June E-News: Why We Like Superheroes
Jun 2, 2008

My son, Ethan, loves superheroes!  His favorites include Superman, Spider-Man, and Aqua Man.  Bending the laws of physics is a regular habit of these superheroes.  They fly, shoot spider web silk out of their hands, and all other sorts of things “regular” human beings can’t do.  For little boys (and even us “big” boys) there is an attraction and even envy of these larger than life superheroes.  Why is that?

May E-News: Why Are We Not Ashamed?
May 2, 2008

Is there such a thing as healthy shame? I spend a lot of time in our ministry helping people overcome the negative effects of shame, the kind of self-loathing thinking that causes a person to believe that he or she is worthless. This kind of shame eats away at the core of a person's identity, stealing away the truth that God made man in His own image. A person can thus begin to believe that God made a mistake when He made them, and they therefore live their lives in a state of depression and despair. This is obviously unhealthy shame. But is all shame the same? Is all shame wrong or negative or unhelpful?

April E-News: Never Beyond the Fundamentals
Apr 2, 2008

I was an all-star basketball player in high school.  One of the highlights of my life was being selected to play in the Texas McDonald's All-Star Game my senior year.  It marked the pinnacle of success in my sport, and it will be a memory I always cherish.  But as I look back on that magical time in my sports career I learn a lesson about life that applies to my ongoing battle against lust and sexual addiction: I will never "graduate" from the fundamentals.

March E-News: The Pain of Silence
Mar 2, 2008

Why is God sometimes silent?

As life hurls its insults and barbs of pain, confusion, and unfairness, we turn to God, ready to hear the answers that will take it all away. We press our ear toward heaven, straining to hear the thunderous voice of God.  We brace ourselves for the overpowering insight we expect to fall upon us.  And then…

February E-News: Sex Does NOT Equal Happiness
Feb 2, 2008

Let me ask you a question that may appear to be setting up a zinger punch line for a joke, but I am actually being quite serious.  Have you gone two consecutive days in the last week without hearing or seeing an advertisement for either a male performance enhancement drug or some other sexual performance aid?  I wish there was a good joke here, but the truth is that our culture is saturated with a sexually addicted message: sex equals happiness.

January E-News: Overcoming the Power of Distraction
Jan 2, 2008

I think we can all agree that life is full of distractions.  And even if we can't agree that it is "full" of them, we can certainly agree that they are present in everyone's lives (to varying degrees).  For those brave few who have ventured into the wilderness of pursuing sexual purity, the term full more than accurately describes the degree to which distractions exist.  There are countless "other things" that are grabbing for our attention as we take each step toward a life of greater purity.