One of the greatest needs wives and children have — and all the more in our relentlessly distracting age — is dad’s countercultural attentiveness. Perhaps human attention never has been more valuable. Today the largest corporations in the world no longer compete for oil, but for human attention. And when attention is short and scarce, one... Continue Reading

I learned long ago that what is important to Jesus ought to be important to me. If this principle is true, then we must think intentionally about money, just as he did. If Jesus died to redeem every aspect of us—as we mentioned before—then the gospel affects our pocketbooks. As his gospel transforms our life,... Continue Reading

Why is the Son of God taken for granted in the visible church today? Only because sin is taken lightly. The rediscovery of the glory of Christ’s salvation is our most pressing need. The most mature man of God needs a fresh vision of Jesus Christ so that he cries out, “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”... Continue Reading

My concern, of course, is that way too many of us function primarily undercover. We fail to engage often as followers of Christ. However, different than FAMs who function best and keep everyone else safer if they stay undercover, when we do that as Christians, we actually jeopardize those around us.   Federal Air Marshals... Continue Reading

Ebenezer harbored serious doubts about religion. When, after graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he was licensed to preach and ordained to the small rural parish of Portmoak, he could only do so mechanically and without passion, fixing his eyes on a stone on the wall in front of him. He found mentions of Christ... Continue Reading

This important question deserves a much longer answer than the one I will briefly present in this article. Here I want to take up one particular aspect of this question, which will undoubtedly be asked at some point in the life of a Reformed church: should we only be singing the psalms? Certain church orders... Continue Reading

The Bible promises while God opposes those who are proud, He “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; cf. Ps. 138:6; Prov. 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Humility, then, is an emptying of self; it is a dying to self (see Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20). Paul exhorted the Philippian church to manifest humility in their dealings... Continue Reading

Nothing in us is motivational, and nothing we can do can pay Him back. The only part we have in grace is the receiving of it: “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-10). And what... Continue Reading

Before I can rejoice, I need to lament. This step is critical because it is only through acknowledging and grieving my pain that I’ve experienced God’s presence and comfort. Without this step, my words may sound spiritual and even eloquent, but they are disconnected from my life — I’m left feeling empty and alone. I... Continue Reading

It has been said that humility is standing at our full height next to God at his full height—and that means standing next to others at their full height too. When you are in a situation of conflict, are you ready to give due credit to your (actual or potential) opponents? Paul is clear that... Continue Reading