Christmas has never been about glitter, has it? Or bright twinkling lights. It’s about being “the servant of the Lord” and about giving yourself to meet the needs of others. That’s how God did it in Jesus. He gave Himself—a tiny babe, perfect, sinless—to meet… Continue Reading …
Loving others the way God loves you can be a challenge anytime, but the difficulty intensifies during the holidays because some family members rub you the wrong way. There are two kinds of people in the world: Christians and non-Christians. Within these two groups are… Continue Reading …
Sometimes stereotypical counseling can get in the way of what you want to do with an individual, especially when the counselee has a preconceived, pessimistic instinct about where you want to go with him. You’ll see this with some teenagers, for example, because they sense… Continue Reading …
Mable came to me, exclaiming, “I’m frustrated! I am always approaching my husband with my sin, asking for his forgiveness, but he seems never to see his need to ask me for forgiveness. Many times he won’t even bother to forgive me. What am I… Continue Reading …
“Tough love” has become one of the mantras in modern Christian culture, i.e., love languages. Like many popularized sayings, it has taken on an unintended—harsh—meaning that does not bring about the peaceful fruit of righteousness. How do you think about tough love? What comes to… Continue Reading …
Rick, recently you talked about how you tend to live on “military time” and Lucia lives on “island time” and how you both have had to work through your conflicting personality traits in your marriage. You also tied this to how the gospel speaks to… Continue Reading …
When my life does not go the way I hoped, it is easy for me to disengage and become discouraged. These are the moments when I must remind myself that when things are not working out the way I hoped, the Lord still loves and… Continue Reading …
Can God use sin sinlessly? Can God allow sinful things to happen to you? Can these sinful allowances be for your good? The answers to these questions are obvious. Listen to the podcast You may want to read: A Few Thoughts About An Unchangeable Situation… Continue Reading …
Your friend needs to change. How do you help her change? Maybe your husband is stuck in a bad habit, and you want him to change. What is your change process? Perhaps your wife is nagging and criticizing you. How are you helping her model… Continue Reading …
Everybody loves to experience God’s mercy because we don’t want to receive punishment for our actions. Then there are times when God gives His kindness to those we don’t like. That’s different because His goodness is a problem for those we dislike. Listen to the… Continue Reading …