November E-News: The Joy in...Trials?
Nov 2, 2009

I've been studying the book of James lately. Well, more reading and re-reading than actual "study." But God seems to speak most personally to me when I just commit to meditating on various sections of Scripture. One such portion I have pondered recently is James 1:2 - "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy." (NLT)

October E-News: Overcoming Resistance
Oct 2, 2009

My life really isn’t hard. I generally get to wake up when I want to. I grab a cup of coffee and have dozens of choices about what kinds of creamers or sugars I might add. I hop into my car, drive to my office or a client appointment, and go about my day. I’m not forced to denounce my faith or engage in activities that clearly defy God’s Word. And yet, I have moments and seasons in which I think this thing called “life” is unbearable. It’s sad, really.

September E-News: Why Faithfulness Matters
Sep 2, 2009

Have you noticed that the value placed on faithfulness has plummeted in recent years? It seems that everywhere you turn in our culture the message against being faithful is growing louder and louder. The idea of staying committed to one person in marriage for a lifetime is portrayed as antiquated and silly. From the White House to the Waffle House this mantra keeps resounding: me, me, me.

August E-News: But I Don't Want to Obey!
Aug 2, 2009

We have all said at one time or another in our lives (whether out loud or silently in our heads), "But I don't want to ______." And whatever fills in the blank is irrelevant. When our will is set against something, there is usually only one of two outcomes that occurs: 1) You get your way and don't engage in the activity demanded, or 2) You are overpowered to do the activity against your will. In either of these outcomes, it is rare that the activity is performed or avoided with a positive heart attitude. The will is essentially tied to attitude.

July E-News: Freedom (in)Dependence
Jul 2, 2009

July 4th is a significant day for Americans each year. It is a day in which every citizen of the United States is invited to pause, reflect, and celebrate the liberty our nation's forefathers provided through their sacrifice and resolve. We remember such significant historical documents as the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation. We are reminded that freedom came at a high price, and therefore we honor the many defenders of our country, past and present.

June E-News: Is Purity for Everyone?
Jun 2, 2009

I'm going to do something an author really isn't supposed to do when titling an article with a question. I'm going to give you the answer right up front (and keep my fingers crossed that you will still read the rest of the article).

Is purity for everyone?

No.

March E-News: Building a Life of Purity Amidst Opposition
Mar 2, 2009

I have been reading through the book of Nehemiah again. I get charged up every time I read this book. It paints a great picture of what rebuilding a broken down life should look like. I want to point out 6 key principles that are fundamental to building a life of purity, even in the midst of growing cultural and spiritual opposition.

February E-News: Life is Precious!
Feb 2, 2009

"Little Whiskers" died last week. He was only 15 months old and the news hit our family hard. My youngest, Megan, took the news especially hard, just crying and crying over the loss. The truth is we all cried and grieved. It was a sad week in the life of our family. I dare say that there may never have been such love ever bestowed in all of history on one so cherished as Little Whiskers, our hamster.

January E-News: Exposing the Lies of Lust
Jan 2, 2009

The devil isn't creative, just persistent...

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I have come into contact with thousands of sex addicts over recent years. I myself was bound up in sexual addiction for 13 years. In all my interactions with the issue of sexual lust, I have come to realize one fundamental characteristic that is common to its nature: lies. There is never one moment in which lust tells you the truth. And it is this key insight that can actually help you break free from the chains of lust...for good.

December E-News: I Love You, Even Though...
Dec 2, 2008

Dinner time at my house almost always produces memorable moments. It is a time when our whole family gathers around the table to eat, pray, and talk about our day. I like to ask my kids about school and anything else they want to share about their day. I have had many enjoyable interactions at the dinner table, not to mention many hilarious moments as well. Recently, we were eating boneless chicken for dinner (this will have significance in a minute) when such a memorable, hilarious moment occurred.

November E-News: Faith is Universal
Nov 2, 2008

I can already hear the gasps among my fundamentalist friends as they read the title to this article. But don’t worry, my dear friends, I haven’t jumped ship on evangelicalism and adopted a “we’re all going to heaven” theology. No, I still believe the truth that there is only one way to eternal life and that way is by faith alone in Christ alone. So, this article is more about the exercise of faith in general than it is about faith in God (although general “faith” is ultimately meant to lead us to our Creator).

October E-News: For Better or For Worse
Oct 2, 2008

Marriage is hard work. Don't let anyone deceive you into thinking that marriage is all about feelings, romance, and endless smiles. While a relationship often begins with such superficial components, marriage is much deeper. Marriage is a covenant. 

What is a covenant?

September E-News: Many Connections, but Less Connected
Sep 2, 2008

Technology is great, it really is. I am thankful I live in a time in history where there is running water, electricity, climate control, automobiles, and air transportation. If my next meal depended on me having to kill it, skin it, and cook it, I might starve to death. It is truly remarkable what brilliant minds have produced in the last 150 years to improve our standard of living. But there is a very subtle danger in where this ongoing pursuit of greater technology can eventually take us as a society.

August E-News: Why Is Grace So Hard to Embrace?
Aug 2, 2008

There is no other doctrine, I believe, that is simultaneously the most difficult to understand and yet the easiest to receive than that of grace.  Denominations are split over it, pastors argue about it, cultures ignore it, and only a few ever truly embrace it.  Why is this one little word, this small, yet overwhelmingly powerful concept, so difficult to embrace?

July E-News: The Power of Friendship
Jul 2, 2008

I’ve been thinking lately about friendship and what makes it so powerful, so I thought I would share some thoughts rattling around in the tin cup of my mind. Friendship is a unique bond, somewhat hard to describe in academic terms or even to contain with words. To define friendship requires you to use words like “feel” and “kinda like” and “imagine.” But that is part of what makes friendship so powerful, it connects with a part of us that is unseen, a deep immaterial place where souls collide, yet in such a collision we find peace and rest and comfort.