I grew up in a church tradition that really emphasized hell as a motivation for accepting Christ’s forgiveness of our sins. In fact, my own salvation decision as a young child was highly motivated by this. I no longer see overemphasis on hell (often an exclusive emphasis) as biblical or effective in bringing true heart […]
The Five Love Languages Condition Us for Self-Serving Kickback Love
I’ve read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman enough times that I pretty have the entire book memorized. For a time, this book seemed like the savior for my relationship with my wife. The idea behind it so simple: I want a better marriage. a.k.a. I want my wife to do specific things for […]
The Real Reason Marriage & the American Family have Dissolved
When you talk about the cultural war on marriage, Christians and the media typically think you must be talking about gay marriage. The sobering truth is the Christians already lost the “war” to a cultural definition of marriage well before gay marriage hit the spotlight. In fact, a strong argument could be made that if […]
God Does Not Look Good in a Bikini
God does not look good in a bikini. God does not have the perfect body. God is not sexy. God is not cool. God is not a movie star. God is not an athlete. God is not a model. God is not a celebrity. God doesn’t write paychecks. God is not a retirement plan. God […]
Bringing 1 Corinthians 11 Head Coverings Back for 2014
I recently preached on a confusing passage of Scripture that most of us skip over in our devotional time: 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 on women wearing head coverings and men not having long hair. It was not a sermon I thought I’d be writing a follow-up blog to, nor was it a passage I would have […]
God’s Recipe for Sex
God designed sex to be a one-flesh relationship; He tells us this in Genesis 2:24 and 1 Corinthians 6:15-16. But what does one-flesh mean, and how does this differ from the type of sex the world offers us? I preached on this subject this past Sunday. God’s one-flesh recipe for sex is that all of […]