Category Archives: On Faith

Apologetics, Theology, and Exposition

He Came to Himself

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Mark

In a hot mess of inarticulate father-love, I sputtered, “But you love Jesus!” My son had been explaining how he wasn’t sure he was still a Christian. I had been challenging him to return to Jesus. My declaration felt pathetic. … Continue reading →

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When the Light Goes Out

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Mark

Few things are sadder than seeing the light of God’s Spirit go out in the eyes of your child. The moment it happens is easy to miss. There are natural rhythms of wandering and return in the lives of most … Continue reading →

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Open Flowers

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Mark

Sometimes the Holy Spirit draws my attention to a phrase in Scripture and blows a trumpet. This happened recently with the phrase “open flowers” in the description of the temple Solomon built. Usually I would blow right past this phrase, … Continue reading →

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“Suddenly”

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Mark

This word broke my heart. I had been slogging through the sad stories of the kings of Israel and Judah. Again and again they rejected God and worshiped idols. Sometimes they even brought the idols into the temple. Some kings … Continue reading →

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More Spiritual than God Part Three: Too Spiritual to Pray

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Mark

Many who approve of prayers of adoration begin to squirm when we talk about petitionary prayers or prayers that intercede for others. For some, rejecting petitionary prayer is a way of exalting the sovereignty of God. If God is in … Continue reading →

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More Spiritual than God Part Two: Too Spiritual for the Gifts

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Mark

Believers come up with several very spiritual sounding reasons for not caring about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. One of the most spiritual sounding is “I am seeking the Giver, not the gifts.” It wrongly suggests that we can … Continue reading →

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More Spiritual Than God (Part One)

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Mark

Of course, we can’t be more spiritual than God. We can, however, in the pretense of being spiritual reject solid Biblical truths about God and God’s ways. We sometimes clothe these rejections in humility, but this hyper-spirituality robs us of … Continue reading →

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Peter, Jesus, and Church Kids

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mark

The story of Peter and Jesus breaks my heart and gives me hope. Peter, like a lot of church kids, was full of promise. Jesus spoke a prophetic word over him, proclaiming that he would become a fisher of men. … Continue reading →

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We Don’t Know

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Mark

Over the years I have mastered the art of criticizing the Church. I have skills. Come over when you have four or five hours, and I will share my Biblical, historical, and sociological critiques of the Church. I have stories … Continue reading →

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Anxiety and the Disciplines of Grace

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Mark

Should a believer who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks medicate or meditate? I don’t know. I know those for whom medication has worked well and those who never feel quite themselves on medication. There is also the danger that … Continue reading →

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