I’m a logician. No matter how wrong I am, I can always convince myself I am right. -Jarod Kintz Continue Reading
April 7, 2015
The Compartmentalizer
"If you follow a universal principle, it positively impacts all areas of your life. Universal principles don't compartmentalize." -Steve Pavlina Year after year, I hear wives agonize over the choices their husbands made. “What was he thinking?” they’ll cry, “and how could he do a thing like that if he loved me?” Continue Reading
March 18, 2015
We Who Are Seen
“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, “Thou God seest me” For she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” - Genesis 16:13 Hagar isn’t the most sympathetic of Bible characters. Handmaid to Abraham’s barren wife Sarah, she had become pregnant by Abraham at Sarah’s insistence. (Genesis 16:1-2) You’ll remember that God had promised them a son, but Sarah, like so many of us, liked God’s promise, but not His timing. In her impatience she basically said, “Let’s help God along. He said we’d have a son but I’m still Continue Reading
February 23, 2015
Slimed
Several years ago I was teaching a five day seminar on purity for men. The location was a seaside resort town, the venue was a hotel, the meeting room overlooked the beach, and I think you see the problem. Continue Reading
November 25, 2014
Surveying the Damage
I’m somewhat OK with admitting my sin. It's clearly not my favorite thing to do, but I will if I have to. Examining its impact is another matter. Continue Reading
October 15, 2014
Houston, Homosexuality and Heavy Handedness
Since the Ebola scare is today’s top story, there’s a secondary item you may be unaware of: the City Council of Houston has subpoenaed the sermons of local pastors to review what they’ve been saying about homosexuality. Under any circumstances that’s at least outrageous; at most, frightening. But the events leading to this heavy-handedness only underscore what an abusive, arrogant move it really is. “Houston, We Have a Problem” It all began last June, when the Houston City Council passed the Human Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) also known Continue Reading
October 8, 2014
After the Fall
“Man is a stately castle, intricately and masterfully constructed. The castle, however, was given a life of its own. When man took it on himself to be God, he ruined everything – the decay became so extensive that only one with the eyes of a craftsman could see the structural beauty that remained underneath. Man is an amalgamation of dignity and depravity, a glorious ruin.” -from The Wounded Heart by Dan Allendar Years ago my pastor gave an illustrated sermon explaining what happened when humanity went from Good to Defiled. He stepped up to Continue Reading
September 29, 2014
Not Interested. Thanks. Goodbye.
It took me about four decades to perfect the art of brushing off pushy solicitors. Not that I begrudge anyone their means of making a living, but when I want something, I’ll go out shopping for it. I’ve no need for anyone to call me suggesting a product or service, and I have a particular dislike for telephone solicitors invading my home with their pitch. I’ve tried listening politely, only to have my politeness mistaken for weakness. I’ve tried venting my frustration at being interrupted by a sales call, only to hear that I’d be glad I was Continue Reading
September 3, 2014
Sexual Sin – Who Cares?
If it doesn’t matter to God, it shouldn’t matter to us. And even if it does matter to Him, does it matter a lot, like murder? Or just a little, like nail-biting? There are, after all, plenty of other issues for a Christian to get excited about. We're still reeling today from yet another revolting photo of an ISIS thug ready to murder yet another American journalist; human trafficking is a growing blight around the world; the economy's off life support but still far from mobile. So in light of terrorism, poverty, violence, and corruption at Continue Reading
May 9, 2014
Assessing Matthew Vines’ “God and the Gay Christian” Part III – Jesus and Homosexuality
The heart is an artist that paints over what profoundly disturbs us, leaving on the canvas a less dark, less sharp version of the truth. -Dean Koontz, Forever Od When you love someone, you hope they're right. If they’re wrong, you can confront their wrong while praying they come to see the truth, or you can revisit the truth itself and see if might reconsider, be flexible, change its stance. The notorious story of comedian W.C. Fields comes to mind, in which someone sees him on his death bed perusing the Bible and asks him what he’s Continue Reading
Follow Joe