God’s sharp sword stabbed me deeply this week is I was on a scriptural hunt in the Ephesian letter. I was searching for a verse totally unrelated to the one that sliced its way into me. It was another of those verses I feel sorry for (like John 3:17 and 1 John 1:10—look ’em up). […]
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What Does It Mean to Be Made in God’s Image?
What does the phrase “the image of God” mean? Theologians have wrestled long and hard with this question, because the answer impacts how we think about Christ’s saving work, Christian ethics, and other important spiritual matters. Some have argued that image refers to humanity’s capacity to rule, because ruling is mentioned in connection with the […]
Read MoreThe Gift for the Person Who Has Everything
In our pocket of society where pampered affluence is rampant, we are often at a loss to know what kind of gifts to buy our friends and loved ones on special occasions. For some people (especially those who “have everything”), the standard gift won’t cut it. Nothing in the shopping mall catches our fancy. I […]
Read MoreWooing the Wayward: Loving Your Prodigal until He or She Comes Home
Shattered. Your dreams of your children growing up to be godly Christians now lay like splinters of glass on the marble floor. “Mom, I’m gay,” your son announces. Your daughter reveals, “Dad, I’ve moved in with my boyfriend.” These words take your breath away. Your adult child is running not only from God, but from […]
Read MoreIn Their Eyes
The mysteries of this world never cease. My 2-year-old son has a strange habit. When he wakes up in the morning or from his nap, he makes his way from his bed directly to his closed bedroom door, lies down flat on his stomach, and gazes through the crack beneath it. Then he waits. He […]
Read MoreFinding a Middle Way through the Midway
With excitement in her eyes, Sarah kissed her parents goodbye. John and Judy’s decision to let their sixteen-year-old daughter attend the girls’ summer art camp wasn’t difficult. They had heard great things about the program and believed it was an excellent opportunity. Then John and Judy learned the famous art camp was a magnet for […]
Read MoreFor Dads
I don’t often recommend a volume without reservation, but I think every man should read Temptations Men Face by Tom Eisenman. I’m not saying I agree with everything in it, or that you will, but it’s one of those works that deserves being read . . . especially by men. I appreciate Tom’s candour and […]
Read MoreWhen He’s Not Leading
The days of childhood games are long gone, yet the words still ring in your ears: “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Why does leadership in the home sometimes feel like a game of hide and seek? What’s to be done when a husband isn’t leading? The path of wisdom is pursuing the blueprint […]
Read MoreComing Home
I am on a long flight home. I’m tired. The days away were well spent but exhausting. I am glad I made the trip, but I’m even happier to be coming home. There’s nothing like a few days away to remind me how much I love being home. No hotel can take the place of […]
Read MoreOne Person We All Need (and One We Need to Be)
“When all else fails, read the instructions.” That little, seven-word warning ought to appear on every electric train set, every plastic model, every backyard swing set in a two-ton package, every high-tech gizmo—anything that comes disassembled or requires electricity. Don’t try to pretend this doesn’t apply to you! I have no doubt that, just like […]
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