"We conclude, therefore, that a Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. Otherwise he is not a Christian. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor." - Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty HT: Of First Importance SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Not just in ourselves", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/07/29/not-just-in-ourselves/" });

Celebrating 5 glorious years of marriage Five years ago today Kari Zyp and I exchanged vows, and then I got to kiss the love of my life for the very first time. What an amazing time it has been, my Sauce. We’ve had our adventures: moving 7 times, living in two states, both following the call to seminary as students, raising Dutch, continuing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and being able to know, love and enjoy Him oh so much more because of one another. Sauce, I love you! I told you back then that I want to plunge the depths of who you are, and that passion has not and will not fade. You...

“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling...

I caught on fire the morning I asked Kari to marry me. Literally. It was Monday morning, February 24th, 2003 — five years ago today. (I encourage all to read Kari’s rendition of it, as she’s a much better story teller than I am!) Monday was our weekly day off, so the regular plan was to drive over to Kari’s apartment in the morning, picking her up at about 8 o’clock and then head to the gym to work out. That morning when I picked her up she was uncharacteristically late and slow — she obviously had no idea of the imminent plans I had for us. I told her that some...

“A person who has a knowledge of doctrine and theology only–without religious affection–has never engaged in true religion.” – Jonathan Edwards SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Edwards on True Religion", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/11/12/edwards-on-true-religion/" });

I ran across this quote from a book I hope to one day read. Charles Drew in his new book A Journey Worth Taking, writes: “Church” is not an event. It is people–people whom God calls us to love. What is more, it is in a very important sense an involuntary community of people: we don’t choose our brothers and sisters–God does. And sometimes (oftentimes) those people are not terribly compatible with us–not the people we would choose to hang out with. But it is this very incompatibility that is so important, for at least two reasons. First, learning to love the...

Owen Strachan recently wrote this thought-provoking post: Seeking Honest Answers: Are You a Christian? …. Here is a very short list of questions to ask those who claim to be saved but who show little evidence of such commitment. It’s not exhaustive but is intended to help start conversation. Do you love God? In your heart, do you desire to follow Him, worship Him, and obey Him? Does your professed love for God stretch into action? Does it have any practical effect on your life? Would others characterize you as one who loves God? Do you adore God? Do you want to adore Him? Do...