Week after week, the Spirit of Christ does His quiet work, and one day you look back and realize you are not who you were. Why would God work this way? Paul answers: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us”... Continue Reading

Light sermons heal deep wounds lightly. When we stand before suffering people and give them five steps to a happier life, we aren’t offering good news. We’re just giving them more work to do. We tell wounded, exhausted souls to pull themselves together and try harder. In doing so, we become like Job’s friends, those... Continue Reading

Many of us think ourselves innocent of theft, but still scheme to gain the possessions of others by legal means. This applies even if the ‘neighbor’ whom you defraud is an extremely wealthy corporation with an overly generous return policy. Likewise, the commandment speaks to the common envy today that drives the intent to use... Continue Reading

The world tells us the key to happiness is “extreme personal freedom”, a world where we don’t depend on anyone for anything. But Jesus says the key to a flourishing life is “extreme personal dependence” on God, our Heavenly Father.   Nothing is more American than thinking of ourselves as people who pulled ourselves up... Continue Reading

This is the root of the issue. This is the bottom of it all. The question behind the question of what you are going to do with what God has given you is the question of how well you really know Him. Do you really know His generosity?   “You evil, lazy slave!” These are... Continue Reading

The Song reminds us that our bodies are not inherently ungodly and that sexual intimacy within marriage is not a concession to sin but part of God’s good design. “The Song guides us to see with scriptural sensibilities that the earth is ‘crammed with heaven’ (Elizabeth Browning, ‘Aurora Leigh,’ line 61), the way of a... Continue Reading

A key characteristic of the Word dwelling richly is that believers are willing to lovingly confront one another in their walk of sanctification…I am at work and have a poor, self-centered attitude. A fellow believer sees this and gently confronts me about my sin. Lovingly, kindly, and without assuming, he asks me questions that reveal... Continue Reading

Nigerian and other media routinely omit reference to religious identity of assailants and victims in attacks that may have a religious targeting component, contributing to the misperception that violence is mere rural insecurity, the report states. “This issue has significant implications for both public understanding and policy analysis. Datasets that rely heavily on media reports... Continue Reading