If a random person asked you, “Would you like to follow me?” What would be your response? Most of us would respond, “No.” Our culture has trained us to think people should follow us, not that we should follow others. Most of us are excited to lead others. Yet few of us get excited to […]
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
After getting married, life was great for Matthew and Ashley. They loved each other, and others well, and were active in their faith and community. But five months into their marriage things got difficult. There was no conflict between them, but troubles were happening to them. Matthew’s father had passed away unexpectedly. Grief led Matthew’s […]
In Step With The Spirit
“ Grant me chastity . . . but not yet! ” A non-Christian man named Augustine uttered those words in the fourth century. He wrote in his book, Confessions, that God “set me face to face with myself, so that I might behold how foul I was, and how crooked.” Augustine was a wild man. He […]
Music Christians Make
While living in California, my wife and I enjoyed attending the concert of my cousin Rachel who was a classical musical director at a church in Sacramento. On Christmas we sat in the audience of several hundred people and eagerly anticipated the evening. The musicians came out first and each sat in a designated seat […]
Cultivating Good Character
Judah was outraged when he heard Tamar, the widow of his deceased son, had become pregnant because of prostitution. He demanded, “Bring her out, and let her be burned!” (Gen. 38:24, NLT). What a shame to their family name! What an embarrassment for her! But this story exposes Judah’s poor character, not Tamar’s. Judah’s firstborn son […]
God, What Do You Want Me To Do With My Life?
That must have been choreographed,” someone said after my wife and I danced the first dance at our wedding. But our first dance at our wedding was not choreographed. I led, and she followed, which is the key to a good dance. When dancing, the lead provides the “picture frame.” The dance happens inside the […]
How Anyone Can Study The Bible
“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t,” said the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon. Navigating the Christian life requires you clasp your Bible and use it for guidance in relationships, work, and spiritual life. When you study God’s word, you obey God. He told his people, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. […]
What Is a Study Bible and Why Should You Have One?
What does the apostle Paul mean when he says ‘live a quiet life’ in this verse?” The question was posed by a person participating in a Bible study I was visiting as part of our church. The facilitator—a veteran of facilitating small group discussions—flipped his study Bible open to that verse, dropped down to the […]