Thanks to everyone who took note of my engagement notice and responded. What happy days these are. The blessings of God often are a long time in coming. When they do come, all the frustration, loneliness, and anticipation are worth it. Praise the Lord for His providing grace. Today we begin a few days’ worth of commentary on a subject that evangelicals have, frankly, ignored. This is to our detriment. It is sad that Christians have by and large neglected... Read more

Please forgive my lack of posting this last month. It has been a crazy month. This past Friday, I asked the most amazing girl in the world, Bethany Ware, to marry me. Now, I’ve tried to keep my blog away from the terrain in which so many blogs dwell, being the realm of the private. For this occasion, however, I’ve got to share this with you. I am overwhelmingly, madly, stunningly, in love with this girl, and I can’t help... Read more

One of the most profound helps to one’s faith is the institution of friendship. Friendship could be considered one of the best gifts of personhood, one of the distinguishing marks of humanity, and one of the surest means to individual change. The evangelical who strives to live the Christian life without friends will find themselves lacking much good they would otherwise possess. Friendship is underrated. This might seem a bit simple, I suppose. The important stuff is Bible reading and... Read more

Against the extreme attention given to feelings in the popular culture, evangelicals, ourselves a people who value feelings, recognize that we must commit ourselves to things–beliefs, people, most importantly, God. Yes, we want to feel the truth. But we understand that this is not always possible. Sometimes you don’t feel like reading the Bible. Sometimes you don’t feel like going to church. Sometimes you don’t feel like not gossipping. Sometimes you don’t feel like not lusting. In all of these... Read more

One of the least-prized virtues of this era is that of discipline. Discipline, you see, requires earnestness, and earnestness is nowhere popular among the younger generation. For those of my age, life is all about throwing off restrictions and requirements, rules and regulations. The good life is totally uninhibited, with only one’s whim to guide one through the twists of life. Principles–deeply held beliefs–are archaic holdovers from distant generations, when men plowed ground in overalls and women wore bonnets all... Read more

I talked yesterday about how it is a big help to one’s faith to read large chunks of scripture. Today I’m suggesting the exact opposite. Isn’t that fun? I think it is. You get a blog, and you can be completely capricious, just like me. Actually, these ideas aren’t in contradistinction to one another. They complement one another. It is a good idea to get a broad view of one’s object of study, and it is a good idea to... Read more

Time for a new series. This one is on ways we Christians can help our faith. As subjects of God who were born again by the Spirit’s regenerating work, we understand that we are not fundamentally responsible for our faith. And yet we simultaneously affirm that we do not wake up with a morning to-do list from God that we automatically perform. God has ordained all things and yet He uses our agency, our will, to accomplish His purposes. In... Read more

One of the best marks of being a man is liking movies tailored to my gender. What a beautiful thing it is that there are movies out there that celebrate heroism, courage, and justice. I’ve recently become more acquainted with the cinematic genre known as “chick-flicks,” which has only reinforced my standing love for guy movies. Now, that’s not to say I don’t think there are some good aspects of the chick-flick (like…ummm…the credits?). Seriously, if I thought hard, I... Read more

Much has been made of the “metrosexual” male in recent popular culture publications. Such a man, while heterosexual and unabashedly so, gives much attention to traditionally feminine categories such as dress, appearance, and decoration. Now, I give some attention to the first two (sometimes too much), but I can happily say that I rank terribly in the final category. I have searched far and wide within my DNA and found no trace of a decorating gene. It simply does not... Read more

Yesterday I began a series called “Unapologetic Manhood,” in which I explore a few tenets of manhood that I embrace and do not apologize for. Today I pick up where I left off yesterday. I’m discussing my aversion to cooking, a tendency I trace to my being a man. Now, this series is partly in jest. Of course. All you cultured, masculine, high-taste chefs can simmer down (pun!). I have no contention with you. There is no bone to pick... Read more