What's the first emotion that comes to mind when you think of God? If you said "love," there's a good reason. 1 John 4:8 says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." But is it possible to jump too quickly to the "love" part, to the exclusion of God's other feelings? Do we realize he has other feelings? We can sometimes do our Heavenly Father a disservice by seeing him as a jolly grandfather, patting us on the head and filling our pockets with candy, content to send us on our way and forget about the hard work of shaping our characters. The clever Continue Reading
How Taking a Chill Pill Makes You Better than Royalty
Ever had one of those days when even the cat leaves the room because of your attitude? I'm not proud to admit this has been true in my house. Contemporary life is full of pressure. We all face a multitude of decisions, responsibilities, and distractions on any given day. Bills, traffic, technology breakdowns ... it's a bit much, even without added crises. If you're like me, you might give in to the occasional temper tantrum. Maybe you're restrained enough not to actually break anything or hurt anyone, but your countenance, your body language, your tone are ... well, not exactly fun Continue Reading
This Restriction Will Liberate You
God’s rules are for our good and for his glory. Right. I know this in my head; my heart is a little slower on the uptake. Over the last couple of years, three books I read converged into a perfect storm of theological truth on a very important spiritual law. The one about keeping God’s Sabbath rest. I’m not just talking about petty rules concerning which day to set aside for worship, or what you can and can’t do that day. I’m talking about a lifestyle free from the idol of control. This is a tough one for us, immersed as we are in a culture of constant activity and Continue Reading
What You Can Learn from Mark Driscoll’s Situation
These days, you can read every reaction from vengeful glee to heartbreak concerning Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Seattle mega-church Mars Hill who is being asked to step down amidst a swirl of accusations. Find out more here: Nine Current Mars Hill Pastors Tell Mark Driscoll To Step Down from All Ministry I’ve visited Mars Hill a couple of times, read a number of Driscoll’s books, and listened to some podcasts. I believe Mark has accomplished much for the sake of the gospel, yet it’s tragic that his leadership has evidently created an abusive environment. My purpose here is neither to Continue Reading