“O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” Psalm 60:11-12, NRSV One of the more troubling but deeply revealing emails I received while serving at the center of the pro-life movement was from a dear mom whom I’ll call Sarah. Choosing … Read More
Shiny, Happy Christianity
O Lord, God of my salvation, at night, when I cry out before you,2 let my prayer come before you… For my soul is full of troubles…6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves…I am shut in so that I cannot escape…18 You have caused … Read More
Getting the Rest We Need
Even extraverts need regular times of solitude to stay spiritually healthy. Ian Marcus Corbin, philosopher and research fellow at Harvard Medical School, reminds us: “…Befriending oneself is a prerequisite for becoming a true friend to others. We do this by sitting quietly alone, coming to terms with who and what we are, forging some order out of the riot of … Read More
Gardening in Lent
By Timothy Austen There are good Christmas songs and there are bad ones. Stay with me, folks. I know it’ spring. The good: Some traditional Christmas music beautifully captures the spirit of waiting and patience that Advent—and, for that matter, our current season of Lent—requires of us. For example: “How long is this Mariah Carey song, and when will it … Read More
Praying for Our Kid’s Hearts
In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. In … Read More
Caring for Aging Parents
“Honor your father and your mother” is a command that’s central to our faith, even if discerning exactly what that looks like is challenging in various seasons of life– ours or our parents. Many of us know by personal experience that there is a lot of emotional, physical, and psychological fatigue associated with caring for aging parents. As one Canadian … Read More
Difficult People and God’s Surprises
“As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for … Read More
Is God Male?
Most children’s catechisms answer the question, “Who is God?” with some version of the statement, “He is a spirit and has no body as we do.” A study guide commenting on the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s version of this question explains, “When we say that God is a Spirit we make clear the fact that He is distinct from all things … Read More
Why I’m Not a Presuppositionalist
Not a what?! Sorry, I’m not trying to force you to go get another cup of coffee just to read this post. 🙂 Admittedly, however, I’ve chosen to deal with a more technical but important topic related to apologetics (1 Pet. 3:15), philosophy, and specifically epistemology. Here are a few definitions to help us not get lost in the weeds: … Read More
What Jesus Wants in 2021, Part 3 of 4
In considering, Luke 10:38-42, Mary not only listened, Mary listened to Jesus. Indeed, that’s no small thing but it’s, regrettably, wildly misunderstood both inside and outside the Church. In thinking about the Jesus that Mary listened to, it’s essential to let his invitation below wash over, refresh, and inform our understanding of what it means to follow Him: “Come to … Read More
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