Why I Can’t Love My Neighbor as Myself

1 John, Bible, Galatians, God, grace, Jesus, Law, love, Matthew, Philippians, Romans, rules, spiritual growth

A common misconception is that Old Testament Jews were saved by keeping the law. A lot of people think if those who lived before Christ obeyed all the Jewish rules and/or made all the appropriate sacrifices when they did wrong, God would let them into Heaven. Wrong....

One Thing Millennials Need From Their Church

Church, spiritual growth

If I read another article about Millennials and the Church, I am going to lose my mind. But I’m totally fine with writing one. Rachel Held Evans wrote a piece a couple of weeks ago on the subject (two pieces, actually), and now it’s all anyone in the...

The Problem with Reading Through the Bible in a Year

Bible, Bible study, freedom, God, grace, Holy Spirit, quiet time, spiritual growth, Uncategorized, works

Last year I jumped on the band wagon and read through the entire Bible in a year. I’m glad I did it. It forced me to read parts of the Bible I rarely venture into, and it gave me a good overall view of all that Scripture contains. When I finished, I started...

Spiritual Gangrene

2 Corinthians, believe, Bible, faith, fear, God, growing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John, pain, Psalms, sin, spiritual growth

In my last post I tossed out the idea that when we choose Jesus to be our Lord and our Savior, our “old things” pass away… but, like gangrenous tissue, they are still apart us, threatening our new lives in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Although the old things no longer...

Why this “New Creation” Often Feels Old

2 Corinthians, Bible, God, grief, Jesus, pain, spiritual growth, suffering

I’ve always had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that when we become Christians, we become “new creations”. Actually, I don’t so much have a problem with the “new” part as I do with the the idea that the...

Loving Well

Bible, Ephesians, God, growing, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, love, Matthew, pain, Psalms, relationships, self worth, spiritual growth

It’s hard to be a good writer without also being honest. And being honest is tricky because sharing my life necessarily means sharing others’ lives, at least where their lives intersect with mine, and others don’t always want to be as open as I am...