Recently, I was hiking with three of my kids when we came upon a stream we needed to cross. It was a particularly muddy and slippery area and the water was somewhat fast, so I hatched a plan: I’d jump over and then drag a log back to use as a bridge for my kids to walk across. I readied myself on the driest rock I could find, bent my knees, counted, “One, two, three,” and…didn’t jump. I...
People aren’t created to lust. But many people do. Most Christians I know who struggle with lust have one of two responses: They give in to temptation or they run away. Given the option between the two, running away is better. But running away from temptation isn’t our goal. At least not if we want to become like Jesus. If we want to become like Jesus, our goal should be to no longer see people...
If you watch how my wife and I respond when our kids fess up to something they did wrong, you might think we just watched them hit a home run. God's this way, too. Here's why.
Do you ever feel uncomfortable being a Christian where you live, work, or play? I’ve just finished Ian Morgan Cron’s book, Chasing Francis.* In it, the main character observes: “Once you’ve been outed as a conservative Christian, [people] assume you’re a right-wing, self-satisfied fundamentalist with all the mental acuity of a houseplant.” I’ve felt this way sometimes. It tempts me to hide. 1...
Anxiety is a breeding ground for sin. So when an area of sin in your life or in a loved one’s creates anxiety in you, it doesn’t help. In fact, it can make things worse. Have you experienced this? In stark and beautiful contrast, Jesus is not anxious: He talks alone with a scandalously sinful woman as though she were his next-door neighbor (John 4:5 – 26). He invites himself to lunch at a corrupt...