Do you love the church? This question is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. An answer in the affirmative is binding. It is similar in importance to the affirmative answer given in a wedding ceremony. The pastor asks the question, “Will you take this woman to be your wife?” If the answer is “Yes,” at least two important things happen. The first is that you make your new wife happy. The second binds you to a committed relationship of service and sacrifice to your wife for the rest of your life.
Yearly Archives: 2010
76 posts
< p class=”MsoNormal”>In a recent post I raised the question about God’s involvement with the oil spill in the Gulf. There are at least two perspectives from which to consider this question. The first perspective is to consider if God is actively involved and if he is, to what extent. The second perspective is to consider whether the human agents that are part of this spill could have benefited from considering relevant biblical principles. A related issue is how to follow the direction of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 in talking about the spill with your family. Drilling for oil in undersea deposits is a challenging task. These deposits may lie several miles below the ocean floor. So how is God directly involved? First, He is the one who placed the oil in […]
Parents often try to defend their childrearing deficiencies by protesting that their situations are unusually difficult or stressful. Parents, I believe you can relate to what I am saying. When you snap at the children, it is because “things are difficult at work.” When you don’t have time to play with them, it is because you are worried about the bills and trying to sort out your financial difficulties. When you are irritated with them instead of patiently instructing them in God’s ways, it is because of relational pressures in your marriage that they just can’t understand. These are the kinds of “understandable” myths we tell ourselves to avoid our obligation to trust Christ in our parenting. The attractive route […]
As Paul says in I Corinthians 15, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But we do have hope in Christ for the life that is yet to come. It is this joy, that can only be known by those whom Christ has called, that transforms weariness into peace. This is why the words of Christ in Matthew 11 resonate with God’s people. Parents when you are overcome by weariness remember and rejoice in these precious words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble […]
The ABC News website reports the following story from Davenport, Iowa: “Taking a recommendation by the Davenport Civil Rights Commission to change the holiday’s name to something more ecumenical, City Administrator Craig Malin sent a memo to municipal employees announcing Good Friday would officially be known as ‘Spring Holiday.’” As you can imagine, the ruling brought a fair amount of controversy and was overturned by the city council. It is important to note that we can take nothing for granted. This story demonstrates an increasingly hostile mood toward Christianity. However, the only way to stem this tide in a way that honors God is for the church to focus more on being salt and light and less on political activism. […]
Justin Taylor has put together a harmony/chronology from the gospels of the week leading up to the resurrection of Christ. This kind of Bible study is valuable, but also takes some careful study and planning. With the help of the ESV Study Bible, Justin has done that work for you. This is a wonderful opportunity to follow with your family the life of Christ during this most significant week of human history. Here is the link to Palm Sunday. You can follow the rest of the week by going back to Justin’s blog each day and clicking on this link. Thanks to Justin for this resource!
Easter Week is a great time to talk about weariness. Christ’s words in Matthew 11:28-30 were given to offer encouragement to weary aliens living in a hostile world. Following Christ was never meant to be trouble-free–but it is meant to be restful. Let me explain!
Parenting is a challenging task–at times even overwhelming. Because of this reality, there are countless remedies offered from every corner to make parenting easier and less stressful. Even the makers of the modern family transport, aka mini-vans, have added optional DVD players to help keep children passive while traveling to the supermarket. Yet despite all the advice and devices, at the end of the day, concerned parents are frequently left in a state of weariness. Weary not only because of the trials of the day just finished, but also weary because tomorrow is just a few hours away. In this in-between time, weariness often reaches its peak. The free advice and stress-reducing gadgets offer little consolation in this time. Even […]
Have you seen the series of television commercials for an investment firm, with toddlers as the main characters? In the ads, one bright little guy in a high chair extols the virtues of online trading. The ads are humorous and, apparently, effective; one even ran during the Super Bowl. These ads illustrate that one way to leave a memorable impression is to connect an idea, in this case online stock trading, with an image that is both pleasing and absurd. So, while no one truly expects a toddler in a high chair to be discussing the benefits of online trading and 401Ks, a positive association is made with this company. These ads also illustrate an important biblical reality, though probably […]
We have been looking at the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-31. A man came to Jesus seeking his support. This man wanted his brother to give him his fair share of their inheritance, and he sought out Jesus’ advocacy for his claim. From an earthly perspective, this man was concerned about one of the most important issues in life–his financial security. His position in the community would no doubt be determined by securing what he believed to be his proper inheritance. There is, however a certain irony to this demand. The portion of Luke’s gospel where this is recorded is a section called the Travel Narrative, Luke 9:51-19:27. This narrative describes Christ’s final journey back to Jerusalem […]