The movie The Shack¸ based on the novel with the same title by Paul Young, will release on March 3. By now you have likely seen previews of the movie. Of course, in what I share below, I’m only speaking about the book—though if the movie is faithful to the book, I would expect it to have some of the same strengths and weaknesses. I am reluctant to post this for a variety of reasons, including that I know and... Read more
Frank Laubach (1884–1970) devoted his life to encouraging literacy around the world, with the goal that people everywhere would read the Bible. He wrote an influential pamphlet entitled “The Game with Minutes.” In it, Laubach encouraged Christians to keep God in their minds at least one second of every minute each day.[i] Laubach wrote, Humble folks often believe that walking with God is above their heads, or that they may “lose a good time” if they share all their joys... Read more
Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of... Read more
The following questions and answers are from my contribution to Women and C. S. Lewis: What His Life and Literature Reveal for Today’s Culture, edited by Carolyn Curtis and Mary Pomroy Key. I highly recommend this unique and well-reviewed book, which has excellent contributions by 26 others, including Alister McGrath and Kathy Keller. Question: The readers of our book are interested in C.S. Lewis’s commentaries, literary treatments and known or apparent attitudes regarding women and girls. It’s intriguing to think... Read more
Two weekends ago, my home church, Good Shepherd Community Church, had the privilege of hosting Joni Eareckson Tada and her wonderful husband Ken for a Sanctity of Human Life weekend. Joni’s a faithful servant of God, who has lived what Eugene Peterson called “a long obedience in the same direction.” I can’t think of anyone better qualified to speak on Sanctity of Human Life issues—Joni has been a faithful advocate for the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, and the voiceless.... Read more
When I was in high school, I had a friend that I really looked up to. Greg was bright, talented, and most importantly he deeply loved the Lord Jesus. Unlike some of our other Christian friends, Greg was going somewhere for God. If anyone had a promising life of ministry ahead of him, surely it was Greg. Early one Friday evening in the spring of my junior year, the phone rang. Greg had just had a freak accident. He was... Read more
Peter uses the word exodus in reference to his own approaching death (2 Peter1:15). Death for the Christian is God’s deliverance from a place of bondage and suffering to a place of freedom and relief. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul refers to his death with the Greek word analousis, meaning “to loosen.” Consider some of its common usages in that culture: an ox being loosed from its yoke when it was finished pulling a cart. pulling up tent stakes, in... Read more
In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote: What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could “be like gods”—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to... Read more
Some people have never thought about Heaven’s weather because they don’t think of Heaven as a real place, certainly not on the New Earth. Or they assume the New Earth will have bright sunshine, no clouds, no rain . . . forever. In a passage that promises rescue, security, and no more famine or fear for His people, God says, “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of... Read more
A reader asked me, Why didn’t God send Jesus to the earth to die right after Adam and Eve sinned? Why did God wait all that time between Adam and Eve and the cross? This is a good question. I don’t mean to be dismissive, but after having considered who God is, the first answer to this question is “because God didn’t want to.” Though we’ll talk about the possible whys, that’s the place to start. Just trying to understand... Read more
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