An Invitation to Lent

Hi Friends! I’m so excited to share the great piece below by my good friend Scott Carr Jr., who writes his own blog at reimaginefaith.org (check it out!) and attends Mantua Creek Church (EPC). Last week, while I was speaking at another church, he shared the below with our group and I received so many positive comments on it. Indeed, … Read More

Why Does the Bible Say Not to Be Overly Righteous?

Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of … Read More

The Irreplaceable Book Launch, Part 2

Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads— is now just three weeks from release! Over the weekend, we finished edits and designed the cover. Over the next two weeks, we hope to finish all formatting issues and get it ready to upload for printing. Also, here’s the description that will be uploaded to Amazon’s site: Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads … Read More

A Helpful Mirror for Social Conservatives

“Conservatives have nothing to say to the kid whose dad has split, whose mom has had three other kids with different dads; ‘go live in a nuclear family’ is really not relevant advice. If only a minority of households are traditional nuclear families, that means the majority are something else: single parents, never-married parents, blended families, grandparent-headed families, serial partnerships, … Read More

Malachi’s Vision of Hope: Remember, Return, and Rest

“On the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children … Read More

What It Means to Be Adopted by God, Part 2 of 2

Last week, we concluded with Jerry Bridges’ three precious things adoption means for the Christian:[1] We have been brought into close personal relationship with Him. We have confident and ready access to Him. We receive the full rights of sons. Let’s now illustrate these three meanings in various ways by taking a deep dive into the infamous story of the … Read More

God Gives Rest to Anxious Hearts

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:2, ESV I can so relate to this verse, as I’ve often struggled with insomnia. It might be because I don’t know how to solve a particular problem or heal a painful … Read More

Baptism & Its Significance, Part 4 of 6

Why should it be done? This is really the most important issue. What exactly does baptism do? Why is it important? Does baptism make someone a Christian? Does it actually have the power to save someone? On these last two questions, the answer is no as our salvation is only by the sacrifice of Christ made for us on the … Read More

What I Learned from Gordon Lightfoot, Part 3 of 3

“Writing songs is about finding the time, because it’s an isolated thing. You need to lock yourself in a room to do it, in one shape or another, whether it’s an empty house or hotel room.” Gordon Lightfoot in Nicholas Jennings, Lightfoot (Viking, 2017), 88. I mentioned in Part 1 that, among other things, Lightfoot and I share a connection … Read More

How Does Forgiveness Relate to Reconciliation?

According to Barna Group, approximately “a quarter of practicing Christians know someone they can’t or won’t forgive.”[1] Forgiveness can be confusing, especially in how it relates to reconciliation. For example, How do we know if we’ve forgiven someone? And, if we forgive, do we have to reconcile? Several years ago, I read through Ralph Keyes’ collection of writings of Sons … Read More