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2016 was a great year for me. Here are some of my highlights: 2016 completes my first calendar year of following Christ, after having come to faith in March of 2015. I'm so grateful to God for the mercy He has shown me in giving me opportunities for great discipleship from godly leaders. I truly desire to be clay in my Maker's hands, that he might mold me into something lovely and beautiful, so that I may love Him more and love my neighbor as myself. The community of faith I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by is so absolutely essential to helping me along that path, and I can't wait to see what 2017 holds for my walk with Christ.  I married the girl who is above and beyond the girl of my dreams. She's the dream girl I couldn't even have dreamed up because she's better than anything I could've imagined. My lovely bride Allison and I continue to gain in our intimacy and enjoyment of one another and she has been so important for my growth as a hu...

A deer hunter wakes before the sun rises. The alarm clock reads 4 A.M., and it's pitch dark outside as he rubs his eyes and meanders down the stairs to the coffee pot. He sips a hot cup of Maxwell House as he pores over the plat book and considers his hunt that day. He slips on his long johns and wool socks, puts a couple cheese sandwiches into his pack, and grabs the keys. The headlights shine out onto the highway as the truck moves up the hill. It pulls into the driveway off the old road and parks. Darkness is over the whole of the woods as the hunter slips out of the truck and slings his rifle over his shoulder. The LED headlamp guides his path as he quietly and calmly sneaks into his deer stand, making sure to avoid any noisy twigs in his path, lest he should alert the forest to his presence. In the stand now, calming his breathing, he settles in to his seat. He lets out a deep yet quiet exhale, as he has made it into the woods. Serenity settles around him. The sun is...

Famous theologian and preacher J.C. Ryle once said, "Go to the cross of Christ, all you that want to be delivered from the power of selfishness." Great, it's a quote.  It's a matter of perspective really. It may be meaningful to you, as it is for me. Or you may not feel anything at all when you read it. As someone who wrestles with the power of selfishness in my marriage, work, family and friend relationships, it means something to me. We see quotes all the time, so why does this one matter? First, I want to think about how the quote came to be. J.C. Ryle was at one point a nominal Christian, that is a follower in name, but not in heart. However, following his conversion to Christianity, his life became primarily about knowing and evangelizing the message of Christ. He spent a majority of his life poring over the Scriptures, seeking the revelation of Christ all the more. So, we can say that one way he came to coin this quote was through receiving the wisdom of ...

Psychology Today discusses self-help in this way: Most of us wish we could improve certain things about ourselves. Lasting change is difficult: Many of our habits are deeply ingrained, and certain core personality attributes may be immutable. But even the oldest of habits and character traits can be altered to varying degrees, as it's never too late to change; with effort and determination, it is possible to be the person you want to be. I truly want to change things about me. I believe we all do -- that we all have a deep desire to grow and improve on who we are. Psychology Today is saying that some things may be immutable, but that it's never too late to change, so long as we apply effort and determination, we can become the person we want to be. Articles on the Psychology Today website offer us insight into the ways we feel we can change, with titles such as, "Reinvent Yourself," and "Dare to be You." These messages constantly bombard us, and the...

"Love your enemies" What is Jesus asking us to do when he commands us to love our enemies? And why are we to love our enemies? What does loving our enemy show? “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (Luke 6:27-28 ESV) First, let's look at the three things Jesus is asking us to do in order to show that we love our enemies. 1. "do good to those who hate you" We are commanded not to respond with hate, but to do good to our enemy. Followers of Christ are to feed our hungry enemy and give water to our thirsty enemy (Proverbs 25: 21-22). We are called to take action, to do good to them. We are to repay no one evil for evil nor avenge ourselves. (Romans 12:17, 19) 2. "bless those who curse you" Imagine for a moment the most hateful thing that anyone has ever said to you. Think about the vitriol behind their words, the malice in their comment. Of...

Christmas! The celebration of Jesus' birth! But why did Jesus come into the world? And why do we celebrate it? Why did Jesus come?  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17 ESV) Jesus came into the world because of God's immeasurable love for us. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15 ESV) Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus came "not to call the righteous, but sinners." When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to ...

