Without Provocation?

friends

Every Thursday I’ll post an article having to do with either relational or emotional matters. Hope it helps. — Without Provocation? “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” - Hebrews 10:24 An unprovoked life is incomplete. Convenient, probably, and certainly free of unwanted feedback, but incomplete. Someone should know you, and someone should have access to your heart and mind to the extent that she or he can speak to your blind spots. That’s a critical part of discipleship, often overlooked Continue Reading

Thinking it Through

the-compartmentalizer

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — Thinking it Through  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. - Philippians 4:8 We’re largely where we are today because of the decisions we’ve made. Not completely, I know, because plenty of things Continue Reading

Walking Strong

runner

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — Walking Strong This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) I’ve finally gotten back into serious workouts after a more than twenty year hiatus, and I’m glowing. Energy’s high, stress is hugely reduced, sleep is deeper, and – (drum roll) – I’ve all but lost my taste for fast foods. That may be the biggest miracle, because hamburgers and burritos have been my bad company for Continue Reading

Releasing My Wounder

forgive

Every Thursday I’ll post an article having to do with either relational or emotional matters. Hope it helps. — Releasing My Wounder We’ve all got them – wounds, past injuries of the soul that still show themselves, either in current pain or current behavior. They can show themselves in current pain through memories that just won’t die. Sometimes a mental picture of a traumatic event, like a childhood humiliation or tragedy, keeps intruding into your thoughts. Maybe you let yourself relive it, and all the pain of the event Continue Reading

The Greater Condemnation

casual Christians guy with open bible

Every Wednesday we’ll post something having to do with doctrine and purity. Hope it helps. — The Greater Condemnation My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. - James 3:1 James didn’t write a very nice book. In fact, apart from Proverbs, I think his epistle’s the biggest “kick in the butt” you’ll find in all of scripture. He gets right to the point: Don’t whine when life’s hard, give yourself no excuses for sin, abhor double-mindedness, shut up and listen, keep Continue Reading

Beware the Grudge

couple praying

Every Tuesday we’ll post something to do with strengthening marriages. Hope it helps. — Beware the Grudge A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. ~ Ruth Bell Graham On the best of football teams fumbles happen, and passes are either poorly thrown or missed. But the players would be unusually stupid if they held their errors against each other, for obvious reasons. They have a goal. They need each other’s cooperative effort to achieve that goal, and if they waste time and energy holding grudges against a teammate Continue Reading

The Dark Plunge

plunge dive

Every Thursday I’ll post an article having to do with either relational or emotional matters. Hope it helps. — The Dark Plunge “--- a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” - I Corinthians 12: 7 I’ve wrestled with depression since I was a teenager. I mean real depression, mind you, not the occasional “blues”, moodiness, or sadness we all experience from time to time. Depression is to a blue mood what a migraine is to a headache, which is to say Continue Reading

Treasured

father and child hands

Every Wednesday we’ll post something having to do with doctrine and purity. Hope it helps. — Treasured “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, oh God” - Psalm 139:17 Before making this declaration of God’s precious thoughts towards him, David first described how God knew him inside out, noting “You know my downsitting and my uprising, You know my thoughts afar off, You are acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139: 2-3) In short, You know me as fully as You love me; You love me as completely as You know Continue Reading

Scars: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King with Resilience

king

“For the victory to be won some of us will have to get scarred a bit.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To admire is not to idealize, nor is it to be blinded to obvious flaws. So yes, I’ve read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s alleged infidelities, and the evidence supporting the allegations is, alas, pretty solid.  Also, his political views probably tilted further left than he publicly acknowledged so no, I don’t assume everything he said was right, much less inspired. (I am in fact in disagreement with him on some points, Continue Reading

Random Ramblings #48: Gun Control, Lance Armstrong, Jodie Foster and The Impossible

Photo Credit: ABC News.

Every Friday we’ll leave the topic oriented post, and instead post some personal comments. — A Cuppa Joe Gun control seems to be on everyone’s agenda or hit list, depending on which side of the aisle you root for. The restrictions Obama’s proposing, in light of the Newton tragedy, look innocuous enough, and I personally am not afraid of background checks for gun owners or limits on sales of automatic weapons. What does have me nervous is the trend, which I doubt will end with these initial proposed laws, regardless of the fact Continue Reading