When I think about the personal experiences of racism my black friends are sharing now and the response of some of my white friends that prejudice, privilege, and institutional racism are no longer an issue in this country, I realize there are some challenging interpersonal skills people struggle with that must come before anyone’s views […]
The Rest of the Gospel No One Teaches
When I was a boy, my Dad used to turn off my bedroom lights, tuck me in, and pray with me. I remember his sweet, comforting words that my little heart clung to like lifesavers on an emotional lake of uncertainty. He’d say he loved me, walk to the door, smile, and whisper these profound words: “Rest […]
The Secret to Healing Division in a Church, Community, or Family
Division is a cancer in a community, church, or family. And you need to know exactly how to stop it. — I was only a child. My family was fighting as every family does. Charged words were yelled. Doors slammed. Walls, both physical and unseen, went up in a family that had been united. How many of us have experienced this same crushing effect in our […]
Christian Girl, You’ll Never Find a Good Guy If You Want Chemistry
Dear Christian girl, I heard your story. You got cheated on again, this time by a guy you were sure was the right one. He was suave. He was cool. He was hella romantic. I’m sorry. Cry it out. There you go. Now, let’s get serious, because I just about gagged when I heard all you […]
9 Ways to Grow When People Give You Advice
I’ve received some awful advice in my day. But I’ve also received pearls from places I expected little worth. Or at times when I planned to scale my mountain alone. These days you can’t assume where God wants to speak to you. Most of the time you don’t want to hear from anyone else, it’s an indication you […]
How to Make Her Love Being a Woman
(This is Part 2 in a series about empowering femininity. Part 1 is “Woman of God, Will You Lead the Church?“) One of my deep desires is to empower women and encourage them to come alive in their natures as women. This post is about how to do that. — A prominent guitarist was desperate to meet […]
Freaky Friday: Fall in Love With Your Spouse After — Not Before — You’re Married
The lights dim. The honeymoon romance is hot. Jimmy is a Christian stud, one in a million guy. Jenny is gorgeous, every hair perfectly in place, a smile always on her face, the kind of girl every guy wants. Everyone sighs. Why can’t we all have love like this? This is how it was meant […]
Why You Have to Be Gangsta to Make People Respect Your Words
Most people don’t care what you have to say. They hear advice all day, and your words are just chirping in the background of a world they’ve long tuned out. That’s why you need to do something bold, something unpredictable to get their attention. In the Godfather: Part 2, young Vito Corleone, played by Robert Dinero, shuffles […]
Touchy Tuesday: Christians, God Didn’t Metaphorically Create You
(Touchy Tuesdays — we’re going through controversial, difficult passages in the Bible once a week to get deeper in the Word for all you Bible lovers.) Christians, God Didn’t Metaphorically Create You Genesis 1-2.3 There’s nothing cooler to modern thinkers than the idea of being metaphorically created. In one grand, cosmic lougie, God hawked up the spiritual ambiguity […]
Woman of God, Will You Lead the Church?
The night is darkest before the dawn. This is a universal metaphor for hope. The metaphor loses its meaning, however, if while waiting the people become enamored with the night, the light of the moon’s reflection lulling them with a sickly, pale sort of illumination, a shadow hiding the beauty present there rather than illumining […]