Satan seeks to fill our souls with shame that separates. Paul labels it “worldly sorrow [that] brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Satanic shame involves self-contempt and self-disgust that causes me to despair of all hope that God could love a sinner like me. Condemning shame convinces me that God has forever justly rejected me. Godly […]
When sin is the focus, the focus is sin
Hi George, Pornography is one of the most pervasive sins in the church today. It is filled with shame, guilt, and hiding. I understand what you are going through, and you should know that it is a pretty common situation. I’ve listed a few books that might help you think about the situation and give […]
saturating the city with the gospel
The goal of the neighborhood approach can be summed up by the idea of saturating the city with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Community groups have the ability to fill every nook and cranny of our city as outposts of the gospel (Brad House, Community, p. 106).
God’s emotionality is constructive
Though God experiences responsively and feels deeply, we should not think He is controlled by His emotions, or that He “flies off the handle,” or is “shocked and rocked” by our actions. God controls His own emotions; He manages His moods. In the perfect harmony of His pure being, His longing, thinking, choosing, and feeling […]
Welcome to the world
When accidents happen, it’s okay to call them accidents—even the Bible does. When babies die and whole populations starve and cocaine junkies blow away frightened convenience-store clerks, God weeps for his world. All these things are true. But the Bible insists on another truth simultaneously. All during these sins, typhoons, illnesses, mishaps, snake bites, crib […]
the thrill of delighting
The Trinity is a mutual admiration and adoration society of shared glory. In John 1, the apostle John carries us back before time began. In John 17, Jesus is our time traveling Guide. In His prayer, He transports us to that infinite stretch before time so we can sense the unbounded esteem the Trinity shares. […]
Asking for a Better Solution
The rest of the passage was equally helpful. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” At a time in my life when I was struggling with worry, I decided that Paul must have meant that I could ask God for a better solution to the problem […]
God is Riveted
The two are so close that the Son is “in the bosom of the Father”—that is, resting his head on his chest, as close friends did while reclining on carpets around a low dinner table in the Middle East (John 1:18 Kjv). Furthermore, God has taken the universe and turned the shop over to the […]
Only the Tip
Dear Kim and George, I was thinking about our time together yesterday and it occurred to me that I didn’t address something that you both referenced in your forms—the big fight of a few weeks ago. You both mentioned that it had escalated to the point of punching and some pretty serious physicality. I’m sorry […]