Contemporary worship leader, please know that I’ll benefit from some of your songs and won’t complain to any member of the church. But, please know that it’s not easy for me. I know I’ll never be able to play in the worship band again. And, no matter what you say, in my heart I know... Continue Reading

Minutes before my wife’s mastectomy, the surgeon called me into the prep area with unbelievable news: A routine blood test had revealed that Carol was pregnant with our third child. Experts from around the country advised us to terminate the pregnancy to give my wife the best chance for survival. We politely declined their advice,... Continue Reading

So, once we get over all the emotion, hand-wringing, and fear of bigotry, the question is merely this:  Does human reproduction serve the public good? By the government’s own calculations, it cost my wife and I $225,000 to rear each of our two daughters until they were 21, nearly half a million dollars total. The... Continue Reading

For the record, I do recall the brother’s keeper reference. It’s in Genesis Four, which recounts the first murder based on human jealously. In fact, it’s right after Genesis Three, which accurately portrays human nature and explains why utopia can’t work. If two people can’t follow one rule in order to sustain paradise, then we’re... Continue Reading

Net profits…from the cards go to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Every time a card is purchased through October Wednesday, at least half the purchase price will go directly to donation. Presently the cards are priced at 3.00 each with free shipping included, and 1.50 of that will go directly to... Continue Reading

 The struggles we sometimes experience in prayer, then, are often part of the process by which God gradually brings us to ask for only what He has promised to give. The struggle is not our wrestling to bring Him to give us what we desire, but our wrestling with His Word until we are illuminated... Continue Reading

If you’re going to stay sane, thankful, motivated, and hopeful, you must live with your final destination in view. Only here will you be protected by the right values, balanced by proper expectations, and motivated by sturdy hope. Consider seven effects that functional eternity amnesia can have on your everyday life:… Life is a struggle.... Continue Reading

Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), sat down with ruling elders from across the country to answer questions regarding the state of the church and the denomination. The question-and-answer session was part of the PCUSA’s Big Tent National Elders Conference workshop that took place Aug. 3 at the Kentucky International Convention Center... Continue Reading

All of these considerations leave us with a rather counter-intuitive conclusion—at least from the perspective of modern critical scholarship—namely that John’s gospel actually contains clearer historiographical credentials than the Synoptics.  After all the hits that John’s gospel has taken over the years, this is remarkable fact. Over the years, biblical scholars have challenged the historicity... Continue Reading

The hardest part about fighting these temptations is that we often don’t feel like we want escape in the moment. Don’t be surprised. Remember. Fighting temptation means trusting promises over perceptions. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Follow the promises of truth, not the appetites of error.... Continue Reading