Advent encompasses the four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of waiting, not only for the first coming of Christ as a baby but also for His coming again as a king. This first advent meditation is about that baby. One of my vivid memories of visiting London comes from a visit to the […]
This is the third in a series of four posts on ancient ways Christians have sought God (view Part 1 and Part 2). The path described in this post turns the focus to our lives. Of course, we need to read the Scriptures to grasp how God works, but this path invites us to read […]
» This is the second post in a 3 part series. View Part 1. « This post will feature another ancient way of seeking God, one that is both subversive to modern culture and counter-intuitive to our inner life. We assume that we always need to come to God with our words and thoughts. Scripture certainly urges us to pray […]
In the last few years, I have discovered some well-trod paths for seeking God and enjoying His presence. Some are centuries old. Others are millennia. I have found them so valuable that I want to share them in the next few posts. This first one is called lectio divina. Lectio divina is the Latin term […]
Men in our culture are in trouble. Masculinity is in crisis mode. The signs are everywhere. Men are confused and wavering. The stats on fatherlessness are alarming and growing. So is the sexual violence that seems to be aired everywhere. Everyone is pointing out symptoms or pointing fingers. I want to point to something else. […]
Why do you work? Why do you work hard? If you’re one of the “driven” types, why are you so motivated? Why do you care about advancing in your field, climbing the corporate ladder, growing your business, getting the next promotion, developing the new product? Our answers to these questions reflect our biggest hopes and […]
Sometimes in my classes to students or adults, we would take up the topic of famous movies. I would first have them guess the most popular movies of all time. Then I would reveal the top four based on ticket sales, adjusted for inflation: #4 is Star Wars #3 is Titanic #2 is Avatar #1 […]
The idea of resisting God may seem ridiculous at first. After all, how can something created resist its Creator? How can the lesser push back against the greater? But the testimony of Scripture and the stories of our lives attest to the fact that we do in fact resist God. I want to state it […]
It’s just an image. An image created in a photoshop-type program that depicts a man holding a book. No words. No symbols. Just a black book. Why would people be so offended that they demand it removed and threaten harm if their demands aren’t met? The image on the billboard displayed at Fashion Island mall […]
An idol is anything that competes with God for your heart’s affection. Pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones has said an idol is usually whatever “rouses and attracts me so easily that I give my time, my attention, my energy and my money to it effortlessly.” Idolatry is when we allow anything other than God to become the […]
