Be careful who’s influencing you. Be careful of a gradual drift away from Jesus and his people. Do not be ashamed of Jesus, his message, or his people.   Whenever a crisis hits, as it seems to a lot these days, I see a quote from Mr. Rogers posted on the Internet. It’s a good... Continue Reading

Various aspects of American culture troubled him: teenagers openly showing disrespect for their elders, a public school system that he thought was a training ground for unbelief, the fact that many Americans retired without pensions, and so on. The most troubling aspect of American culture, though, by some way, was its deep-seated racism.   Herman... Continue Reading

It’s hard for us today to conceive how the arguments in favor of slavery could have gained ground in the church, but they did. Some justified it on the basis of presumed lesser intellectual capacities of the Africans, and went as far as saying that slavery was an improvement of their condition. But every man,... Continue Reading

When questions about what is right, what is good, and what is responsible are swirling above our heads like gnats, we still follow a resolute and decisive Savior. We can find, in Jesus, the absolute clarity we are longing for right now.   Certainty is in short supply these days. For weeks upon weeks, we... Continue Reading

In the greatest of ironies, a recent issue of “Harvard Magazine” has condemned parents being at home with their children all day, even while the governments across America have now required it for the past several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My efforts to recast homeschooling in a less-threatening light are rooted in two... Continue Reading

The fact that I can sit here and write words about the illusion of time and cosmic tyranny and the growth and decay of flesh means that I am at minimum very aware of the world around me and of myself.   I have been alive for 32 years. Which itself is a weird thing... Continue Reading

It’s clear we are all exiles. We live in a world broken by sin. And while sometimes we enter a situation of exile because of our own sinful actions, it’s at least as common if not more that the deep frustration of exile comes upon us due to the brokenness that mars all parts of... Continue Reading

The world is on fire in 2020. It was in 1969 as well. It’s easy to focus on the negative. And we should rightly call out injustice. But we should also pause to reflect on what is good.   In July 1969, three American astronauts landed on the moon. It wasn’t just a great technical... Continue Reading

The end is not greater than the means. Personal feelings are not greater than God’s standards. Pragmatism fails us as individuals, institutions, and as humanity.   Let’s be unequivocal. Doing wrong is never right. Two wrongs do not make a right. The ends do not justify the means. Grateful for the Peaceful Protests I’m glad... Continue Reading

Throughout the centuries, churches have in various seasons been unable to meet due to persecution, geography, pandemics, or other limitations. God wasn’t worried then, and he’s not worried now. His plans will not be thwarted or undone. Because God made the church to gather.   Only God could have ordained that I would be writing... Continue Reading