People who remain connected with their brothers and sisters in the local church almost invariably grow in self understanding, and they mature in their ability to relate in healthy ways to God and to their fellow human beings. This is especially the case for those courageous Christians who stick it out through the often messy... Continue Reading

Remember the goals you are trying to achieve, and don’t give up no matter how discouraged you may be at any given moment. Keep your focus in the face of obstacles and consider the good that will come from your efforts.   Resolutions for the new year are easy to make but not always so... Continue Reading

The Spirit arrived with force and clarity. Voices rose at once, shaped by languages that had never passed through these mouths. Praise spilled without instruction. I recognized the sound immediately. My chest tightened. I had heard it before in Jerusalem. My companions heard it too. I watched their faces change as understanding reached them.  ... Continue Reading

It can be easy to keep your prayers at a surface level out of fear of admitting weaknesses or because you’ve practiced covering up in other conversations. Yet God already fully knows you, he’ll never sin against you, and he wants to help you.   One of my closest friends moved across the country. I’ve... Continue Reading

God’s thoughts soar as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth. So “do not lean” on your own way of thinking. “Lean” means “rely”—don’t rely on your mind, strength, righteousness, works. Put your weight totally on God in Christ.   How precious it is to know that the God who created and... Continue Reading

You purify the outside of the cup, but inside you’re full of impurity. You’re blind! You’re lying to yourselves! First purify the inside of the cup, and then you’ll be the right kind of pure on the outside. Outside purity without inside purity is no purity at all. So, what does it mean to be... Continue Reading

His daughter was dead. Had Jesus only responded more quickly. Had Jesus set aside the woman and sensed the urgency that was there, maybe it would have ended differently. Why would Jesus heal this woman and allow his daughter to die? I have struggled with these same questions. I have experienced the disappointment that comes... Continue Reading

Let’s instruct people that the Bible’s promises are not magical, mechanical, or automatic. But let’s also euthanize the false and confusing reflex that communicates that, because proverbs are not mechanical, they are not “promises.” Stating the matter that way has only misled people and created worse problems than those we attempted to solve.   It’s... Continue Reading

Those who seek stability and unity [in the PCA] would do well to set aside their preferences and rely on the plain reading of our standards, without resorting to word games or excessive subtlety. Pushing the practice envelope and engaging in ecclesial disobedience in protest of our agreed polity cannot promote peace; these things can... Continue Reading

It is right to be intentional in how we live. If we don’t think about what we are doing, nothing will ever be different from how it is right now.   It’s that season when many of us think about how next year will be different to this one. Many make some form of New... Continue Reading