This summer I’m sharing a chapter-by-chapter summary/review of Wright’s Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, a book I thoroughly enjoyed this past year. Have you picked up your copy yet? I encourage you to read along and share comments on here as well! I think you’ll find it to … Read More
Q Zone: Does God “Discipline” Unbelievers?
The words “judgment,” “discipline,” “chasten,” and “convict” can sometimes be misunderstood, even wrongly used. Do they all apply to everyone? Which are specific to God’s family? Here’s some one-minute insight on this topic in episode 8 of FFTV. [vimeo 133569720 w=600 h=300]
Summer Book Review: “Knowing Jesus” [Ch. 1]
Incredibly deep. Amazingly broad. Intriguingly specific. Beautifully informative. Boldly daring. These are just some of the phrases that came to mind when I recently read Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament by Christopher J. H. Wright (InterVarsity Press, 2014). Frankly, what I was expecting was a … Read More
Q Zone: Why Did God Require Jesus’ Death?
Many often wonder, usually under our breath, why God required the death of his Son to atone for sin. We think to ourselves, “Surely there was an ‘easier’ way, wasn’t there? After all, he’s God, right? Why couldn’t he just accomplish the same result in a … Read More
My Sabbatical Reading List
One of the blessings of this summer is a six-week sabbatical the elders of our church extended to me. What a gift! I’m very appreciative, and am really benefitting from the time to recharge, reboot, and refresh. Primarily, I’m focused on one question during this … Read More
The Sinfulness of Man, the Sovereignty of God, and Joyful Satisfaction in the Middle of Both
It’s been almost a month since SCOTUS “ruled” on Obergefell v. Hodges and gave us their majority opinion in regards to states’ rights to determine who can and can’t marry. The reversal essentially, according to FOTF, “has the net effect of legalizing same-sex marriage at the federal … Read More
Why Christians Should Pray During Ramadan: A Former Muslim’s Perspective
Each year our church makes available a limited number of copies of VOM’s “30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” to be used during Ramadan. This year was no different. And though we’re nearing the end of this specific prayer focus, I wanted to … Read More
Q Zone: To Obey or Not to Obey?
Our new summer series, “Majoring on the Minors: The Big Messages of the Bible’s Small Books” (Habakkuk, Hosea, and Malachi) couldn’t have come at a more opportune time! What tremendous truths from these minor prophets to joyfully anchor us in the middle of a shifting society. … Read More
The Overwhelming Ocean
The ocean has a way of reducing me. Minimizing my world appropriately. Diminishing my apparent importance. Decreasing my seeming necessity. Lessening, little by little with every wave, my life. And for good reason. There’s something about the sheer magnitude and unrelenting consistency of the sea … Read More
My Simplest Christmas Ever
The Old Testament book of Micah is quite Christmassy. (More on that here.) Yet, it is also quite simple and to the point. And as I was thinking about the simplicity that Micah highlights in his last two chapters, my mind went back to what … Read More