What would keep you from despair in this kind of worst-case scenario? What prevented the Stams and the Scotts from losing their faith in God? Still reeling from the news of their children’s barbaric deaths, these grieving parents left a written record of three truths that kept them from despair.   In the past few... Continue Reading

There is something that unifies each church.  That something should be Jesus, of course, but there is usually also something else.  And that something else will always try to displace our first union with Christ, becoming – in the words of Paul from the book of Galatians – another gospel instead.  If our first union... Continue Reading

Postman’s analysis of technology is prophetic and profound. He warned of the trivializing of our media, defined by “broken time and broken attention,” in which “facts push other facts into and then out of consciousness at speeds that neither permit nor require evaluation.” He warned of “a neighborhood of strangers and pointless quantity.” That’s a... Continue Reading

The cultivation of God’s good gifts whether through art, agriculture, horticulture, and much else then allow us to experience God’s goodness in creation. These experiences terminate in proximate ends since God will recreate the cosmos. Yet just as supporting our family today matters, even though we are adopted into the family of God, so cultivating creation... Continue Reading

Though Jesus was full of compassion, truth was the priority. While not indifferent to feelings, He interacted with others as one who knows that gospel truth alone is what saves. Truth, He taught, “will set you free” (John 8:32). Jesus’ mission was “to bear witness to the truth” (18:37). Sixty-six times in the New Testament the... Continue Reading

Our hunger for tweet-length solutions, for snackable, bite-sized redemption plans has collapsed our ability—both as a church and a nation—to build towards sustainable healing. This type of healing takes place over generations and centuries, yet we seem to prefer to patch things up with a flashy band-aid (perhaps one printed with our favorite superhero). Blame... Continue Reading

I too can easily get set in my ways and refuse to learn from others. But sadly with this fellow, I could not have any further discussions with him since he got upset and cut me off. It seems he was angry because he was being called out over his rather obvious double standards. All... Continue Reading

So American Christians, if Joe Biden wins the election, do not grieve like those who have no hope in a saviour. And if Donald Trump wins the election, do not rejoice like those who have no hope in a saviour.   American Christians, the presidential election shouldn’t make you forget your election in Christ. If... Continue Reading

The times are unstable and volatile. If we’re not careful, our focus will stay on the fires, fights, and division out there and we’ll miss the traps that have been set in here, closer to home, in our hearts. Satan is clever. He’s happy to distract you with global disturbances while he chips away at the foundations of... Continue Reading

As church buildings reopen (or stay open), it is tempting for relatively able-bodied folks, eager to exercise our religious and civic freedom, to claim the best seats in the house. But what of those who are physically unable to enter the assembly, or who are hesitant because health precautions are being ignored or boastfully defied?... Continue Reading