Category Archives: Christian Life

Lament: Connecting Pain to the Lord Who Redeems

by Paul Joiner “Lament enters the complicated space of deep disappointment and lingering hurt. It boldly reaffirms the trustworthiness of God. But, first we need to learn how to lament.” (Mark Vroegop, The 4 Basics of Lament) “In this world, you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) There is something in the culture we live inContinue reading “Lament: Connecting Pain to the Lord Who Redeems”

Into the Deeps of Our Hearts

by Paul Joiner “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1) If we are going to experience the transforming power of the gospel, it has to go to the deepest parts of our being. It was onceContinue reading “Into the Deeps of Our Hearts”

Finding a Treasure In an Unusual Place

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” (Proverbs 16:31) Around sixty percent of the COVID deaths have been in people over the age of 70. As that statistic has been discussed, the dialogue has been discouraging. Some have argued that we are disrupting lives and the economy forContinue reading “Finding a Treasure In an Unusual Place”

Encouragement for the Hour

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing… And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14 Courage might be the greatest need of the hour. More than sympathy and compassion, we need courage.Continue reading “Encouragement for the Hour”

How To Properly Handle Your Opinions

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” (Romans 14:1, ESV) Our time is a heated point in history. There are strong opinions about many things. This isn’t the first time this has happened in history. And it won’t be the last time. But the peopleContinue reading “How To Properly Handle Your Opinions”

We Become What We Worship

We all worship. In our previous post, we said that we are most fully human when we are engaged in worship. Worship is “to give something its worth” — or to put our trust, hopes, and security onto something because it is worthy of those things. Worship is like breathing. We do it without thinkingContinue reading “We Become What We Worship”

Christians and Conspiracy Theories

“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.” (Proverbs 18:8, ESV) I have been thinking about why Christians are so drawn to conspiracy theories. I find myself running into brothers and sisters in Christ who 1) are committed to Jesus, 2) love and knowContinue reading “Christians and Conspiracy Theories”

Outrage Is Not a Virtue

Outrage is not a virtue, but it is too often in my own heart. Outrage that others don’t agree with my positions, outrage that others don’t value what I value, and outrage that people aren’t doing what I think they should do. You may not always see it, but it is often there under theContinue reading “Outrage Is Not a Virtue”