How adultery happens
Few Christians see themselves as the kind of people who would commit adultery. Yet it happens. Here’s a common pattern: First, deprivation. A spouse feels deprived of love/respect/attention/intimacy at home. Second, attraction. The deprived spouse notices someone and is drawn to them. Third, intention. You make an intentional effort to be with/impress the person you’re […]
Adultery? Don’t!
Of the 55 uses of the word adultery in the Bible, the very first one that shows up is this: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Our Father is that blunt for a reason. Even though an affair can feel like a lifeline for a spouse stuck in an unhappy marriage, breaking your vow […]
Competition or cooperation
The following two statements are true: Possessions are a blessing from God. Possessions are a burden to manage. Abraham and his nephew Lot had made a community together. Their families, livestock, and workers lived side by side. And God blessed them. He blessed them so much that their blessings became a burden to manage. Worker […]
The arc of history
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is credited with saying that the arc of the universe bends toward justice. I think that’s true because God is perpetually bending the arc of history toward himself. But it takes a long, sometimes very long, view of history to have that confidence. The arc of history doesn’t bend without […]
Open your eyes
There’s a story about a man who waited on the roof of his house during a flood. The waters kept rising, and he waited so long that he drowned. This happened after a boat, a helicopter, and more tried to save him, but he refused each attempt, saying, “I’m waiting for a sign from God.” […]
The last word
I recently watched a national news anchor interview a potential presidential candidate. The news commentator iterated to the presidential hopeful a laundry list of all the things he’s worried about in our country. China, rising inflation, foreign wars, national debt, energy independence, border issues, and woke agendas were among the things that were keeping him […]
A new definition for patience
I recently asked a large group of people how many of them wished they had more patience. Rather than raising their hands, most of them just laughed at the question. Why? Because everyone knows that everyone wants to be more patient. Why do we need it? Here’s what we think: The world is full of […]
The penalty is paid
OK, so I admit that I watched the trial of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard. This couple who was once in love slung mud at each other day after day. Witness after witness came forward, each supporting a side of the story. Text messages, decades-old but spanning their relationship, were drudged up and read publicly. […]