I was speaking with someone earlier this week about how time is neither friend nor foe. Time doesn’t care who you are. Time is equally distributed to each of us to use or to be used by. With that in mind, the writer of Ephesians says to his readers:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:15-16).

All of us must examine our priorities when it comes to how we spend our time if we are to make the most of our days on earth. Our examination must also include the use of technology. Are we being …

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On Sunday (2.14.10), I gave a gentle warning regarding the prominence of our heart (a.k.a feelings) in regard to how we live our lives. Jesus would not have bought into the ridiculous “listen to your heart” counsel that is rampant today. As an example of how this heart-over-head mentality has taken root, I cited the core concept from the book: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I took issue with the general thesis of the book that goes something like this: If a spouse learns to act on the “love language” of their marriage partner then their “love-tank” will be full. When each person in the relationship focuses on speaking the “love language” of …

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How many times have you seen a person make a decision based on an emotion or a feeling? How often were those decisions wrong? Whether it’s a person “falling in love” or the purchase of a lottery ticket due to a “hunch,” we are often seduced by our feelings. How does a person get off the merry-go-round of making emotional decisions? Do what Jesus did. Since Jesus was human and never made a bad decision, it makes sense to follow the pattern of His life.

First, consider the life-focus that Jesus had that served as a backdrop for all of His decisions:

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; he can only do what

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In yesterday’s Connections class, I mentioned a couple of sermons by D.A. Carson titled “On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil.” I cannot recommend this teaching strongly enough; this isn’t the first time I’ve commended these messages, and it won’t be the last.

Here are the free download links:

On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil: Part 1

On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil: Part 2

In addition, Dr. Carson has published an extensive treatment on the subject in his book How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil. I’m only a few chapters in, but it is off to a fantastic start—I highly recommend it

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Check out our women’s ministry and Facebook page for the retreat promo video.

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As we consider the serious side of Jesus’ humanity, this video from Mark Driscoll shows us a another side we probably think about too little:

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Some thoughts on pain and suffering and how our current teaching series on the humanity of Jesus helps me make sense of it all:

As a thoughtful Christian, I have to be able to make sense of that most difficult of questions: how do you reconcile the reality of suffering and evil with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God? … As the atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell famously asked, “what are you going to say as you kneel next to a dying child?”

Bringing logic to bear on that situation is, for most people, simply a case study in using the wrong tool for the job. Instead, comfort comes from understanding that God is familiar with suffering through first-hand experience

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The Background

Brian was a typical suburban teenage guy in the 11th grade. Brian was growing up in a family of achievers. Each had his niche in life firmly established. Brian’s dad was a ladder-climbing businessman. Brian’s mother was the ever-present keeper of the house, juggling schedules with the skill and detail of a mechanical engineer. Even Brian’s younger sister was smart and, to Brian, “almost” as popular as he was.

The Change

Through a series of events, Brian became a follower of Christ through the faithful witness of a friend. It seemed that overnight Brian had changed. Brian noticed that he would get uncomfortable with certain friends telling “those” jokes. On the basketball court, Brian became painfully aware of how often …

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In the teaching on Sunday, Jan.24.10 in a message entitled: Jesus, Just Hype or Incredibly Human; I made the point that the difference between Jesus and you is one word – “trust.” The following images are meant to display how Jesus displayed similar emotions and desires that all humans have. The difference is that Jesus’ emotions and desires are rooted in His trust in the Father while our emotions and desires are rooted in trust in ourselves. This is exactly why Jesus never sinned because He trusted in God and not Himself. This is exactly the opposite of what Adam and Eve did and every other human (other than Jesus) who has ever followed them….

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