I have a confession to make. It’s embarrassing and humbling, but I’m willing to make it publicly. Why am I disclosing this struggle? Because first, there is nothing you could discover about me that hasn’t already been covered by the blood of Jesus. And second, I know I’m not the only one who wrestles with it. I hope by making this statement, I encourage you to be honest as well. Here’s the confession: I’m not always excited or motivated to read the... Read More

I’m sure by now that you’ve received a dozen emails, Facebook posts, or push notifications encouraging you to start a Bible reading plan for 2020. Praise God! I love how technology has evolved to place the Word of God in front of us all the time and everywhere! But I have a confession to make: reading the Bible consistently this year will be a challenge. Like it has been every year... So go ahead and pick your next Bible reading plan, but you’re going to need the... Read More

How did you ring in 2020? I don’t mean how did you celebrate on New Year’s Eve or what are your plans for January 1. Spiritually and theologically, how are you ringing in the New Year? What are you preaching to yourself about the year gone by and the year to come? What are you facing this year that you wish you could avoid? Where would you like to take back choices and redo decisions from last year? What about 2020 makes you feel troubled, inadequate, weak,... Read More

I love the sights, sounds, colors, and tastes of Christmas. I enjoy the gifts, decorations, and delicacies unique to December just as much as anyone. But perhaps I love them too much; maybe I love this month for all the wrong reasons. Have you noticed that the entire message of this season has become about acquiring created stuff? How sad: the glory of Christmas is that the Creator himself becomes a man, to rescue us from our bondage to the creation! Yet here we are, celebrating... Read More

I say this jokingly, but I’m serious at the same time: there are days when I don’t care about redemption; all I want is a good steak! I’m not making steak for Thanksgiving, but as I prepare the meal that my family will eat next week, I have been confronted again with a significant spiritual tension between the “already” of our conversion and the “not yet” of our home going. We should enjoy and give thanks for material things without allowing them... Read More

Why do we keep acquiring more possessions when we clearly already have enough? Why do we stare into overstuffed closets and tell ourselves that we have nothing to wear? Why do we tend to live in a house way larger than our family truly needs? Why do we get a brand-new car when our current mode of transportation is more than adequate? Why do we eat out so often and eat way more than we need for daily sustenance? Why are we so obsessed about our physical appearance and fitness? ... Read More

In a world that is held in such deep darkness where the light of truth often seems more of a flicker than a flame— in a world where deceit, dishonesty, falsehood, and foolishness divert and distort the lives of so many— in times when a myriad of voices say so much about so many things, where confusion seems readily available and clarity seems hard to find— in a world where opinions rise to a place where only truth should be, and every voice seems to... Read More

Last week I wrote about a life-changing conclusion that the Israelites came to in Deuteronomy 1:27 – “Because the Lord hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.” (ESV) I’m deeply persuaded that we, just like those in Deuteronomy 1, are always asking and answering five deeply theological questions. I want to expound upon these a bit more this week. 1. Is God Good? When it comes to what is good,... Read More

When was the last time you started a Bible reading plan with the book of Deuteronomy? Maybe you should. There’s a life-changing sentence in the first chapter of this historical book that we need more than ever today. To briefly set the scene, God commanded his people to leave Horeb and enter the Promised Land. The Israelites were understandably afraid of the battle that lay ahead, but instead of bringing their fear before the Lord, they chose to murmur in their tents. The result... Read More