“Femme Fatale” August 9,2018. Drawn in the 1940s noir style. She did what she had to do to survive. She was born poor, abused, and alone. Who will dare to rescue her? Who will value her heart more than her external beauty? No one? Anyone? This is the dilemma of the 1940s noir femme fatale. Vulnerable, yet dangerous. Approachable, yet treacherous. A black widow of death? Or a forsaken soul in need of redemption? You decide.
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished.’” — John 19:30
When Christ said these words – “It is finished” – we view the glorious triumph of the cross. The ancient Greeks boasted about being able to communicate a big thought while using few words. They would often say, “The perfection of a great speech is to give an ocean of substance in a single drop of language”. What the Greeks looked for in a powerful speech is found in these final few words of Christ – “It is finished.” In the original Biblical language, this statement is actually only one word. Yet in that one word is the entire Gospel of God. That one word contains the ground of the believer’s assurance. That one word describes the sum of all joy. In that one single word, we find the very spirit of all Godly comfort. In that one word, we find rest. Continue reading
“By His stripes…”. Drew this as a form of worship, prayer, and meditation during Lent, February 18, 2018. If you look closely, you’ll notice that I incorporated fragments from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. (Click on picture to see full size image)
Speaking to the women at Surfside Presbyterian Church about the woman at the well in John 4, Callie Melton gives us an insightful look into how Jesus interacted with this woman’s heart – highlighting the beautiful grace of Christ that not only forgives our sin, but also covers our shame.
If you are like me, you are concerned about the current issues of racial, cultural, and economic conflict that is disrupting our country and deeply dividing the body of Christ. If you are like me, you are grieved. That’s the best word for it. I am grieved. I am grieved over the anger. I am grieved over the violence.
In the face of recent events in our nation, I find that my heart is deeply grieved today. In the last six months, we have witnessed one the nastiest political campaigns in our nation’s history. During this campaign we heard the worst insults imaginable. Last month, we witnessed a brutal attack by a radicalized Muslim on the LGBT community Continue reading
O Triune God,
You are the Mover of my soul.
Without you – my soul, my heart, my affections –
All these would still be unmoved, unyielding, and following their natural courses to drown in a barren sea
But God, being rich in merciful love –
You woke me up. You moved the soul in me.
During the 1800s, America’s economy was dominated by so called rich and powerful moguls such as JD Rockefeller, JP Morgan, and Andrew Carnegie. These men, along with many others, were wealthy, powerful businessman who rose to power by exerting control over American natural resources, controlling the railroad systems, influencing high levels of government, paying paltry wages to workers, squashing business competition by buying out competitors, creating monopolies and raising prices, and using deceptive financial schemes to sell stock at inflated prices to unsuspecting investors. Continue reading
In John 1:35-51, we find Jesus calling his very first disciples. When meeting one disciple in particular – Nathanael – Jesus makes a surprising and bold declaration. He says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Wow! What a statement. Jesus hasn’t even met Nathanael yet. But he knows him. He says that Nathanael is a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” kind of Continue reading
America is a superhero driven culture. Have you noticed? Almost every movie, television show, and young adult book series is drenched in super-heroism. Think about this for a second. Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, The Avengers, The X-Men, Wolverine, Harry Potter, Arrow, Flash, Jim Gordon, Rick Grimes, Han Solo, James Bond, Katniss Everdeen, Jessica Jones, Superman, Thor, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, The Hulk, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Frodo. The list could go on and on and on. Hero worship is definitely what makes America tick. And it doesn’t stop with Continue reading
In the 1993 film “The Sandlot”, a kid named Ham Porter continually gets frustrated with the immaturity of another kid named Scotty Smalls. When Ham’s frustration overcame him he would blurt out, “You’re killin’ me Smalls!” Now this phrase is commonly used in American slang to express discontent or frustration towards another person or event. Often times, I feel like Ham Porter when I observe American Christianity. In fact, I think that there are four toxic brands of American Christianity that often lead me to say, “You’re killin’ me Smalls!” Continue reading
The Total Inability (or Total Depravity) of graceless human nature should not be difficult for us to grasp. One glance at the nightly news plainly reveals that all human beings – from Hollywood to Afghanistan – struggle unsuccessfully to find spiritual meaning and satisfaction. As the Preacher in Ecclesiastes makes clear, the heart of every person is filled with a desire for “eternity” (Ecc 3:11) and yet, if God should leave us in our graceless Continue reading
When we suffer, our hearts put God on trial. Like a prosecuting attorney, we level our questions against his character. “How could you be good and allow this? If you could put an end to this, why don’t you? What have I done to deserve this?”
