Traffic on the 101 was moving exactly as badly as I expected.

Anyone who has driven between Ventura, where I Iived, and the San Fernando Valley at rush hour understands the routine. You accelerate for a few seconds, brake for thirty, and repeat the cycle for miles. By the time the car reaches the top of the Conejo Grade, the sun is rising, positioned perfectly to shine through the narrow gaps between the car’s visors. No matter how you adjust them, the light finds you. And the return home is exactly the same.

It's very easy to make fear into an idol. I make sacrifices to it. I sacrifice to it my joy and happiness, my peace of mind. I offer it my thoughts, my attention, my energy. So fear and worry begin to lay claim to my whole life.

It’s Good Friday. The day marking the greatest crime ever committed against God and humanity. Planned in detail from eternity past before creation. Authorized by God the Father to bring his Son authority and reign as King of kings over all creation. Agreed to voluntarily by God the Son to bring his Father glory and honor. Empowered by God the Holy Spirit in service to the Father and Son. Such love. Such trust. Such selflessness.

Post 4 in my series Metaphors That Matter: Insights into Life’s Challenges

Temporary change (think New Year’s Eve resolutions) can be exciting. You’ve determined to try something new, and if you don’t like it, you can just go back to your previous routine. Long-term change, on the other hand, can be scary, demanding, and unsettling.

Post 3 in my series Metaphors That Matter: Insights into Life’s Challenges

The psychology behind a Coke machine is exactly the reverse of a slot machine. Should this matter to you? Yes, if you have to discipline or reward someone (I’m thinking especially of you, parents).

Post 2 in my series Metaphors That Matter: Insights into Life’s Challenges

This week we’ll look at the Mole’s challenges and some of the bumps in the road to making a difficult marriage flourish.

Post 1 in my series Metaphors That Matter: Insights into Life’s Challenges
It’s a truism, dating back at least to the 1800s, that opposites attract. It’s certainly true with magnets, but is it true with people?

There is one question I have seen all over the Internet and heard in discussions recently. People are contemplating, “What does love require?” So profound in its simplicity. So intimidating in its reach.

On Easter Sunday, April 11, 1971, I learned who I really was. It was both a shock and a relief. A shock because I discovered I was not at all who I thought I was. And a relief because…I discovered I was not at all who I thought I was.

Two men have had a tremendous influence on my ability to verbalize my faith in the form of a credo—Simon Peter and J.I. Packer. And rather than diluting their statements, with which I concur, let me quote them directly.

Would you be surprised to discover that Jesus never commanded us to convert anyone? And if you think about it, he never tried to convert anyone, either. Instead, when he chose his disciples, he issued a two-word invitation—a command, really—“Follow me”. Why did he put it that way?

The Church. The Bride of Christ. An Assembly of Saints. A Royal Priesthood. Those are accurate but intimidating descriptions of God’s people. We all agree that the local expression of that comes up a bit short. So what does it mean to love the church?

When God offers to fill your cup in prayer, do you pull out a thimble or a bucket? Yes, he’ll fill whatever you offer, and you’ll feel full to overflowing. But…

One sentence. If you blink or let your mind wander like I did some years ago when I skimmed past it, you might miss it. After all, it’s only one sentence—one sentence in one paragraph in one section of one chapter of one book.

If you compare your life to a house, you may have invited Jesus in, but each of us keeps one or more rooms locked and the key hidden so Jesus can't get in to straighten up. In these rooms we hide our secret pleasures that we know Jesus would disapprove of. Maybe it's

Albert Ellis is credited with coining the phrase “stinking thinking” to describe “the human tendency to persistently engage with thoughts that do not serve us”. The irony is…

…Paul’s thorn in the flesh?
…The common but mistaken essence of the Christian faith?
…Why some “one anothers” didn’t qualify to be in the New Testament?

I have, too. And apparently, we’re not alone. Read on if you’re curious…

In Part 2, we looked at five questions that could help us define our true obsession. Now we finish by considering how obsession is worship and how that defines your mission.

Cartoon Calvin is obsessed. So are you. He has a purpose. So do you. He’s known for something. You are, too. What is it? Here are five questions that could help you discover your obsession.

For years I’ve used insight from Calvin-and-Hobbesian theology to illustrate points I’m trying to make in my teachings. This particular brand of Calvin-ism (as contrasted with John’s) is the quintessential representation of the world’s exciting-but-oh-so-bankrupt philosophy of life. Calvin’s obsessions, like ours, defines his purpose.