Bible Memorization and the Problem of Changing Bible Translations

This post will address two sets of questions: 1) What translation should I use when I memorize the Bible? and 2) What if I have already memorized a passage? Should I try to update what I have already memorized to a new or updated translation? My family of birth began attending church when I was … Continue reading Bible Memorization and the Problem of Changing Bible Translations

Our Hope is in Christ, Not in a Vaccine

“We’ve just got to hold on until the vaccine comes out.” Some people I know are simply “gritting out” life because they have heard that in a few months a vaccine will be ready to protect everyone from Covid-19. They have heard about many dozens of clinical trials currently underway, and believe that at least … Continue reading Our Hope is in Christ, Not in a Vaccine

My Favorite Passage on the Christian Life from George Müller

Here is my favorite passage from George Müller, the man of prayer and leader of orphan houses (1805-1898). This reading was originally a single passage that I have broken into five paragraphs. On Making Sure Your Soul is Happy in the Lord The welfare of our families, the prosperity of our business, our work and … Continue reading My Favorite Passage on the Christian Life from George Müller

What Does “It is Well with My Soul” Mean?

This post is not about the historical background to this wonderful hymn, though knowing the background is touching and makes the hymn more meaningful. This post revolves around a simple interpretive question. When Horatio Spafford penned the words “It is well with my soul” in 1876, what did he mean by those specific six words? … Continue reading What Does “It is Well with My Soul” Mean?

How to Decide in the Gray Areas

We are living in a time characterized by difficult decision-making. Some of those decisions are in gray areas. Whether deciding about posting a particular comment on social media, choosing how to protest an action we count unjust, or even pondering whether to meet a friend for coffee at an indoor coffee bar, many of us … Continue reading How to Decide in the Gray Areas

America First? Reject America? Early Christians Offer a Third Way

This week citizens of the United States are pondering once again what it means to be American. Personally, I am deeply grateful that God permitted me to grow up in this incredibly blessed nation. Some people I know, though, act like they are first Americans and only second Christians. That’s a problem. At the opposite … Continue reading America First? Reject America? Early Christians Offer a Third Way

Quoting Scripture in the Night

I stumbled upon a new spiritual discipline this past year. It isn’t new in the sense that no one has ever done it before—quite to the contrary (see more below)—nor new in that I myself have never done it in the past. But it is new in the sense that this is the first time … Continue reading Quoting Scripture in the Night

An Ancient Prayer to Help Us Pray into Our Cultural Moment

Sometimes we need to spiritually step outside of our historical and cultural setting to adequately engage the demands of our own cultural moment. To this end, I offer you the earliest Christian prayer after the time of the New Testament, 1 Clement 59.3-61.3. 1 Clement is a lengthy letter written by the church in Rome to … Continue reading An Ancient Prayer to Help Us Pray into Our Cultural Moment

What Does God Require of Me in this Moment?

After two and a half months of living with Coronavirus fear and frustration, followed by a horrific image of a man with his neck pinned to the ground as his life is violently taken away from him, followed by wave after wave of protests—many peaceful, some violent—do you find yourself wondering what God requires of … Continue reading What Does God Require of Me in this Moment?

Spiritual Conversations at Home

I once spoke with a teenager who had returned from a spiritually impacting week at a Christian camp. During that week the Lord had profoundly convicted her about her direction in life and she had recommitted herself to living a Christ-centered life. But when she arrived home and tried to explain to her parents what … Continue reading Spiritual Conversations at Home