoubtedly seen in action, even when feelings are fugitive. We all believe we should obey the Lord even if our heart isn’t necessarily warm toward...

We feel, therefore we are.

That seems to be the cultural mantra we are all living under whether we recognize it or not. We use that gauge to determine nearly every decision we make, from the restaurant we want to eat at for lunch, to the person we choose or do not choose to remain married...

Several years ago, an article in Popular Mechanicsreported that forensic scientists had reconstructed the “real face of Jesus.” Their reconstruction differed sharply from the typical portraits of Jesus that portrayed Christ with graceful features, light skin and flowing, brown...

“Feeling good is overrated.” Those were the words of a sports psychologist speaking to a group of athletes. He was explaining that focusing on feeling good to perform well is problematic for any athlete. Occasionally, an athlete feels great, is in the zone, and perform at their highest...

Pastors are called to preach sermons, not deliver rants. Too often God’s people are subjected to the latter, but it is the former they truly need. This distinction struck me several years ago while co-preaching a conference with several other pastors.

I sensed we were in for a rant when one of...

There is a picture of me when I was little in the high school wrestling room where my dad coached. In the photo, I’m sitting down on the wrestling mat with my legs crossed, drinking a chocolate milkshake. But what strikes me as I look at it now, many years later, is the fact...

Just as the gospel of justification by faith in Christ alone was the central message of the Reformation, so the preaching of the Word was central to the work of the Reformers. Like the Apostles, the Reformers gave themselves to the ministry of the Word. Preaching came to be recognized early in the...

Do you know that the devil is fully aware of your weaknesses? He knows your particular blind spots, your vulnerabilities. He knows which sins you struggle with the most. He knows what things irritate you, frustrate you, and distract you. He knows exactly what desire or longing is specific to your...

My life is like a swinging pendulum. My constant aim is to keep my pendulum in the middle, centered on the gospel, but every day it swings one way or the other. Conviction will come, my pendulum will fall into balance as I repent of it, but by the next day my pendulum has swung into sin on the...

Talking With Our Children About Homosexuality 

Lucy Olson writes that we cannot avoid conversations about sexuality with our children. However, she explains how to have the conversation and how to "build bridges" to those who live different lives than us. 

2 Dangers In Doing The Lord's Work

W...