What happens to those who heed nature, law, and gospel to honor their parents? God blesses them: “…that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” God’s blessing for those who obey the fifth commandment takes shape in two forms: a long life and a good life. These... Continue Reading

“About 10 years ago, while I was on a mission trip, I got a compulsion to put Psalm 1 to music,” he said. He liked the tune, how the words were straight Scripture, and that it was different from the typical modern worship song. “I got this delusional idea to try to do them all,”... Continue Reading

“Life transitions remind me that identity is a complex topic and not something that can be reduced to one or two things, like being a wife and mother. There are many layers that make up who we are, but one most important layer is the foundation. What is the foundation of your identity?”   I... Continue Reading

“Condemning Trump and what he represents plays well to half of America. But isn’t the point of being a Red Letter Christian to follow Jesus, not gain the approval of the New York Times editors?”   Then why do Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne think that followers of Jesus would repudiate Donald Trump? Evangelicalism was... Continue Reading

Pol Pot believed human beings are blank slates who could, with enough force, be molded into any shape he chose. People don’t need friends they can trust or work that matters. To forge the “new socialist man” and enact his utopia, Pol Pot swept away the institutions of the old society—markets, businesses, churches, schools, as well... Continue Reading

“The New Testament mentions equality once or twice, but when it comes to social relationships, it is far more interested in concepts like oneness, commonness, partnership, union, and joint-inheritance. If you make all those passages about equality, you flatten their meaning.”   An Anglican man rang me out of the blue the other day to... Continue Reading

“In Scripture, memory has a similar formative power. The Bible depicts believers as being formed by their response to the revelation of God, and the divine Creator and Redeemer exhibits His holy character by His faithful remembering of the people whom He has created and promised to redeem.”   Memory of the past—whether corporate or... Continue Reading

“In October 1955, she was asked to transfer seven miles away to run an abandoned maternity and leprosy center in Nebobongo. Working with local Africans, Helen helped to transform the center into a hospital with 100 beds, serving mothers, lepers, and children, along with a training school for paramedics and 48 rural clinics.”   “God... Continue Reading

“My desire for my two children to turn out to be a Godly young man and woman has actually become an idol. Is this desire appropriate? Of course! However, when I find myself striving and stressing over implementing a rigid parenting regime so I can ensure that my children will turn out spiritually perfect, something... Continue Reading

“A crucial litmus test of the authenticity of our theology is where it ultimately leads us. Since God relates to us in the totality of our being – not merely as disembodied mind or spirit – then theology will always reflect those wider dimensions. God’s purpose for the church is that she may ‘be to... Continue Reading