Wednesday's Word

When you woke up this morning, what gave you hope? Maybe a better way of asking the same question is: When you woke up this morning, where did you look for security? For many well-intentioned followers of Jesus, we have mistakenly built our houses of hope on sinking sand. Without even knowing it, we load all our hope for life onto our spouse, children, career, house, retirement account, social status, or ministry calling. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with appreciating people,... Read More

There are some blunt, tell-it-like-it-is passages in the Bible. One that comes to mind is 1 John 2:19 - "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us." (ESV) This is not merely a historical recounting by John, but a warning for us today: We must resist defining Christianity as anything other than a deep devotion to Christ, the fruit of which is a lifestyle of daily worship of him and active service in his kingdom. We must... Read More

When was the last time you needed to use a flashlight? I'm guessing your answer will include some variation of "dark" or "darkness". As a sinner living with other sinners in a fallen world, you encounter darkness every day. While you may experience Instagram-worthy, sunny day picnic lunches, the reality is that life is more of a midnight walk through the woods. On any given day, you probably encounter more darkness than you do truth - both internally, and... Read More

I hope that your church pulled out all the stops for a raucous celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord! For followers of Jesus Christ, Easter Sunday is the single most important day in history. Without it, there would be no reason for our faith. The Apostle Paul writes that "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14) So I certainly hope that Easter Sunday is the biggest and best day on your church calendar.... Read More

I love Easter. I love the celebratory music we sing at church. I love the passages of Scripture we read during worship. Most of all, I love the visual image of the Empty Tomb. In one culminating and specific moment in history, Jesus Christ summarizes and finalizes the salvation narrative. There are 6 things in particular that I love about the Empty Tomb. 1. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is faithful. Centuries earlier, after Adam and Eve rebelled, God promised that he would... Read More

Your Bible begins with four carefully selected words, four words that I would argue are perhaps the most important words in all of Scripture. "In the beginning, God..." With these words, everything in your life - including sex - is given its shape, purpose and meaning. Genesis 1:1 tells you that your life is not about you; it's about the Creator. It's vital to know that you were born into a universe that by its very nature is a celebration of him. What this means... Read More

When it comes to sex, we've gone culturally insane. Just think about how much sexually explicit and sexually driven material is pushed in front of your eyes every day. With all of this so readily available, it's very tempting to blame sex, societal values, the mainstream media, or technology as the problem. But here's the humbling truth: sex is not the problem, nor is our environment the primary problem. The act of sex, as God designed, is beautiful and rewarding - not evil.... Read More

Are you in a moment of temptation right now, or have you experienced temptation recently? Are you experiencing some type of sexual suffering right now, or have you recently? (If not, I'm sure you are close to someone who is.) As sexual beings with sinful hearts, we should anticipate attraction to things that God prohibits. Similarly, as residents of a fallen world, we should expect to suffer, and at times, that suffering will impact our sexuality. Despite these inevitable... Read More

There are two things that you should expect, both as a human being and as a follower of Jesus Christ: You should expect to suffer, and you should expect suffering to impact your sexuality. That's a discouraging and potentially awkward way to start, isn't it? Keep reading - I pray you'll find hope at the end! Here are a few ways you can expect to suffer sexually: You will suffer through the temptation to take your sexual desires – which God hardwired you with -... Read More