Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

This morning in church my pastor said something profound: Why don’t Christians make more of Easter? He didn’t mean it in a guilt-inducing, shame-on-you sort of way; that doesn’t help anybody. But he had a good point: on Christmas we give gifts and...
Moses and the Promised Land

Moses and the Promised Land

Oftentimes when God says, “No,” to something we really want, it’s hard to believe that His heart toward us is tender and loving and that He delights to give us good things (Psalm 107:9). But He has been teaching me recently that sometimes when He...
This only shall not pass…

This only shall not pass…

I’m reminded tonight that of all the things I put my time and energy into, only two will remain: people and the Bible. People last forever. Whether in Heaven or in Hell, I believe we all have a permanent, everlasting existence. Thus, my time spent with people is...
What is God doing in Japan?

What is God doing in Japan?

What is God doing in Japan? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at...
The Lie of Studliness

The Lie of Studliness

When I was growing up, I was told a lie—by my family, by my peers, by the society in which I lived. I was told that the true value of a man is measured in how “studly” you are. I was told that manly men were those who were so charming, handsome, and strong that they...
The Right Kind of Doubting

The Right Kind of Doubting

Doubting has a bad rep in the modern American Evangelical church. This must be due at least in part to Biblical imperatives that condemn certain kinds of doubting as sin: “Ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven...