One day, while passing the food processors in Bed Bath & Beyond, I came across a large piece of wall art that said, “Dream until your dreams come true.” I stopped mid-aisle and stared at those words. We encounter some version of this message everywhere we go: “Never give up on your dreams!” Indeed, one of the loudest messages in the Western world is for us to dream big and do all we can to pursue our dreams.... continue reading
I understand the deep disappointments and disillusionments that come when the very people we should be able to turn to are not the people we thought they were. When this happens, it spurs in us untold questions. Who can we turn to? Where can we go with our hurts and our questions? ... continue reading
When we say, “I hope so” we do not usually mean the same thing as the New Testament does. We may be hoping for a white Christmas, even though the weatherman is predicting “sunny and cold with occasional showers”. That is not hope but wishful thinking.... continue reading
Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to reflect on the year with friends and family. With all the noise of our modern age, how can we truly slow down, remove our focus from our own worries and extend love to those around us?... continue reading
Paul and the Philippian believers enjoyed a partnership grounded in the gospel. Theirs wasn’t a static fellowship based on a little bit of common belief. Rather, it was a deepening friendship that blossomed as they continued “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” and to “work out” their salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 1:27; 2:12).... continue reading
Do you want to cultivate good spiritual habits but avoid soul-crushing guilt and shame when it all comes crashing down five days into your new plan?
Me too! ... continue reading
The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom of sour self-sacrifice, long-faced long-suffering, or dour duty. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom where people do backwards things, things like giving up everything they have, and they do it out of pure, overflowing, unstoppable joy (Matthew 13:44)! Why? Because everything you have is nothing compared to the untold riches of heaven. Because giving everything in service to God and the bigger story he is writing is no loss if you’re already secure in your identity.... continue reading
Jesus came to save small people, because that’s the only size people come in. The fact that he came to the lowest and smallest of humanity is stunning, but not as stunning as the fact that he came to humanity in the first place. The biggest step down for Jesus was leaving heaven. After that giant leap, the steps between human social classes were tiny. The best of our palaces wouldn’t be that impressive to a man who is at home on heaven’s throne. Nothing we have on our tiny speck of dust in the stars could compare to where he came from.... continue reading
When Esther hesitated to speak to King Ahasuerus about Haman’s plot against the Jews, Mordecai’s response was, to quote Iain M. Duguid in Esther and Ruth, Reformed Expository Commentary, “grounded in the reality and necessity of God’s intervention.”... continue reading
For the first time in ministry, I was genuinely tempted to close up my heart. I told myself I would love the church, counsel the church, pray for the church, and preach the gospel to the church as best as I could, but I would no longer befriend the church. Friends would be found elsewhere.... continue reading