God put freedom in our DNA. We feel it when we look out over the ocean. Or when we can’t see over the prison wall. But if I’m honest with myself, I’m not always happy with how far God goes with this gift of freedom. Freedom means any number of possible outcomes, and they’re not all good. “God, do you see what’s happening down here? Could you scale back on the freedom just a bit, please?” As a...
Pure What?
Before I came to Regeneration, my accountability partners and I regularly talked about pursuing purity. Interestingly, though, none of us ever asked what exactly we meant. What I was after was a complete absence of sexual sin. That was my definition of purity. I’d say something very different today. (As a matter of fact, I’m about to.) Purity is not primarily about an absence of something sinful...
Rated PG
I haven’t lived with my parents for 20 years, but I still remember so much they taught me. I keep my elbows off the table, I keep my eye on the ball. I wear sunscreen and check my mirrors. I know how to swim, make my bed, fry an egg, balance a checkbook, and paddle a canoe. And my mom and dad also talked with me about sex. At least a little. I’m grateful they tried. Shepherding our kids in the...
The Macaroni and Cheese Effect
At their core, your desires are not the problem. They’re a gift, pointing to a good, God-given desire. And this is true even if the desire you’re feeling is for something sinful. Usually when I go on a dinner date with my wife, we make a simple meal for the kids before we go. Chicken nuggets, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, or fish sticks. They love it. I’m a sucker for the macaroni and cheese:...
Life Without Fear
What would it be like to live without fear? What keeps us attached to fear? How do we break free?
Less Love?
There’s an increasing amount of cultural pressure to reject the traditional Christian teaching that sex and marriage should be reserved for one man and one woman. Compelling arguments abound. One I hear repeatedly is this: God is big enough and loving enough to embrace all kinds of love, not just heterosexual love. Almost every time I hear this, I find myself taken aback, stumbling a bit...
