I’m preaching on Spiritual Warfare right now and using Russell Moore’s Tempted and Tried as a regular source of illustrations and insight. In the chapter, “Free Falling” about Jesus’ temptation to throw himself off of the temple, Moore writes that Jesus was tempted to prove who he was to Satan and to demand proof from God that he …
Recently, my son had a bad dream. It was a really bad dream, the kind that he talked about the next day and that had him scared to go to sleep the next night. I knelt by his bed with him as he recounted the details. There was a witch, a creepy forest, scary kids, …
Reverse engineering. It is the process of creating a device after observing an the original and ascertaining its technical specifications. Of course, it is not only a “thing” that can be reverse-engineered, this process can take place in behaviors and relationships as well. People who want to lose weight will often hang an old picture …
In the beginning God created all things. He created the material world and declared it to be good. God then created man and woman in His own image and declared them to be very good. Mankind was given a unique task among all of creation as God’s vice-regents. The crowning jewel of his creation, they …
My brother had his first breakfast date with Wyatt (my son) seven years ago. I think they went to the Waffle house, but Wyatt didn’t eat. Wyatt doesn’t remember their “guy” time that morning. The reason that Wyatt doesn’t remember is because Wyatt was only two months old. Angela was working her notice at her …
I have a bad wife. At least that’s what some people would say. You see, my wife does something that most wives do not do, she speaks when I do not want her to speak. Sometimes she tears me down. She has even been known to talk about me behind my back. On the surface, …
I’m a big picture guy. This is good in some ways, I’m able to usually put pieces together quickly and understand big ideas. I am terrible with details. I need others to proof-read and edit my work. In my last church, my pastor was so often holding me accountable for the “details” of ministry, that …
I believe in accountability. I have a phone call every Monday morning with a pastor friend of mine who has agreed to hold me accountable. He asks me about my relationship with Angela, with my kids, with my church, and with my God. He asks about my thought life and my ministry life. He prays …
Some things in the Bible are easier to read and talk about than they are to put into practice. Hatred of sin is one of those things. I have little difficulty in hating your sin, but when it comes to my sin, I’m often attached. In fact, when it comes to my sin, I am often blind …
Through his careful research and later book, The Shape of Faith To Come, Brad Waggoner and his research team identified daily Bible study as the number one indicator of Christian maturity. If you want to grow in Christ, it seems, the best way to do that is to spend time with him in his Word. Paul admonished …