Sin starts as a worship problem. We give non-God things God-like weight in our hearts. Eric Geiger, reflecting on the work of the Christian counselor David Powlison, groups our primary idols into four basic categories, calling them “root" idols: Approval: We want to be accepted by others, so we become…
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It took a third cancer diagnosis to force me to let go of my life. Not that I had much choice in the matter, but for the year before, I’d been tirelessly attempting to control my fate. I changed my diet, eating less sugar and more cruciferous vegetables. I ran…
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One week ago today, I boarded an airplane in Bujumbura, Burundi, to return home with our missions team after spending a week in the poorest nation on earth. Later this year, you will see the stories we captured. Stories of pain, hardship, sickness, and death. You will also see how…
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As A. W. Tozer wrote in The Purpose of Man, our purpose is “that we might worship God and enjoy Him forever.” God’s glory should be our ultimate aim. Our pursuits should be an act of worship. The way we love others should give evidence of our surrender to Christ.…
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The sky filled with clouds so quickly, they had no time to turn back to shore to avoid what was happening. Waves started crashing over the sides of their boat before they could formulate a plan to survive. The crisis had caught them off guard—especially since they had followed Jesus’…
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“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) This verse — written by Paul, Silas, and Timothy regarding their time with the Thessalonians — hung on the wall for years in…
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If you’re like me, the truth that challenges and struggles are an inevitable part of every season of life isn’t exactly comforting. I’m just not to the point where I can say I rejoice in suffering. In fact, most of my biggest worries and fears are related to how to…
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What comes to your mind when you think of standing? Waiting? Boredom? Wasted time? I think we’ve imagined that standing is a passive activity that doesn’t require much effort, but that’s not true when we’re talking about standing for the Lord. I won’t insult your intelligence by saying that standing…
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To everything there is a season, friends. I believe God is allowing the church to grow in strength, hope, and meaning. I’ve had to ask myself: Am I willing to grow in resilience through community? Am I ready to push myself, be bold, risk security? Am I willing to foster…
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We know the line from the Ten Commandments: “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16) Jesus emphasized this again when asked by the "rich young ruler" which commandments he should keep (Matthew 19:19; Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20). Clearly, this is important to God. But what does it mean?…
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