Everyone seems to be on the lookout for the magical person that fate has destined them to be with ... the one whose purpose is to fulfill their needs and function as their other half. The best outcome, if we are to believe this line of reasoning, is to find your soul mate, marry them, and live happily ever after. This thinking, which saturates our culture, has crept into the church as well. Scott and I just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary, an occasion which always causes me to ponder the wonder and mystery of marriage. This year, I find myself Continue Reading
Why “Learning Lessons” is the Dumbest Way to Get Smart
"He spent some time in jail," the young wife explained about her husband. "But I told him if he learned something from that, then jail was an education." Another woman said regarding her son, "Oh, you know how they all have to do their jail time." Really? People have to go to jail to gain a handle on life? Let's broaden this a bit. It's not just about jail. It's the notion that we have to do stupid things and learn the hard way in order to figure out how to live. There are problems with this kind of thinking: First, we don't have enough Continue Reading
The One Sexual Option No One is Talking About
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