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...
Necessary Nakedness
One of our greatest and deepest human needs is to be naked. We were not created to hide ourselves, whether behind clothes, possessions, achievements, or titles. Nor were we made to hide behind silence, small talk, anger, a smile, or busyness. We were made to be naked and unashamed, yet in this fallen world, we also know instinctively we need to be clothed, to be covered somehow. We’re not in Eden...
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...
Saints, Sinners, Storytellers
I long for people to be more courageous with their stories. Over the past decade and a half, I’ve had the honor of seeing many men and women take journeys against impossible odds— to fight for a marriage that seems hopeless, to give up sexual sins others consider normal (the “normal” list is growing), or to pursue healing from past sexual abuse. But outside one or two key friendships, many of...
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...
Life Without Fear
What would it be like to live without fear? What keeps us attached to fear? How do we break free?