The Unimportance of Cool

I’m not cool. Even the title of this post is uncool. At least I could have used a strong noun in my title like insignificance, or triviality, or inconsequentiality instead of unimportance! I’m really not cool. I frequently ask my college students to let me know if I’m acting in a truly uncool manner, mostly … Continue reading The Unimportance of Cool

What Can We Learn from the Life of Polycarp? (St. Polycarp Day)

Today is the anniversary of Polycarp’s death, roughly 1,870 years ago (exact date is disputed). What can we learn from his life and ministry? Polycarp (c. AD 69-155 or 51-155) is one of my heroes. Trudi and I lived in Polycarp’s city for two and a half years. My eldest daughter was born there. Later … Continue reading What Can We Learn from the Life of Polycarp? (St. Polycarp Day)

10 Ways to Love Your Spouse When You’re Not Together

Happy Valentine's Day! A few years ago, Biola’s Center for Marriage and Relationships asked Trudi and me to come up with a list of ways to love our spouse when we’re not together. Yes! It is possible to love our husband or wife—not just feel love—even when we’re apart. I’ll start by listing ten ways … Continue reading 10 Ways to Love Your Spouse When You’re Not Together

Luke was a Doctor, Barnabas had a Cousin: Nine Things We Wouldn’t Know without Colossians 4

Here are nine things we wouldn’t know about Paul and his missionary team if Colossians 4 wasn’t in our Bibles. I’ll list them in the order they appear in Colossians 4. Colossians and Philemon were sent by Paul at the same time (4:9) The key link between the two is Onesimus, a runaway slave who … Continue reading Luke was a Doctor, Barnabas had a Cousin: Nine Things We Wouldn’t Know without Colossians 4

Praying Big Prayers

A few months ago I wrote about the value of praying small prayers. I’ve received significant spiritual encouragement thinking about and praying those small prayers—and remembering to acknowledge that I frequently observe God answering small prayers. But this got me thinking about the other end of the spectrum. What about enormous prayers? I don’t mean … Continue reading Praying Big Prayers

Sharing Christ’s Sufferings

There is a line in a well-known story of Jesus (Matt 20:20-28) that often gets overlooked. James and John have just allowed their mommy to ask Jesus for permission for them to sit at his right and left hand in his coming kingdom. Jesus ignores the mother and speaks to the two men: “You do … Continue reading Sharing Christ’s Sufferings

Seven Favorite Christian Books of 2024

Happy New Year to each of you! I hope that 2025 is a wonderful year for you, full of many moments when you experience God’s multifaceted grace. I also hope that 2025 is a year when you can read some good books. Here are seven of my favorites from 2024 (presented in the order I … Continue reading Seven Favorite Christian Books of 2024

Joy to the World Isn’t a Christmas Song? Questioning an Urban Legend

It has become trendy in recent years to publicly proclaim that Joy to the World was not originally written as a song about Christ’s First Coming, but rather was composed as a forward-looking celebration of Christ’s future Second Coming. Have you encountered this assertion? See, for example, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE—a few examples among … Continue reading Joy to the World Isn’t a Christmas Song? Questioning an Urban Legend

Misunderstanding Genre in Biblical Studies: A Summary of Recent Developments

I just finished reading Andrew Judd’s new book, Modern Genre Theory: An Introduction for Biblical Studies. Judd’s goal was to introduce advanced graduate students and biblical scholars (who are not genre specialists) to recent discussions about genre. Everyone who knows anything about studying the Bible knows that properly identifying what kind of literature you’re reading … Continue reading Misunderstanding Genre in Biblical Studies: A Summary of Recent Developments

Eleven Hindrances to Answered Prayer

What are some of the most common hindrances to answered prayer? Not Asking for Anything: James 4:2b says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.” Many of us don’t receive answers to our prayers simply because we don’t ask for anything. I remember someone once claiming that we shouldn’t ever make requests to … Continue reading Eleven Hindrances to Answered Prayer