Sinai Quaked
What is it that you need the Lord to do? What seems impossible due to your limited strength? Let me encourage you to spend time today reflecting on Psalm 68. That’s the Psalm I have chosen for my own meditation
Continue reading“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
What Grace Is Mine
Another wonderful modern hymn from Keith and Krystyn Getty… What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light Called through the night to find my distant soul And from his scars poured mercy that would plead for me
Continue reading5 Days in Psalm 145
The Holy Spirit drew me into meditating on Psalm 145 this week. When I read through it on Monday morning my heart was stirred with encouragement. So I read through it a second time and then determined to spend each
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Journey to Biblical Counseling: An Interview with Steve Viars
Welcome to the eighth installment of our Journey to Biblical Counseling interviews with various pastors, teachers, trainers, authors, and leaders in the biblical counseling movement. What led them to biblical counseling? What were some of the influences the Lord used
Continue readingNUGGETS [9/11/13]
Once a week, I have asked my friend and fellow biblical counselor, Jonathan Holmes, who is a voracious reader, to provide us with a list of some of his most interesting reading. Here are five more for the benefit of
Continue readingBetrayal
Betrayal. One word. Three syllables. A dictionary full of pain – a world of hurt that many know only too well. A broken confidence. A ruined relationship. A shattered heart. Betrayal comes to all and when it comes it comes
Continue readingHis Robes for Mine
“Propitiation” is probably my most favorite biblical, theological word. Therefore, any hymn that would attempt to include it in its lyrics gets my attention. And any hymn writer who gets the word’s meaning correct and makes it work musically is
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Sample Contracts for ‘Twixters,’ ‘Kippers’ and ‘Boomerang Kids’
“Social scientists have noticed that more young adults (those between eighteen and thirty years old) are putting off the responsibilities of adulthood. Adultolescence is the term that best describes this postponement of adulthood into the thirties. This phase is characterized
Continue readingHere Is the Spring Where Waters Flow
The following hymn lyrics were originally published in the Barker’s Bible in 1594. They testify of the value and sufficiency of Scripture, which is our daily bread. Here is the spring where waters flow, To quench our heat of
Continue readingThe Caged Bird Is Singing!
The following lengthy quotation has sat on my stand-up desk for over a year now. It convicted me then and, again, last week when I rediscovered it while cleaning my office. It is from A Portrait of Paul: Identifying a
Continue readingChrist is Better than the Sins Which Tempt Us
People turn to sin—whether it be gluttony, substance abuse, lust, or materialism—seeking some kind of satisfaction. But the Lord calls out to us in Isaiah 55:1–2, Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money
Continue readingNUGGETS [8/29/13]
Treating Your Stomach for Depression – Is there possibly a connection between the digestive system and the brain? Approachability: The Passport to Real Ministry – Here’s a tool for self-counsel, especially those of us in leadership. Celibacy Is Not the
Continue readingThe Mystery of Testing
You hear this phrase all the time in the context of trials: God is “testing our faith.” Christians rightly talk about tests of faith because James uses the phrase in his epistle (James 1:3). But do we know what we
Continue readingCommon, Flawed Vessels
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). God makes himself very clear. The reason He chooses to use ordinary people
Continue readingNUGGETS [8/24/13]
Try to set aside 15 minutes this weekend to read these articles. The first one is a year old. I found it in a “to read” pile while de-cluttering my office this week. The Disciplined Pursuit of Less – Some
Continue readingHow Going It Alone Hinders our Prayers
God listens to those who listen to him. The proof of this is all over Scripture. Isaiah 66:2 offers a prime example when God says, “this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite
Continue readingNUGGETS for Counselors [8/22/13]
Thank you, Jonathan Holmes, for these important counseling-related links: Conservative Christianity and the Transgender Question – Russell Moore on transgender issues. A Glut of Antidepressants – From the NY Times, “Over the past two decades, the use of antidepressants has
Continue readingNo Condemnation
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The word “condemnation” is from katakrima, meaning penalty. It is the word that Paul used to speak of the consequence of Adam’s choice to rebel against
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