Yet, for the Christian, God does not answer our questions with a logical defense of His sovereignty v. our suffering, but rather he answers us the way a mother comforts her crying child – with his presence. With his gospel song, Christ offers us the experiential affirmation of his union with us – reminding us that he loves us, and that he is here with us, and that he is bound to us in our pain. Continue reading
Last weekend, before the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton Ohio, there was a big flap over Junior Seau’s posthumous induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. Seau, a middle linebacker for the SanDiego Chargers, took his life on May 2, 2012 amid speculation that he was troubled by brain damage due to CTE, a condition traced to concussion-related brain damage with depression as a symptom. After submitting Seau’s brain for study, the family sued the NFL over the brain injuries suffered over his career, claiming that NFL does not provide enough information and protection for its players.
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So, for the NFL football fans out there, what is your Top 10 Superbowl Football Moments. By “Moments”, I mean those seconds in time that are etched in our national sports consciousness and still remembered today. By “Football”, I mean those moments that are directly related to the game, not the media or entertainment related events. I’ll post a Top 10 on that at a later date. At any rate, these are my Top 10 Superbowl Football Moments.
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On June 21, 2015, after admitting to an extra-marital sexual relationship, Rev. Tullian Tchividjian announced his resignation as senior pastor of Coral Ridge PCA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was devastating news for me. Over a number of years, Tullian’s teaching, along with Paul Tripp, Ray Cortese, John Frame, J.D. Greear, Matt Chandler, Joe Novenson, Tim Keller, John Piper, Scotty Smith, Nancy Guthrie, and Elyse Fitzpatrick, have all been refreshing gospel voices for my soul. Continue reading
From Valley of Vision, Page 7.
My God, Your grace is like a magnet – drawing me to all that is truly attractive. And what I find truly attractive is most beautiful in you
I find nothing good, unless you make it so
I stand near to nothing good, unless I stand near to you Continue reading
“The day may come when after a long fight with disease, we shall feel that medicine can do no more, and that nothing remains but to die. Friends will be standing by, unable to help us. Hearing, eyesight, even the power of praying, will be fast failing us. The world and its shadows will be melting beneath our feet. Eternity, with its realities, will be looming large before our minds.
What shall support us in that trying hour? What shall enable us to feel, ‘I fear no evil’? (Psalm 23:4.) Nothing, nothing can do it but close communion with Christ. Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith,—Christ putting His right arm under our heads,—Christ felt to be sitting by our side,—Christ can alone give us the complete victory in the last struggle. Continue reading
God. You are the fountain of everything that is good.
And yet there is in me the desire to imagine myself to be this fountain, instead of you
In my sin, I imagine myself to be a god – self-dependent, self-powered, and self-glorified Continue reading
Once asked if he was a Calvinist, Newton plunked a lump of sugar into his tea, stirred the hot liquid, and said, “I am more of a Calvinist than anything else; but I use my Calvinism in my writing and preaching as I use this sugar. I do not give it alone, and whole; but mixed, and diluted…(1) I think these doctrines should be in a sermon like sugar in a dish of tea, which sweetens every drop, but is no where to be found in a lump – tasted everywhere, though prominent nowhere…(2) The views I have received of the doctrines of grace are essential to my peace. (3) I could not live comfortably a day, or an hour, without them.” (4) Continue reading
Sacrosanct Gospel 