Prayers are not the same as thoughts. Prayer is petitioning an Almighty God, through the blood and mediation of Christ, to act in ways beyond human capacity.
Culture
Your authentic self isn’t enough
We’ve all encountered people who are unshakably authentic, who, we can’t help thinking, could perhaps do with being a little more fake. An authentic monster is perhaps better than a monster in disguise, but not by much.
Can I follow my heart?
Wisdom does not come from within. Nor will the lifestyle of liberating an “inner child” lead to lasting freedom.
Why fasting? Because we’re all spiritually fat
When you think of “pampered, comfortable, spoiled, and entitled,” are these words you mostly use to complain about millenials, or do you recognize how you and I carry some of that same fat?
Renew the city – start with yourself
The reason why the subject of city transformation or cultural renewal will spawn an infinite number of books, articles, and resources, is because by God’s wisdom, the actual process is so hard to pin down. Blessing comes to an area through the lives of upright people. That’s a pretty indirect route.
The soil of apathy Part II
There is no grand narrative. There is no sweeping, golden standard of right and wrong, of high virtue and deathly vice. All of these are flattened. Our experience is much narrower than that. All that truly matters is your individual, smaller story.
The soil of apathy Part I
By apathy I do not mean an emotionless shrug at everything that happens, but rather the lack of willpower to act in any sustained and meaningful way to bring about change. Certainly there are exceptions, but they are exceptions.
How to be authentic
I’ve never actually met a fully authentic person. I’m not sure I would want to. It’s been said that a person begins to lie as soon as he becomes polite.
The right side of history
“Here’s how I think about it,” Nick said at last. “I don’t want to be on the wrong side of history. That’s the one thing I really want to be sure of. I want to be remembered, I want it to go down, that I was on the right side. You know what I mean?”
The Gospel Loves Free Speech
Has free speech ever really been free? The growth spurt of ‘safe spaces’, the label of ‘hate speech’, and the push back against speech-induced violence have created a reactionary surge in America to protect our 1st amendment rights. While the goal of safeguarding open...
Dealings in justice and equity
The book of Proverbs is a treasure chest of solar systems. Stars of wisdom shine in condensed phrases and verses, and as one looks closer, one can make out first planets, then moons, then at greater detail, asteroids, and all manner of geography orbiting around each...