“Accept Christ.” Sounds good, right? You read it on church signs and hear it in sermons. But is that all there is to it? Certainly “accepting” Christ is necessary, even good. But it’s not the full picture. I’d like to suggest some bolder language, and here’s why: • It’s not a very clear message. What …
Tag Archives: salvation
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 …
Why Gay Bashing Betrays Christ
I have quite a few friends who are gay. Often, as I scroll through social media, I will stop to read something one of them has posted. I cringe when they re-post and comment on a Christian article condemning homosexuality. My frustration is not over declaring homosexuality is a sin. That is a biblical statement …
More Than Forgiveness
I love the way John Stott describes the great exchange we have in Christ. “When we are united to Christ a mysterious exchange takes place: he took our curse, so that we may receive his blessing; he became sin with our sin, so that we may become righteous with his righteousness.” (Stott: The Cross of …
A Costly Drink
I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when my ashtray runs out of spare change for Sonic, I drive through Chic-fil-a and order a large water. Why? Because it’s FREE! I’m not talking about a rinky-dink little plastic kid’s cup either. This is a large styrofoam cup full of thirst-quenching ice water for absolutely no …
Beautifully Bruised
I give myself shots of insulin in my stomach for diabetes. Occasionally, one of my shots will leave a bruise. Once, I was enjoying some time at a swimming pool, when someone asked me if I had been in a fight. They had seen my bruise and assumed that I had incurred a punch to …
Salt, Pepper, Faith & Repentance
During one of my high school classes, we studied etiquette. My teacher always repeated the phrase “don’t divorce the salt and pepper.” Apparently, when someone asks for the salt, you are supposed to pass the pepper too. To do otherwise is considered rude (who knew?). It reminds me of what happens simultaneously at conversion: repentance …
Your Life Is About To Change
It seemed like I was living “the dream” for three months. From January through April of 2006, I was constantly hungry. I ate everything in sight –pizza, steak, ice cream, candy bars- you name it. Every night, I would wake up 5-6 times and raid the refrigerator. On one occasion I ate an entire chocolate …
What a Gift!
On his last birthday, my son Bryce received more than enough gifts. In fact, weeks after the fact, there are still a few of the toys that still haven’t been taken out of their packaging. Its not that Bryce doesn’t like them, its just that he hasn’t made his way through all of the other …