When we lived in the same town with them, “Bret” and “Lindsey” had been married for nearly two decades. Early on in their marriage, they’d gone through a major crisis. The way they handled it became, in their view, a powerful testimony which they were compelled to share with others. Bret and Lindsey concluded that the answer to marital strife was for the wife to submit every decision, no matter how small, to the husband. She was to serve him twenty-four seven with sacrificial devotion. He, in turn, would provide for the household, manage the finances, bring ultimate discipline Continue Reading

I had never experienced it before. No pet of mine has had to wear one—the cone of shame, that is—until recently. I'd noticed a scab under my cat's foreleg, so I took him to the vet. They found another cut on the other side of his chest. The two cuts required stitches; thus a cone was needed to keep him from chewing on the stitches. As a human being, I comprehend why a cone is needed for a couple of weeks. But my cat most definitely does not understand. He hates the cone. He can’t use his whiskers to calculate distances, so he crashes into things. He tries to groom but ends Continue Reading

Back when I was in college, I used a color-coordinated calendar to schedule assignment deadlines and test days. These days, I approach my seminary studies in a similar way. I'm a planner, through and through. I like things mapped out in advance. I like the feeling of being ahead of the game. I hate bumping up against deadlines. That said, I have no interest in finding out my own future. I’ve walked with Jesus long enough to know it’s a bad idea to try to figure out what’s coming down the pike. Here’s why: If I were informed of the good things God has in store before they Continue Reading