Openness and Honesty are Not Ends unto Themselves
There is an idea that has been floating around out there for a while that says as long as you are honest about your mistakes then everything is good. There has been a premium placed on authenticity and transparency over the last few years that is very healthy in one respect. However, it can very […]
Creating Safe Ministry and Worship Environments
Congregational assemble should be a time when we can have some level of vulnerability. That is more true of meeting in homes than in an auditorium but it should be true of both. The problem is, we are human and we have been conditioned to be very quick to make judgments based on very little […]
Book Review: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined By Jonathan Merritt
One of the things I always try to do when doing a review is to be brutally honest. There is a temptation to be extra kind on reviews because often the books were sent free of charge and, of course, we like people to like us and send us more free stuff and they might […]
Shame: Us, God & Psalm 25
In the beginning, God made everything unashamedly good, “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Gen 2:25). Fast forward one chapter…the fruit, a serpent, temptation…being like God?, a bite…another bite, fear & shame. It went like this, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food […]
John Piper on What One Must Believe to Be Saved
Have a look at this video of John Piper telling what he believes one must believe to be saved. To read a transcript click here. He includes the following: Believe and confess his Lordship and his resurrection Recognition that we sin That God exists and that he created a world where sin is a possibility […]
Confusing Transparency and Integrity
Transparency is highly valued. People hate hypocrisy. They despise people being phony. They would rather known what someone or something is really all about than something being presented falsely. But there is a difference between transparency and integrity. The two should never be confused. Transparency is seeing something for what it really is. If it […]
“Falling into Sin” – A Phrase We Need to Drop
I hear it all the time. It sounds so passive. I did it again…I fell into sin. It’s like a “woops” or an “uh oh.” I was walking along just doing the best I could and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back looking up at the sky…I slipped. I fell […]
Living By Faith, Not By Exception
“So this guy is walking up to the baptistry…he has repented and made his confession before the congregation and just as he steps in the water he slips hits his head on the floor. He dies right before he is baptized. Is he saved?” The point normally being made with this type of question is […]
Learning from Jesus’ Disciples – Sin and Reconciliation
In Matthew 26 Jesus lays out a series of predictions regarding the failure and desertion of his disciples. He predicts Judas will betray him (26:21), that the disciples will desert him (26:31) and that Peter in particular will disown him three times (26:34). In the same chapter they go on from there to the garden […]
10 Dangers of Authenticity
There is a great desire today for people to be real. People want to be told like it is…no hypocrisy, no glossing over and certainly no “holier than thou” approaches. What we have seen has been refreshing for the most part – a real desire for authenticity among Christian leaders, teachers, and preachers. This is […]