Sweet Tea and the Spirit

I have several friends who order their drinks without ice. Whenever they order at a restaurant, the server always does a double take. “Sweet tea with no ice?” But my friends have a practical reason for their anti-ice stance. They want the maximum amount of tea possible in their glass. I guess, from that perspective, …

The Closer the Better

Integrity and character are hard to find. Especially given the fact that we naturally expect people to have “hidden agendas.” Whether it is a salesman, politician, newscaster, or neighbor, we sadly have trouble believing integrity and character exist. There are some legitimate reasons for this. Our experiences have been shaped by people’s false motives and …

Taking the Lead at the Table

Whenever you go out to eat with a group of people, do you ever take note of what prompts everyone to stand up from the table to leave? There are several interesting cues from body language that can trigger everyone to stand up. For instance, when the conversation comes to a natural pause, if someone …

The “Aha Moment” of Marriage

Marriage is like a globe. The globe is real. You can touch it, spin it, study it, and learn from it. However, the globe is not the end of the conversation. Do you remember the first time someone explained to you that the globe was just a small symbol of something greater? We call it …

Free at Last

In 2013, Daniel Larsen was recently declared innocent after 45 years in a Southern California prison. I can’t imagine the mixed emotions –rejoicing for being freed, angry for being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Surely the question has gone through Larsen’s head: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But this …

The Missing Details in Crime Dramas

I love to watch crime dramas on television. However, there are a few details that always puzzle me. For instance, when cops interrogate a suspect, they will often say, “Give us the address where we can find John Doe and we’ll pretend like this never happened.” I’m always amazed how criminals can recite the exact …

The Greatness of God’s Faithfulness (4 of 4)

(These are excerpts from a recent sermon from Genesis 15.)  Part 4: “The Solution to the Covenant” If you feel the tension in your heart like I felt when I read this text (Genesis 15, see Part 1 here and Part 2 here and Part 3 here) and tried to see things from Abraham’s perspective, this will be a great …

Why Conflict Between Believers Betrays Christ

Two different groups of my friends are engaged in conflict. They both have legitimate complaints against the other. Nobody is innocent and yet nobody is completely to blame. In other words, the complaints against one another are not really the issue. In fact, the complaints could be easily resolved. Instead, however, the two parties have …

The Triple-Word-Score of Providence

Have you ever caught a glimpse of something God is doing? Maybe you’ve observed an experience where what once seemed to be coincidence was clearly providence. Perhaps you met your spouse in the most unlikely of places and later realized God had planned the entire event. Or maybe the kind soul who stopped when your …