Always Reforming

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30) Oh, that my heart would own these words! These words of the Baptist ought...must...be the resolution of every Christian.  The decisions we make, the paths we take, and that which we forsake must all flow from a desire to glorify Christ.  "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31)  This is the guiding ethic of the Christian life.   He must increase .  This is the easy part of the verse.  Exalting Christ sounds good.  We like to praise, to worship, to tell others about Jesus.  He must increase?  Amen! But... I must decrease .  This is the painful part.  This is the part that is so radically counter to both our culture and our natural inclinations.  Humility--how demeaning!  Submission--how passe!  Subservience--how repulsive! I must decrease .  The second part is indispensable to the first.  We cannot serve Go...

People create conspiracy theories to make sense of the reality they experience. COVID is the perfect example. It was difficult to believe that the "powers that be" were really that foolish or naive, so certainly something more insidious was afoot! The shadow government was depopulating the world intentionally through a man-made virus and the subsequent "miracle" vaccine! Now, stranger conspiracy theories have been proven true, but the reality is probably much less orchestrated or exciting. What the human brain has trouble fathoming is that someone could be this calloused. Evil--that we get. Calloused, unconcerned, heartless--that we struggle to comprehend. Faced with the opportunity for fame and fortune, Fauci chose to downplay and/or outright lie about the dangers of the vaccine. He went on TV and told America it was safe and effective. He was the darling of the media and celebrities, who demeaned and slandered anyone who posed legitimate questions. Gover...

Parents, Your kids don't need a bunch of stuff.  They don't need all of the experiences their friends have.   Heaven knows they don't need more entertainment! They need you. Mom and Dad, they need you both . They need your time, your attention, your presence.   They need your big hugs and your kisses on the top of their heads. They need to know that they're more important than whatever is on your phone at any given moment. They need to know that they're part of something bigger--a family, a community. They need your friendship and your discipline.   They need you to show them how to live, how to align priorities properly. They need to see you work, yes, but also play.  And rest. And read. And exercise. And, most importantly, they need to see you worship God.   Every "yes" is a "no."  

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  (Romans 6:14) Christian, you have been freed.  Through the Person and Work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you have been set free from the guilt and corruption of sin.  The Fall has been reversed.   The guilt of sin no longer has dominion over you.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).  No one, not even the accuser, can bring an accusation against God's elect (Rom 8:33).  Satan has no right to your body or your soul.  Resist him; he will flee (James 4:7).  The power of sin no longer has dominion over you.  "For one who has died has been set free from sin," Paul says (Rom 6:7).  "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11).  We have been given the gift of true freedom--not freedom from restraint, but freedom from slavery to sin.  W...

Thank you, Dr. Fauci.   Thank you for your transparent corruption. Thank you for destroying public confidence in the experts . Thank you for revealing how things really work . Thank you for normalizing vaccine injury awareness and education . Thank you for unveiling the religious fervor of medicalists . Thank you for showing us what the elites really think about the common man. Thank you for reminding us that no one is immune (pun fully intended) to the wiles of power, money, and fame. Thank you for stirring up the sleeping hearts of regular men and women in this country. So, thank you.  Despite yourself, thank you.  You set in motion things that cannot be undone. May God have mercy on you.

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers... (Titus 1:10a) Speaking in the 1st Century, Paul was warning Titus about the challenges that the soon-to-be ordained overseers in Crete would face, but he could just as easily have been speaking to the modern pastor about navigating the Internet in the 21st Century. There is nothing new under the sun.  Technology changes, but human nature remains the same (unless changed by Almighty God).  The Internet is full of insubordination .  Submission has never been easy, and it never will be.  It should be said that this is as true of disgruntled parishioners in a local congregation as it is of keyboard warriors.  This vice lies in the heart of man, not merely in his fingers.  However, social media and other online spaces provide a voice for those who are probably better left voiceless.  Christians need to be on guard for this tendency.  Those of us who fancy ourselves writers shoul...