The internal struggle against sin is itself reason to hope. It’s evidence of the Master’s work in your heart, a spark of goodness within that wants to grow. But for many who struggle, however hard they try, the spark of good remains just a spark, seemingly ineffective amidst the familiar dark waters of temptation. Can you relate? You want to stop yelling at your kids, but you lost your temper...
Ashamed and Shameless
Without a sense of how to become free from shame, we’re living in a culture settling for shamelessness instead. It’s a poor substitute. To be shame-free means shame no longer has any hold on you—it doesn’t interfere with how you hear others, doesn’t muddy your relationships, doesn’t challenge the decisions you need to make, doesn’t shape the way you perceive yourself, and doesn’t influence how...
A Million to One
Every ache is telling us something important, but we miss it. It’s not that we don’t try. Goodness knows, we attempt a million varieties of pleasure to address the ache. But few ever hear what the ache is really after. Jesus hears the ache clearly. Why? Because he put it there. Let me say that again: Jesus put the ache in us. And he wants to satisfy it. As we suspend our demand for the million...
Honoring the Ache
Every age has its own set of unquestioned presuppositions. Here’s one in our day: Getting what you want quickly is better than having to wait.This is why advertisers boast of faster internet, quicker results, shorter lines, easier access, top speeds, and fewer commercials. Going without what you want produces an ache. When you get what you want, the ache goes away. This is why we pay a high...
Sacred Sex
“I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Sir Isaac Newton I love seashells. My affection for them began as a boy growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately, Lake Erie is not known for its beautiful shells, so I saved my pennies and...
More than a Lovely Fraction
Two of our most basic, human needs are this: to be known and to be loved. But something’s got many of us convinced you can’t have both. So we expend lots of energy hiding those parts of ourselves that are unlovely. And we work really hard to succeed (at business, parenting, athleticism, ministry, Bible study, you name it) because we think it will make us lovely and so, worthy of love. The sad...