My New Year's "Anti-Resolutions" —Jan 4, 2010

"To be alive is to be broken; to be broken is to stand in need of grace. It is only through grace that any of us could dare to hope that we could become more like Christ."

-- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Sometimes to improve, you must remove. To enhance, you must lance. Increasing might require decreasing. You get the idea. For example, to improve your health might require reducing or eliminating certain foods from your plate and other practices from your routine. Or, to get your finances healthy, you might need to eliminate debt and curb undisciplined spending. Less can be more.

What Is Your New Name? —Jul 4, 2009
Everyone has a "given" name, but also a name that we adopt based on our life experiences. But what is your new name?

Is Grace Really Enough? —Dec 15, 2008
Do you ever wonder if we live in a country (USA) that is so blessed with "creature comforts" that we have become "flabby" when it comes to our spiritual fitness? We have so much, yet everywhere I turn I see increased dissatisfaction and misery as people clamor for more and more and more. When will it ever be enough? Is there ever an end to the discontent and anxiety of those believing the lies of entitlement thinking? (chew on that one for a few seconds...)

November E-News: Faith is Universal —Nov 2, 2008
I can already hear the gasps among my fundamentalist friends as they read the title to this article. But don’t worry, my dear friends, I haven’t jumped ship on evangelicalism and adopted a “we’re all going to heaven” theology. No, I still believe the truth that there is only one way to eternal life and that way is by faith alone in Christ alone. So, this article is more about the exercise of faith in general than it is about faith in God (although general “faith” is ultimately meant to lead us to our Creator).

Why is Grace So Hard to Embrace? —Jul 28, 2008

grace, n.

The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

There is no other doctrine, I believe, that is simultaneously the most difficult to understand and yet the easiest to receive than that of grace.  Denominations are split over it, pastors argue about it, cultures ignore it, and only a few ever embrace it.  Why is this one little word, this small, yet overwhelmingly powerful concept, so difficult to embrace?

What's a Wretch to Do? —Jun 19, 2008
I know a counselor who recently approached a local church to ask if they would host a conference to help homosexuals learn about God's best regarding their sexuality.  The pastor of the church simply stated he wasn't interested.  This, unfortunately, is not uncommon.  There is such a fear among many well-meaning, evangelical churches of how their church fellowship will appear to others.  In many ways, it is politics as usual in the church.

Why I am Not God...and Other Comforting Thoughts —Mar 16, 2006
I was driving around town yesterday taking care of some errands when an announcement came over the radio that an online child pornography "business" was being shut down and its operators prosecuted. Then they reported something that nearly caused me to have a wreck out of disgust and anguish. You see, part of this online child porn ring included videos of abuse occurring on children younger than 18 months old. My gut wretched at such horrific news.