From the Author: I have two major concerns for this article. First, I don’t want it to be taken as an attack on the plain lifestyle or conservative values. That is an entirely different discussion and not one I’m trying to engage in here. Second, there is a strong tendency … Read More
As Jesus entered Capernaum, a man approached him with a need. This, of course, was nothing new, but this man was different. He told Jesus that he didn’t feel worthy. “Don’t come to my house,” he said. “I’m a military man. I understand how authority works. When I give my … Read More
I can still remember all too well the familiar clench in my stomach as I sat at my desk, watching the hand of the clock as it inched slowly but inexorably towards 8:10, the fateful moment when the buzzer would ring and fourteen twelve-year-olds would come trooping through the door. … Read More
Almost everyone in this world is striving for success in something. It might be in education, in growing a business, in their marriage, or in many other things, but everyone wants to succeed. When we look back at the end of the week, month, or year, we want to be … Read More
A common conundrum faced by Christians and Church leaders today is what to do with the myriad pleasures and pastimes that people pursue. How do we relate to activities that are not sin (and therefore not outright forbidden) but are still things of this world that often drag people down … Read More
“ So, I know this isn’t the right question to ask, but… what is actually wrong with it?” The question, which came from one of my eighth graders, was about an activity that another authority in his life had forbidden. I don’t remember exactly what the activity was or who … Read More
Socrates, considered to be the first moral philosopher and the founder of Western philosophy, lived at a time when the alphabet was first being introduced to Greece. He famously declined to write anything down, so all of the teaching we have from him is lectures or debates that were recorded … Read More
A good conversation is one of the few things that pretty much every single person enjoys. It is the cornerstone that forms the foundation of our friendships. While the subjects discussed vary from person to person, we will spend and enjoy hours in deep conversation with the people we value. … Read More