First Thoughts

The Best and Worst of Times One of the very best Christmases of my life started out as one of the worst. It happened when I was in the fifth grade. Back then, my mother was depressed, completely enslaved to alcohol, and was violently abusive to me and my twin brother. Things always got worse in the lead-up to Christmas, and that year was no exception. Mom was so consistently drunk and disoriented that she was not going to work, was not sending us to school, and was not even trying to care for…

Thanksgiving is more than a cherished holiday on the calendar; it is a profound spiritual practice deeply rooted in Scripture. For Christians, the Thanksgiving holiday provides an opportunity to reflect on what the Bible teaches about thanksgiving and also how to tangibly apply that teaching in our homes. Here are seven biblical themes of thanksgiving and then seven practical ways to express thanksgiving during this season and throughout the year. Thanksgiving in Scripture 1. Thanksgiving for…

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Proverbs 24:11 Life in a Dobbs World On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with their ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Just like that, a half-century of court-imposed abortion ended, and we went from living in a world defined by Roe to one defined by Dobbs. As grateful as all Christians are for the decision, we also must admit that life in a Dobbs wor…

It was 2 a.m. Friday night. I had just flown in from a seminar out of town. I was eager to see my wife and talk with her. As I quietly crept into the house, I found her sitting up in bed, waiting for me, half asleep from the sheer exhaustion of caring for our three young kids without me for a week. “What’s this?” I said as I saw the little blue tip of a pregnancy test sticking out of her nightstand drawer. “Oh no!” she said, suddenly roused from her daze, “You weren’t supposed to see that! I …

When Gospel Ministry Makes a Mess . . . I am writing to encourage ministers of the gospel who feel overwhelmed. I want to do that by thinking about the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Paul had one of the most effective ministries in human history, but his reputation in the city of Ephesus was complete trash. As Paul preached the Word of God, he received numerous unpleasant responses. For starters, he developed a determined enemy named Demetrius, who was committed to opposing his work (Acts 19:…

The 2024 election is over. After years of campaigning, two assassination attempts, a change at the top of the Democrat party ticket, endless fact-checking, countless polls, and spending almost $16 Billion, Americans finally made their choice. That choice was to remove political power from the Biden-Harris administration and to return it to former president Donald Trump. That decision will create joy for some, and despair for others. Here are five ways every Christian can respond regardless of…

Being a Christian means being a warrior. Living the Christian life means constantly living with a wartime mentality. Paul uses the image of a soldier to describe the life of a believer in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, and he calls the Soldier-Christian to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand firm against the schemes of the devil in these evil days (Ephesians 6:10-17). But what is this battle? Where is the war that Christians face? One of the battles that Christians must face is the one within. …

Voting and Christian Morality One week away from an election of tremendous consequence, Christians face three logical options. First, they could vote for Kamala Harris. Some Christian leaders have encouraged this, with one stating in a now-deleted post, “Never Trump. This time Harris. Always Jesus.” Most Christians are unlikely to follow this advice, but some will. Second, they could disengage from the political process in some way. A number of ways exist to do this, which include abstaining …

On October 31, much of our modern American culture will be focused on costumes and candy. The history and celebration of Halloween is complicated and controversial, but for Christians, especially Protestants (of which Baptists are included), we have something much more significant to celebrate every year on October 31. That date commemorates the start of the Protestant Reformation when, in 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, posted his famous 95 Theses on the door of the Castle…

Communication Quarrels Christians fight about everything these days. Christian parents argue about how to raise the kids and spend money. Church members bicker about how to vote in the presidential election. Denominational leaders fight about the best way to pursue abuse reform. Even biblical counselors debate which practitioners are most infected with worldly thinking. All communication has at least two sides: the speaker and the listener. My words here are about the responsibility we all ha…