
Theology of the Body

Why was Jesus male? Why was He born of a woman? The simplistic answer to the second question would be because that is the way that all humans come into the world. […]
Andrew Murray: Entrance into Rest

I want, in the simplest way possible, to answer the question: “How does a man enter into that rest?” and to point out the simple steps that he takes, all included in the one act of surrender and faith. And the first step, I think, is this: that a man learns to say, “I believe, heartily, there is rest in a life of faith.”
The New Man: not a “new me,” but “Christ in me”

When I was younger, I thought God was supposed to make me into a “new man,” or that He had created a new, distinct part of me that was now the good […]
Holiness

I would put it this way: Holiness is not something you achieve by trying hard to be good for God. It’s something you receive in communion with the Holy Spirit. Where else, really, would we think “holiness” comes from?
Listening to the past?

[Updated with inline images] How much is the present church listening to the early church? More than we might guess, depending on what theological echo-chamber we are in. One way of attempting […]
Awana lesson 1.1 “Sin”

(This is the first part of a blog series following the high-school Awana Journey curriculum of 2016 available from Awana.org ) God is complete and sufficient in Himself – He is good, […]
Peter: the Rock (part 2)

This is a brief follow-up to the post “Peter: Sifted Like Wheat.” In this post, I make the claim that the Church is built, in some real sense, on Peter, per Christ’s […]
Independence from Sin: 3 things about Romans 7

For Christians, the new birth is our spiritual Independance Day. In union with Christ, we are “dead to sin” and “set free from sin” Romans 6:4, 18), and we have been “released from the law” (Romans 7:6). Why does God set us free? “So that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit.” Our independance from sin and the law are found in dependance on the Spirit. – Happy In/Dependance Day! –
Questioning Life: Answering Suffering (Part Two)

God-fearing people discover and share with others the most profound meaning of life in the same challenges that cause the godless to consider ending it all. Life is not viewed as a hedonistic playground of self-actualization, it is an opportunity to transcend mere individualism and move into the eternal purifying and enlivening fire of the love of Christ. It is only in union with Him that our present lives will be eternally meaningful. …[1520 more words]…
Peter: Sifted Like Wheat (part 1)

Why Peter? For the same reason Satan chose Job… and Satan can’t have been ignorant of Christ’s proclamation concerning Peter, especially considering that Jesus again made it personal by specifying that the Church built on Peter would tear down the very Gates of Hell.
“Martha… there’s only one thing necessary.”

Almost everyone thinks of themselves as more Martha-ish. They say they need to Mary it up more often and just be in Jesus’ presence – but then they continue to hang on to the Martha behaviors of doing by trying to balance the two actions. “God’s part and my part” or “God-and” as AW Tozer calls it: “The evil habit of seeking ‘God-and’ effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation…” …[250 more words]…
Questioning Life: Human Value, in Suffering and in Evil (Part One)

How we respond to suffering shows others the meaning and value of life itself. “If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering.” Modeling this is the blessed response-ability of Christians in suffering.
Gospel for Toddlers – “Let the little children come unto me”

Originally posted on Yield to God:
How do we evangelize our very small children – even as small as two years old? “Ye that are truly kind parents, in the morning, in…
The Parable of the Running Father

It is a long journey, but finally the road leads you over the top of one of the hills overlooking you father’s home. You catch a glimpse of him, far away. …you see him turn in your direction, and you see that he has seen you, too.
Crying babies = A call to prayer

“Oh… Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, the sinner,” I whispered within my heart as the sound of both my kids crying woke me from sleep. […]