You can listen to the audio of my answer or read the edited transcript below, which has some additional material added. Sometimes we legitimize being mad at God, and we need to start by correcting that. There’s a difference between being profoundly disappointed, discouraged, or even depressed by a bad situation, and being mad at God about it. Being mad is blaming God, and saying, “It’s your fault.” And blaming God is a dead-end street, because in doing so we turn away... Read more
Today’s blog is about a nonprofit that’s making a big difference in the lives of kids with medical needs, and also in the lives of youth in local schools. Our ministry has the joy of being a part of this through sponsorship! Here’s more from Laura Queen, the Portland program director with Sparrow Clubs USA. I think you’ll be touched by reading about their work and seeing the pictures of a child who has been helped. It was so fun... Read more
On February 10, the Houston Chronicle released the first of a three-part series titled “Abuse of Faith: 20 years, 700 victims: Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reform.” Below are a few excerpts from the article—though please read it for yourself. (And remember, while this article and the investigation focuses on Southern Baptist churches, it largely applies to all evangelical churches.) In June 2008, [Debbie Vasquez] paid her way to Indianapolis, where she and others asked leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and its... Read more
After we posted the link to my recent blog about New York’s Reproductive Health Act on Facebook, an EPM board member and one of our staff had exchanges with commenters claiming we were sharing false information and exaggerating the law’s effects. We always respond to people’s genuine questions, but I rarely defend myself to critics, knowing it seldom makes a difference when their minds are already made up. But when lives of unborn children are at stake, I and our staff believe in... Read more
Nanci and I love Mary Clayton Wood, now Mary Clayton Crow, one of our dear friends. She’s a godly woman who’s both fun and engaging, and has a big heart. She and her family have suffered some very serious and heartbreaking trials over the past few years, including the tragic death of her husband, Hunter Wood, who I considered a good friend. Through that, we’ve seen how God has grown M.C.’s character and trust in Him in even deeper ways.... Read more
The article below is excerpted from a 12-day devotional on Heaven I wrote, which is on YouVersion. I highly recommend the YouVersion app, which is on my phone and also available for computers and tablets. It has a selection of versions, including the ESV and CSB, as well as high quality free audio. There’s also lots of great free Bible reading and devotional plans. Here’s Day 1 from my Heaven devotional: A pastor once confessed to me, “Whenever I think about Heaven,... Read more
On January 22, 2019, on the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the New York Senate passed the Reproductive Health Act, which allows abortions “after 24 weeks if a fetus is no longer viable, or if a woman’s life or health is at risk. Abortion also would be regulated in New York under public health law, instead of the existing penal law,” reports Syracuse.com. As Russell Moore explains, in effect, it “removes any protections as persons from unborn children at any stage of... Read more
This is an excerpt from Greg Gilbert’s book What Is the Gospel? It’s also cited by Ray Ortlund in his book called The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ. I highly recommend both books. Gilbert uses satire to portray the type of god that many people seem to believe in these days. He’s basically toothless and harmless, so diminished in His attributes that He is neither to be feared nor to be loved on any deep level. He perhaps merits... Read more
Christian slaves in America sometimes were forbidden to sing—even to God. So when they went to the river, they would hang wet blankets around themselves, then sing into pots filled with water to absorb the sound. “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10), they couldn’t hold inside their songs of praise. Perhaps what you’re facing makes you wonder if God has turned His back on you. Your trial may last a day, a year, a decade, or more. But I... Read more
Last month, Tom Phillips, who led Chuck Colson to Jesus in 1973, went to be with his Lord and Savior. When asked in an interview if he had ever gotten over the night when Christ gripped his life, Chuck replied, “No, and I never want to get over it. When I think about who I was that night and who I had been, and then think about what Jesus has meant to me since and knowing that I can live my life... Read more
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