"But if the man encounters an engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty" (Deut 22:25-26).

"Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood" (Rev 22:15).

April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It came and went with little to no fanfare. We have learned to yawn at thousands of hours of Epstein files depicting unspeakably heinous acts committed against young women. And surely we know Epstein wasn't the only rich and powerful man abusing those girls. I am not sure we could handle it, if we could somehow know just who, what, when, where, and how often. It makes my stomach churn.

Keep Reading

Revival Fires are burning across our land.

So, we're told.

Gen Z is going back to church and showing increased interest in Jesus and Christianity.

So, we're told.

Far be it from me to pretend I actually have my finger on the pulse of what God is doing in hearts from California to Maine. Most days, I am barely able to keep track of what God is up to among the local church I am privileged to pastor. It's highly presumptive to think we can "track" God with polls and stats. Truth is, we all need God to track us. Hunt us down. Find us in our lostness. Revive us in our spiritual death. Save us.

Keep Reading

"For I hate divorce," says the Lord, the God of Israel (Malachi 2:16).

I don't just hate divorce. I sometimes hate even the vocabulary of divorced people. The way they sometimes talk breaks my heart. The banter sounds something like this:

"Well, I don't have to have her back until 10. Surely, he won't get mad if I keep her a little longer." Or, "Well I can't pick my kids up till 9 and they leave at 12, so we won't be able to do dinner." Or, "This is not my weekend. My kids cannot go."

Keep Reading

More from my J.C. Ryle devotional (see previous post). This is the entry for January 24 titled Most Important Doctrine:

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. -1 Corinthians 2:2

There is no doctrine in Christianity so important as the doctrine of Christ crucified.

Keep Reading

Those who know me, know my favorite pastor-theologian from the 19^th century to read is the Anglican Bishop, J.C. Ryle. Last year I read the daily devotional Our Great Redeemer: 365 Days with J. C. Ryle compiled by Bryan Schrank. Although I am not a guy who feels compelled to read a devotional every day, this one was far and away my favorite of the dozens I have read over the last two decades. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that I just picked it up today and started all over!

Here's the entry for January 1, titled "Are You Ready for the New Year?"

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this is judgment. HEBREWS 9:27

Keep Reading