In my quest to read more for depth, I have been slowing working my way through Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. In this work, Willard describes the six basic aspects that make up what we call “human nature.” They are Thought, Feeling, Will, Body, Social Context, andContinue reading “Dallas Willard on Special Dangers in Our Thought Life with God”
Tag Archives: Christ
Who Do You Want To Be?
One of my favorite bands growing up was Switchfoot. Whether you have heard of them or not, I encourage you to check them out. One of their hit songs was “This is Your Life.” (If you want, you can find it here.) Through the song, the lyrics repeat the probing question, “Are you who youContinue reading “Who Do You Want To Be?”
Talking Back: A Guide for Fighting Demons
In his powerful book, Live No Lies, John Mark Comer introduces us to the work of Evagrius of Pontus. Evagrius was a 4th century monk and author of a number of texts on spiritual formation, especially the formation of the mind. One such work is titled, Antirrhetikos, or Talking Back. In Talking Back, Evagrius laysContinue reading “Talking Back: A Guide for Fighting Demons”
Biblical Manhood
A common argument in the Twittersphere is over the notion of manhood. What is a man? What is the difference between healthy and toxic masculinity? How does the Bible’s view of men differ from the world’s view? Blah, blah, blah . . . To be honest, this conversation was part of why I took anContinue reading “Biblical Manhood”
A Most Practical Idea
As a theologian, I am well aware that there are some debates and some questions that simply have no practical purpose. “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” “Can God create a rock so heavy that even He cannot move it?” Questions like these can rattle around in your noggin, butContinue reading “A Most Practical Idea”
Idols in the Church Part 1: Anger
Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:12-13 English Standard Version The Bible makes clear that we have an idolatry problem. FundamentalContinue reading “Idols in the Church Part 1: Anger”
The Cross as Coronation
The following is adapted from a sermon I preached at Greencastle Christian Church on September 25, 2021. Let me begin by saying something that might be a little controversial. The gospel is political. Let me say that again, the gospel is political. I am not saying that Jesus is a Republican or a Democrat orContinue reading “The Cross as Coronation”
Dealing with Doubt
Last night my son comes out of his bedroom. I could tell by the look on his face that he was anxious about something. He had been reading in his Bible and came across a difficult story in the Book of Acts that left him shaken and, in his words, “questioning everything.” The story inContinue reading “Dealing with Doubt”
Normalize Boredom
With my men’s group, we have been working our way through Rich Villodas’ book, The Deeply Formed Life. In his book, Villodas explores five areas in which Christians in America especially need the transformative work of King Jesus in our lives as well as spiritual disciplines that help us grow in these areas. Time preventsContinue reading “Normalize Boredom”
The Way of Suffering
Through 2021, the church in which I serve has been preaching through the Gospel of Mark in a sermon series titled, The Way. You can catch up on that series here. Below is the transcript of the sermon I preached for that series on September 12, 2021. Now some of you know parts of myContinue reading “The Way of Suffering”
The Awkward Christian Blog 