Monthly Archives: March 2016

16 posts

The Lie Of Safe Sex

Safe sex outside of marriage is a deadly oxymoron. There is nothing safe about any sexual activity outside of marriage! Extramarital sex, portrayed as liberating and full of pleasure is toxic quicksand. Episodes of pleasure and excitement are stupidly exchanged for a life of worry, insecurity and physical danger. Within one generation, the slide into immorality has gone from “Can I get her to kiss me on the first date” to “Can I get her to…” — you can fill in the blank. With one look David plunged his life, his family, his kingdom into sickening darkness. Jesus recalls this dark moment in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-28): “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not […]

Whining Children, Broken Lives

Your six-year-old has become so obsessed with wanting his brother’s radio controlled car that he has made himself sick whining and complaining about it. There is a reason the Holy Spirit warns against grumbling and complaining. This familiar scenario does not seem as shocking as the story of a teenager obsessed with pornography. However, the attitudes that fuel the teenager’s lust and obsession are the same ones that control your six-year old. This point must not be missed. You must connect the dots of self-pity in your young children with the self-pity of teenagers caught up in sins like pornography and substance abuse. Don’t dismiss self-pity as a passing stage. Whining in young children is the early warning sign of […]

What About the Stone?

A guard of battle-tested, Roman soldiers was dispatched to guard the tomb of Christ. No group of crazed religious fanatics was going to steal the dead body of the supposed Messiah. Then there was an earthquake. Then an angel with the appearance of lightning came down and rolled the stone away and perched himself on top of it. The soldiers watched in shock and then passed out in fear. If you were there you would have expected to see Jesus walk out into the morning light. There was just one problem. The tomb was already empty.  Just as he could not be hindered from entering in a locked room later that day, he could not be contained by the sealed […]

Death and a Dark Saturday

Think about Saturday, the day after the crucifixion. This day was different. The trial, the crowds, the drama of Christ upon the cross was past. It was a dark Saturday. The disciples were overwhelmed. Judas was gone. The eleven and those close to them had spent three years with the most powerful person in all of human history. Try as they might they could not anticipate his next move or deed. Now, his calming presence was gone. It appeared their hopes and dreams had vanished before their eyes. The Roman leaders were relieved that this whole mess was behind them. But there was at least one Centurion who knew that a great wrong had been done. And, then there was […]

The embarrassing Easter story

You know about the last supper. But there is another story of Jesus’s last night that we don’t recall so easily. It is an embarrassing story about what our hearts are really like. Just after the Lord’s Supper and just before Jesus goes to the garden to pray, there arose an ugly dispute between the disciples. I would like to say that if I had been there I would not have engaged in this display of pride. But I cannot. I, too, would have joined in the moment. The story is found in Luke 22:24-27. The disciples were trying to figure out who among them might betray Jesus, since he had just predicted that one of them would. Instead of […]

Where Is Your Peace?

Once again, terror leads the headlines. Terrorism and peace, not two things you think of at the same time. Terror breeds fear. Peace yields confidence. How do you know peace in times of terror? Where do you find confidence? The answer: there is only One who brings peace and confidence in our troubled world. His name is Jesus Christ. Your savior is supremely confident. His confidence flows from his humility. Think about that. Jesus is confident that he can always trust his Father. God the Father has given his son his sheep. No one can take them away. That means no one can take you away from the strong hand of your Savior. Jesus is confident in his Father, you […]

How To Find Friends You Can Trust

Failure to discern who is a genuine, true friend and who is not, leads to being manipulated and used. This may result in, among many other things, bitterness and a crippling inability to trust others. The Holy Spirit has provided tools in Scripture to help you recognize genuine friendship. This is an essential life skill for you and your children. The Proverbs offer reliable observations about friendship.  For example look at Proverbs 12:18: “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” These words provide insight about how to distinguish between the wise and the reckless.  The reckless or rash person’s words hurt and bring pain.  They cut deeply.  When someone claims to […]

The Praise Of Man: Not Worth Living For

I grew up in Miami, the land of palm trees. On the Saturday before Palm Sunday we went out to the back yard and collected as many palm fronds as we could carry and took them to church. On Sunday, when we arrived at church, the center aisle and the side aisles of the sanctuary were lined with palm fronds. As a child it was thrilling to think that Jesus also rode on green palm fronds as he entered Jerusalem to shouts of the crowds singing Hosanna. It was not until years later that I considered the stark contrast between the celebration of Palm Sunday and the blasphemy of Good Friday. As a child, I never thought much about the […]

Teach Your Children To Pray For What Is Best

In the Lord’s prayer Jesus tells you to pray for God’s will to be done. By asking God for his kingdom to rule and his will to be done, you are making a life-changing request! You are acknowledging that his purpose and plan is better than your own. God’s way is better than your way! It does not work to say or think, “Please do your will and mine.” This is a foolish statement. Are your desires as important as God’s? It is God’s kingdom and will that must desired above all else. This thought ties directly to Christ’s words just a few verses later in the Sermon on the Mount; “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” […]

When Life Hurts

Adam left you a legacy of hurt. There is joy because the second Adam, Jesus, has rescued you from Adam’s dark web. But while you remain on earth the tentacles of Adam’s choice cling to your flesh. Hardship and pain are punctuated by pangs of failure, betrayal, guilt and jaded visions of what might have been. But here we meet the power of the gospel! God never abandons you, even in times of deep sadness. The Apostle Paul writes eloquently of this mixture of Adam’s legacy and Christ’s redeeming power. His words are printed for you below. Paul knew a mixture of hope and discouragement, joy and sadness, life and death.   Jesus has gone before you and he now walks […]