“Do not fear” is the most frequent command in Scripture. But if fear is the most common emotional struggle Scripture discusses, anger is the most dangerous. Why? Behind anger is tremendous emotional energy. In my own life and in ministry, I have witnessed and experienced the ferocity of anger’s destructiveness. It has the potential to…
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The book of Proverbs has a number of descriptions for a fool: mockers, simple, obstinate, troublemakers, and sluggards. What’s interesting about poetry, especially wisdom literature conveyed through poetry, is that the text paints a picture of its opposite simultaneously to the picture it paints by itself. So in Proverbs 6 we read, “Go to the…
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After Adam and Eve ate from the one tree God told them not to eat from, the first emotion the text tells us they felt was “fear.” Increasingly, I’m becoming more convinced “fear” is the chief experiential problem with humanity. Even the most boisterous bravado is merely a cover-up for it. Fear drives every other…
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Describe your “dream” church. What would it be like? Brett McCracken conducted his own thought-experiment to come up with his dream church. It contained the following: This isn’t all McCracken listed in his “dream church.” It’s actually only a drop in the bucket. His list covers multiple pages from his book Uncomfortable. After completing his profile…
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God is love.Love is god. Look at those two short sentences closely. Take a minute to do so. I believe the juxtaposition of those two statements summarizes the fraying taking place within the broader Christian community. The implications of this are quietly, perhaps invisibly, enormous. Journey with me on this musing. When God’s Word says, “God is…
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The created things of this world typically fall into one of three categories, according to Steve Hoppe. They are: god, garbage, or gift. Here’s the deal: God created us in a such a way that we are shaped by what we worship and serve as ‘god’. For example, if we say “Aaron’s ‘god’ is sports.” What…
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These days I’m itching quite a bit. I’ve battled eczema for 30+ years and winter is particularly troublesome. Even though scratching ceaselessly is terrible for my skin, scratching the itch is satisfying. It feels good. C.S. Lewis uses this imagery to describe pride. He writes: “The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching….
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“Always trust your feelings.” This is one of the great “untruths” of our time. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt penned a book last year entitled, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Even though this book isn’t written from an explicitly Christian perspective, it’s a…
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We are addicted to outrage! There are days when I feel like I’m living in a foreign land. I scan the comments’ section or social media feed of a news outlet (yes, even this blog) and I’m jerked awake stunned over the intensity of rage that can result from the slightest provocation. How did we…
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Rest. You probably want or need more of it. You’re tired of the rat race. You always seem to be proceeding full-throttle. But resting…easier said than done? I spent some time reflecting on this over the holidays – which was a time of rest for me. Out of this time of restful contemplation came a…
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