Following Christ can be very difficult at times. We know our Lord was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and as we seek to walk with him we face our own afflictions. In those times of sorrow, grief, and affliction we can go to God's word and rely on the hope of His great promises. God's word gives us the hope of glory, and God's promises give us comfort to the measure of our afflictions and beyond. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV) In Christ, we share abundantly in comfort . The Father of mercies will comfort us in all our affliction. We know that no matter what we are experiencing, God'...

I was an avowed atheist. I wanted nothing to do with religion. To me, religion was a problem. Religious people were gullible, ignorant, troublesome and even dangerous. Religious teachings were archaic and wrong. Christianity was the worst one of all, and I believed Christianity was a myth. So I went about with my life, seeking other ways to be fulfilled. The message I heard and started to believe was that the ultimate goal in life was self-fulfillment.So I pursued self-fulfillment with everything I had. This pursuit took on many forms. First was partying and having fun while ignoring responsibility. That left me depressed and wanting. Then, I tried nutrition and fitness and again I failed to find the fulfillment that would give me lasting satisfaction in life. I pursued good works after that, dedicating my life in an almost overwhelming way to community service. Trying to be fulfilled through community service left me very self-righteous but not very self-fulfilled. I pursued succ...

I have been reading the apostle Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians over and over lately, because I find it supremely encouraging. One of the ways it has blessed me is the way that Paul continually reminds the reader of their identity and calling in Christ Jesus.  I sat down with my ESV Study Bible and tried to pinpoint all the ways that Paul describes the reader of the letter who is in Christ. Here is an exhaustive list that I hope encourages you to remember your identity in Christ.  Simply based on this letter , if you are in Christ Jesus you are: IDENTITY IN CHRIST IN EPHESIANS saints v.1 (holy ones, consecrated peoples) chosen v.4 holy and blameless in God's sight v.4 adopted as sons v.5 blessed with grace v.6 which is lavished upon us v.8 redeemed, forgiven (ransomed from slavery to sin and freed from guilt through Christ's blood) v.7 reconciled along with all creation v.10 sealed with the promised Holy Spirit v.13 guaranteed heirs v.14 ...

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." It's a phrase that appears 3 times in the Bible: Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5, and James 4:6. What is biblical pride? What does biblical humility look like? God opposes the proud... Biblical pride can be defined in this phrase as: high-mindedness, haughtiness, a feeling of superiority boasting in an insolent, empty assurance which trusts its own power and resources, and in turn despises divine laws and human rights a presumption which trusts the stability of earthly things So let's say biblical pride as understood in the phrase "God opposes the proud," means those who are boasting in their own power and resources, who despise God's teaching as well as their neighbor, and trust in the stability of earthly things.  ...but gives grace to the humble.  Biblical humility can be defined in this phrase as: having a humble opinion of one's self; modest one who stoops to the ...

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." - Jesus (Matthew 13:44 ESV) Jesus talked in weird way, all the time. He often spoke in parables, that make us think. Thinking is hard! Let's take a look at this parable that describes the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is treasure. A man finds it hidden in a field. People in Jesus' day often hid their treasure in a field, for protection. And this man has stumbled upon the treasure. He covers it up, and in joy, goes and sells everything he has so that he may buy that field and get the treasure. The treasure in this parable is Christ! We find the treasure, we do not work our way to store it up, but rather by grace, we find Christ! And then we sell everything of ourselves to be with Christ who is our treasure.  A great example in the Bible of a man who found treasure and sold everythi...

Are there second chances in life? What do you think? Do you believe in second chances, the opportunity to be redeemed and make things right? What do we think about second chances here in America? On one hand we love a redemption story, but on the other hand, people are condemned for mistakes they once made, and often can't outrun their previous reputation. I believe in second chances, because my life is a second chance. Once I lived in pursuit of my passions and selfish ambitions, and when those failed me -- when I failed to live up to who I thought I was, I was in a horrible depression and living with consistent suicidal thoughts. Then, by the grace of God, I entered into a relationship with Allison,  who is now my wife. At the time, I wasn't pursuing the Lord, but He was pursuing me. I was a lost sheep, but Jesus was pursuing me: So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine i...

Jesus healing a leper is one of many miracles. I particularly love the version of the story as recorded in the gospel according to Mark, and it is one of my favorite examples of the working of the Gospel. And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (Mark 1:40-44 ESV) Here is why this miracle illustrates the Gospel: 1. "and a leper came to him" No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me qdraws him. And rI will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) When Jesus says that all who have "heard and learned from the Father co...