When a Man Loves a Woman

I’ve got this friend, let’s call him Bill. He’s had it pretty rough. But we can learn a lot from his tale of woe.

Bill met this girl and fell hard in love. I have no idea what he saw in her. She wasn’t pretty, wasn’t smart, wasn’t even very nice. But he was crazy about her. They got married, and she cheated on him before the ink was dry on the license.

A Predictable God

The story of Jonah is a staple of children’s Sunday school classes. However, the big fish gets more of the attention than the theology of the book. As adults, I’m not sure we do it much more justice. The fish goes from an amazing story to a topic of debate. We need to let Jonah teach us an amazing truth about God.

Maintaining the Tension

Much of Christian theology is composed of two seemingly competing truths held in tension. Error creeps in when that tension is not maintained. Sometimes this results in heresy. Sometimes this results in misbehavior by the church. And sometimes this results in our failing our children and our culture.

All Sin is

There’s a common misconception among Christians. I’m not entirely sure where it comes from. I used to hold it myself, but I don’t know why. I don’t remember ever being taught it. Perhaps it’s a natural misunderstanding of some biblical truths. But it’s not true, and when we repeat it, we do harm to the cause of Christ and the reputation of our God. So let’s look at it.

Begging Jesus

Familiarity breeds boredom. When you’ve read a passage in the Bible countless times, it’s easy to assume you know it and breeze through, just trying to make it to the end. Slowing down and reading closer can make the familiar new.

I’ve been reading through Mark, but only a pericope or two at a time, repeatedly. I’m trying to read it like someone who’s never heard of this Jesus guy before and to keep an eye on the broader story Mark is telling. When I came to the account of Gadarene demoniac, a familiar story I’m quite fond of, I saw something on my third pass through I would probably not have seen if I wasn’t reading with a pen in my hand.