Darkness, Being Anonymous, and Church
Does darkness and anonymity impact one’s behavior? Researchers from the University of Toronto conducted a series of experiments to discover the impact of darkness on one’s perception of being anonymous. In one experiment, the researchers placed participants in two different rooms and instructed them to complete math problems and reward themselves with allotted money each […]
“Mean Tweets” Video Shows Us How Messed Up We Are
Last week a video of guys reading mean tweets to female sportscasters went viral. [Caution: the language is offensive] The women had read the tweets beforehand, as they likely saw them in their twitter feed in real time. The guys had not read the tweets and were recruited to read them to the women as […]
Three Temptations Leaders Must Fight Daily
John Owen strongly challenged: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” Overcoming temptation is active, not passive. Defeating sin requires grace-driven effort. D.A. Carson said, “Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness.” With that in mind, here are three temptations leaders must fight against daily: 1. The temptation to speak […]
How Boredom Destroys
When David wrote Psalm 27 he was in awe of the Lord, happy in Him, and found nothing more beautiful than God to capture his heart. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty […]
He Is Still Alive
Yesterday was awesome. People gathered in churches to celebrate that Jesus is alive, that sin and death no longer claim us. He has saved us, freed us, and one day He will raise us to everlasting life. Many churches saw an increase in attendance yesterday, and though there were a lot of guests, most major […]
The Beauty of No Shame
When the apostle Paul wrote about marriage, he reminded us of the first couple in Scripture: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. […]
More than “Just as if I have never sinned”
A helpful way to remember the important biblical term “justified” is with the phrase “just as if I’d never sinned.” And that is certainly part of what it means to be justified. All our sins are forgiven, and we stand pure and blameless before God. But “justified” actually means much more than that. Jerry Bridges […]
5 Things that Killing Sin is NOT
I have been reading the classic work, The Mortification of Sin, by John Owen. Owen famously challenges us to “be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” He strongly states, “The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.” It is our duty, […]
Paid Debt and Response
Perhaps you have pulled through a Starbucks drive-through and experienced the barista informing you that the person in the car in front of you has already paid for your coffee. In that moment, your heart is filled with gratitude over a small action. It likely impacts the rest of your day. Grace does that to […]
Don’t Return to the Corpse
According to Galatians 5, there is an ongoing and internal battle occurring in believers. The Lord has graciously caused His Spirit to live in our hearts, yet at the same time, we are still plagued with our flesh, our unredeemed humanness. And though in our inner being we desire Him and His ways, our flesh […]