It’s really funny when I read the directions on the brownie mix box and then throw it away. Like I somehow think I won’t have to dig it out of the trash five minutes later. Or also dig it out eight more times after that. Sometimes I totally forget how to boil brownies. Not that there’s a lot of ADD at work here or anything, but I was looking up the symptoms for ADD the other day and ended up watching puppy videos on Facebook for 45 minutes. Take one large portion of forgetfulness. Fold … [Read more...]
The sufficiency of Scripture
This is the last in a series of columns on the inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, and sufficiency of Scripture. When Christians say the Bible is true, we often use terms to describe the manner in which God has spoken to us through His written Word. One such term is “sufficient.” But what does that mean? All the words God intended “The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and … [Read more...]
What the Bible is and why it matters
I was in front of a group of Christians fielding questions about the nature of Scripture recently – what the Bible is and why it matters. I was struck by how many in the group, though they believed and appreciated the Bible, lacked sufficient grounding in the Holy Scriptures. They did not really grasp what the Bible is and why it matters. Do you? While most Americans grant the Bible unique status, and most churchgoers think of it – to some degree – as a book from God, confessional … [Read more...]
Don’t miss a beat in loving others
Now that all my children are adults, I can tell you that raising the five of them was very often like a game of full-contact musical chairs. Without the chairs. It wasn’t so much about the wrestling—though believe me, there was plenty of that. But it was more about the music. Always even more of that. All three of my sons are in music ministries now and the two daughters are musical too. When Daniel, my youngest, was around twelve, he started drumming. He drummed on tables. He drummed on … [Read more...]
Guiding our children through election years
What a challenge we have at this time in our nation’s history to teach our children God’s way! A recent cartoon shows a mom and dad looking at their children as each child called the other a liar. The mom looked at the dad and said, “It was your idea to have them watch the debate!” Most will readily agree that children learn much by example. As parents and teachers try to teach children to love and respect their country, how can this be done with the example our leaders are setting … [Read more...]
Matching up sensible, humble thinking
People often ask what it was like when my kids were teens and pre-teens. Five kids in seven years means they’re all rather teen-ish at the same time. When people ask that question, I tell them it was basically about a ten-year search for some missing shoe, plus about seven-thousand school fundraisers. And also a whole lot of sweeping up breakfast cereal. Some of it from under their beds. Semi-interesting factoid: “Total” is a relatively healthy breakfast cereal, I hear. But not when it’s … [Read more...]
Jason Allen: Following the railway to a deeper prayer life
I had been anticipating a warm throwback to yesteryear when I boarded a train in Kansas City bound for Jefferson City to preach at the legislative prayer service marking the opening of the state’s legislative session. My trip, however, fell short of a Humphrey Bogart movie. At first glance, it was obvious Amtrak is government subsidized. In my car there were only three of us out of about 30 seats. The other cars were even less populated. Given the emptiness of the train, and the lack of … [Read more...]
Matching up sensible, humble thinking
If happiness is having all the laundry done, I’m pretty sure no one has ever been happy. Laundry success is too often defined as digging through the basket of clean clothes for two socks that match. As opposed to digging through the heap of the dirty laundry you’re composting on the floor. Of course, you still may end up wearing socks that don’t match. But hey, maybe it’s all part of an elaborate plan to keep us laundry-humble. Yesterday it took me all day to put away my smallest load of … [Read more...]
Crazy-thirsty for Christ
She just wanted a drink of water. That’s all the girl wanted. I was visiting my daughter Kaley while we worked on a book. Being a gracious hostess, she took the blow-up mattress on the floor and gave me her bed. Her apartment was cute but with a sort of hobbit-sized bedroom, so with the air mattress, bed, dresser and my suitcase, there was not really any part of the floor still showing. Which would’ve been fine. Except that in the night, Kaley wanted that drink of water. She was … [Read more...]
When God troubles you
There are so many things in life that require our decisions. One of the great things about being a follower of Christ is that the Word of God lifts the fog on many important decisions. Common sense says there are some things that are clearly the right thing to do. So what do you do when common sense is abandoned for expediency? What do you do when a culture “stiff arms” the parameters of God’s Word and considers His perspective antiquated and irrelevant? The convictional people of God … [Read more...]
Covered with chocolate, grace
I never cease to be amazed—and pretty thrilled—at the new things people come up with to cover with chocolate each year. We’re still relatively in the neighborhood of “National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.” December 16th. Oh my. That seems like such a great idea. I highly—yea, emphatically—support chocolate coverings for the food beauty treatments they are. But some of these people have gone and made it weird. Chocolate-covered bacon. What? Eat your bacon. It’s good. Then eat your … [Read more...]
Jesus Christ better than Old Saint Nick
Christmas – it is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year! It is a time of joy, of endless celebration, and peace. People bustle around in efforts to display kindness and love to one another. It is a season of extravagant lights and décor, of delicious treats and simmering meals. It is a time of familiar music, warm coffee, and corny movies that we watch over and over again. Christmas is one of the truly best times of the year, for a multitude of reasons. Why is that so? What is it … [Read more...]
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