Professionally Holy
“You probably won’t like this, but I work at a liquor store.” I had asked this gentleman what he does for a living after just telling him that I was recently hired as a pastor.…
Book Review: Giving Up Gimmicks by Brian Cosby
Brian Cosby is not proposing anything new in his book Giving Up Gimmicks. But, that’s exactly the point. Cosby is rightly concerned that the entertainment culture has infiltrated youth ministry. Giving Up Gimmicks, then, is written for…
Andy Crouch and Culture Making
I plan on writing a review of Culture Making once I’m done reading it, but I wanted to write an article on one of Andy Crouch’s points because I think it’s worth emphasizing. He makes the statement…
Book Review: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs
New Year’s resolutions are meant to be broken, right? It only took one week for me to break mine. But, I am quite pleased to have done so. I’ll blame it on Alan Jacobs, the…
God’s Purpose for My Life
In Psalm 138:8, David makes the claim that the Lord will fulfill the purpose for his life. This tells me two things: 1. The Lord determines the purpose for our lives. We do not. 2.…
A Response to “Marriage Isn’t For You”
I’ve seen this article floating around Facebook that has the title Marriage Isn’t For You, so I thought I’d read it and provide a critical response. Maybe you haven’t read it, or don’t want to…
Receiving both good and evil from the Lord
It is common for us to think that God will only dish out that which we believe is good for us. By thinking this way, we are placing our own judgment higher than God’s, and…
It will only hurt a little
Anyone who has been to the dentist has probably heard these or similar words. The dentist is about to crank open your mouth, stick a needle or 5 into your gums, in preparation for drilling,…
Trusting the Rock that is Higher Than I
A Psalm of David, for times of trouble: Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to…
Praying for Bullies
I had the pleasure of bringing our kids to school this morning, as Lynn had to go to work early. On the way there I asked the kids what to do when other kids are…
A Wounded Heart
Does it wound my heart to offend God? This question came to me after reading a prayer out of the book The Valley of Vision. This book is a collection of puritan prayers, which challenge…
Trust in God Alone
Psalm 62 keeps coming up in my devotion time. It is a song of confidence in God’s ability to rescue and protect when God’s people were facing oppression. Instead of trusting in wealth and power…