Today's sexuality is akin to selecting a jelly bean -- we pick and choose our sexual orientation based on how we feel. Even so, there's one sexual option that stands out as shockingly unusual in our culture. I'm not talking about sex change operations, or homosexuality or bi-sexuality. Nor am I talking about heterosexual monogamy in marriage, though many no longer see this as the norm any more. No, I'm referring to the choice some have made to celebrate healthy manhood or womanhood in the context of being celibate. In other words, they've chosen to Continue Reading
Ten Surprising Reasons Jesus Came to Earth
Okay, maybe not all of these will surprise you… but you may not be aware of some of the reasons why Jesus veiled himself in flesh and entered our world. He came to die for our sins, you might think. Or, He came to teach us to love each other. I recently did a quick read through the red words in the gospels (things Jesus said directly). Together with some thoughts from the epistles, it’s really interesting to note what the Bible actually says about the purpose of Jesus coming to our world. Ready? Here's why: To preach the good news of the Continue Reading
The One Thing That Truly Grounds You to Reality
Ever feel that bittersweet pang of remembrance when you return to a place from your past? Ever catch a whiff of a long-forgotten scent -- and find yourself transported back in time? Psychologists have a name for the way our physical senses attach us to memories and feelings: grounding. Grounding is powerful. The reason that subjects of sensory deprivation tank experiments start feeling crazy is they can't tell where they are or what is happening. They have no reference point. They are not grounded. So I'm sitting in dappled sunlight on the deck of my in-laws' home on the Continue Reading
Why I Refuse to be Embarrassed About Speaking the Truth
You’ve heard the over-arching social rule of the day ad nauseum: Don’t judge. Here’s the irony – today’s religious “tolerance” paves the way for judgmentalism of the worst kind. That’s because we have judged the truth itself -- and found it wanting. In doing so, we have judged Jesus and found him wanting. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” – John 14:6 He said, “Before Abraham was, I Am,” thus claiming equality to God and infuriating the religious leaders of his day. Jesus Continue Reading