Blogs

Well, as usual, I didn’t get as much done as I hoped to during my “blog vacation.” Shona says my epitaph should be: “That took longer than I expected.” I’m way too optimistic about my DIY abilities. Anyway, normal service is now being resumed.

A High View of Marriage Includes Divorce
“Evangelical and confessional churches are striving to maintain a high view of marriage in a culture that is ripping the institution to shreds. So extra-biblical barriers to divorce can be well-meant. They try to protect marriage by doing everything possible to avoid divorce. In doing so, they not only fail to keep a high view of marriage. They also spread lies about the gospel, divorce, the value of people, the character of God, and the nature of sexual sin.”

An Open Letter to Husbands who Abuse Their Wives

Dear Abuser…

I want to make it clear that if you want to invoke Bible verses to control and manipulate your wife, the Bible is against you.

If you harm your wife physically, sexually, emotionally, or materially, Jesus stands against you.

To hide behind the Bible in order to justify how you treat your wife is vile. Justifying your attitudes and actions with the Bible is like blaming the cook book for the food poisoning you caused when you cooked a meal with putrid meat. The issue isn’t with the book, but what you brought out of your fridge.

You are destroying your family, dishonouring God, and deceiving yourself.

The Average Sermon Length of These 10 Well Known Pastors
“We did a little research of our own to discover just how long the most watched preachers in America preach. You might be surprised by the results. We certainly were.”

Fasting 101
“Fasting is a lost art in pursuit of the spiritual disciplines and one that seems quite distant from everyday life in modern western culture. However, when we look to Scripture there is an expectation that believers would fast as a part of the Christian life (Matt. 6:16; 9:15). So, before you dismiss this practice as only for Tibetan monks…let’s explore a few of the “whys and hows” of fasting so that we might enrich our spiritual development and the lives of those whom we walk alongside.”

Hope When Your Children Stray
“Today when I’m counseling the parents of a rebellious child, here are five things I tell them: ”

If you’re watching “Game of Thrones,” you’re watching porn.
“If you think you can somehow filter out the porn and only take in the art, you are deceived and double-minded as well.  Porn does what porn does: as soon as it enters the scene, it removes all dignity and humanity.  All that is left is body parts and the consuming of other humans.  You can’t keep someone’s dignity once you have already devoured it.  You don’t get porn and human dignity; you get porn or human dignity.”

Why Did Jesus Need the Holy Spirit?
“John Owen set out eleven ways in which the Holy Spirit is said to have worked in the life and ministry of Jesus in the Scriptures:”

Losing your voice: 4 ways pastors lose pulpits
1. Burn out
2. Rust out
3. Kicked out
4. Fall out

Your Smartphone Costs A Lot More Than You Think It Does
“Maybe it is called a smartphone because it sucks the brains out of otherwise-creative and intelligent creatures. Sayonara, so-called smartphone! Onward I shall go, towards living a quiet, productive, God-honoring life.”

Kindle Books

The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus by Zach Eswine $4.99.

The Pastor’s Justification: Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry by Jared Wilson $2.99.

The Pastor and Counseling: The Basics of Shepherding Members in Need by Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju $3.99.

God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway? by John Lennox $3.53.