Always Reforming

My eyes, riddled with rivulets of red, burst open. "What a dream..." Relief washed away the terror like ocean waves bathing a battered shoreline. I have long been given to dental nightmares, but the dream that haunted me that night was abnormally vivid.  There I lay, reclining in a dentist's chair, bright lights scorching my corneas.  Over me stood a menacing figure, liveried in white.  Embroidered on his chest was "Dr. Butcher, D.D."  He forced his metal implements into my mouth, extracting my teeth one by one.  With each groan and gush of blood, another tooth fell to the floor.  My cries went unheeded as he plucked away in his ruthless rage. Now awake, I slid out of bed, grateful to be back among the conscious.  I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some water onto my weary face.  Something felt amiss.  Having left my glasses beside my bed, I squinted as I leaned into the mirror, my mouth agape. "No..." I rubbed my eyes and ...

Over the last two weeks the Internet has been abuzz with news of the final season of Game of Thrones.  Some have hailed GoT as a cinematic masterpiece, while others have labeled it as pornography.  Some have warned of the graphic nature of the show, whiles others have ardently defended their Christian freedom to watch it.  Many have fallen somewhere in the middle. As I've seen so many Christians express their enjoyment of GoT, and even recommend it to other people, I have been a little disheartened.  The issue has sort of stuck in the back of my mind as I try to think of how to engage with my fellow believers on this topic in an edifying way.  The other night, as I prayed the Lord's Prayer with my daughters before bed, I thought, "How can a Christian pray 'Lead me not into temptation,' and choose to watch GoT (maybe we need to get back to praying the Lord's Prayer!)?  How can we genuinely pray this petition and then turn around and place temptation before...

There I lay, arms--folded; eyes--closed; heart--beatless.  I tried to draw a breath, but my diaphragm wouldn't heave.  I sat up, scanning the room curiously.  Moistened eyelashes and awkward glances pervaded the crowded sanctuary. "Who died?" "Oh..." "When did I die?" I didn't recall dying. The proclamations of a country preacher sought to prepare each heart in the room for its own eventual expiration.  He pronounced good news and glad tidings with the voice of a career smoker. "Why is this box so comfortable?" Have you ever really thought about that?  Full disclosure--this was my first time in a casket, but I remember always thinking as a child that they looked senselessly comfortable.  I assume the corpse cares as much for the comfort of his casket as he does for its ornateness.  "Ah...my favorite hymn!"  The robust two-and-a-half part harmony bounced off of olive green walls and stained glass windows, blen...

Legalistic. Licentious. Judgmental. Worldly. These are just some of the censorious terms tossed around when Christians discuss ethical standards.  The pendulum seems to swing between extremes.  Some people want to condemn you straight to hell for any failure to obey God's Word (or, usually, for any failure to abide by their own interpretation if it), while others use God's grace as an excuse for their sin. As is normally the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  The Bible proclaims God's grace for those who repent of their sin, assuring the penitent that there is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus Christ, but we are warned against  abusing  the grace of God and we are unambiguously called to live in a way that is consistent with our calling as Christians.  That means that, for the Christian, "this won't send me to hell" is not a valid excuse for indulging in behavior that is dishonoring to God.  Christians don't look for...