We don’t typically associate hardship with joy. It is only when we see the hand of God behind the hardship and with us in it, that we count it all joy. Joy is not something merely to be experienced; it is to be enacted, brought to bear. And not by way of putting on a... Continue Reading

My father has always taught us that faith without courage is just a word — and that light always conquers darkness. Even after two years behind bars, deprived but not defeated, he continues to hold that light.   Across the globe, Christians are enduring persecution and discrimination on a scale unmatched in the modern era.... Continue Reading

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”   Isaiah 7:1–14; 9:1–7 Luke 1:26–38 A most remarkable Christmas promise was given by the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz when two armies stood against... Continue Reading

Consider how counter-cultural this vision of beauty is. While the culture emphasizes youth and proportional beauty alone, consider what Proverbs says: “Take pleasure in the wife of your youth. A loving deer, a graceful doe—let her breasts satisfy you; be lost in her love forever” (Prov. 5:18b-19).   All of us have heard the phrase,... Continue Reading

The pain is not comfortable, but it is good. In the same way, God would have me taste some of the bitterness of sin, not to do me evil, but to do me good. The discomfort that God gives causes me to reflexively pull away from sin and run to the remedy. If I were... Continue Reading

The Puritans, Reformers, and faithful church fathers did not say everything perfectly—but they said a lot and in a profound way. Their writings are deep because their roots were deep. They lived closer to hardship, persecution, and revival. They prayed more than they posted. They read Scripture more than they scrolled. They cared more about... Continue Reading

If I wait for the perfect emotional environment to trust Christ, I will not trust Him. If I wait for my soul to feel strong, it will never be strengthened. Duty forces me to take my medicine. Duty forces me to eat the food God sets before me. Duty forces me to look up when... Continue Reading

It wasn’t that my kids lacked wonder. Their bar for it was just too low. And isn’t that us? We so often waste our wonder on trivial things, missing the grandeur of what God has placed before us. Christmas serves as an annual “wonder check,” reminding us to lift our eyes from the broken toys... Continue Reading

“I will receive you and be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” There is also the unspoken warning.. “I will reject you, I will not be your father, and you will not be treated as my children.” There is an echo of this sentiment and a connection to the... Continue Reading

If we’re going to celebrate religious influence at our 250th birthday, let’s get the history right. And still a good non-partisan test of religious sincerity is: where and how often does a public figure attend regular worship in his parish—as many of the founders did 250 years ago.   Protestant Christian Nationalists and other evangelicals... Continue Reading