"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." Proverbs 27:5-6 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Better is open rebuke than hidden love", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/06/20/better-is-open-rebuke-than-hidden-love/" });

Thank you to all who wished me a happy 30th. Finally my age matches these graying hairs, and perhaps the big three-oh will have some built-in credibility to match. (Somehow being only 29 is way different than being a mature 30 in some people’s eyes when it comes to pastoring — the difference between being in one’s twenties and thirties.) The life of one of my heroes, the late Robert Murray McCheyne, was cut short at only 29 years. (Well, he’s more alive than any of us these days, in the presence of Jesus.) At my age, I think about him and others like Henry Scougal quite...

“Transcendent living is Christ-centered living. Living for Christ is the only way you will ever be liberated from your bondage to the overwhelming tendency to shrink the size of your life to the size of your life. The only way to spin free of the narrow confines of your little cubicle kingdom is to live in the big sky country of Christ-centered living. You will never win the battle with yourself simply by saying ‘no’ to yourself. The battle only begins to be won when you say ‘yes’ to the call of your King, the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Paul David Tripp, A Quest for More (Greensboro, NC:...

“You might think that you are unworthy to have such a great gift as union with Christ. Remember, however, Christ shed his precious blood to redeem you. That precious blood will enable you to miraculously advance in holiness through your union with Christ. Union with Christ is not a privilege you earn by your sincere obedience, or by your own attempts at holiness. Your union with Christ is not a reward of your own good works. Rather, union with Christ is a privilege that God gives to every Christian when they first become a Christian! Right when you enter into the Kingdom of God, you also enter...

“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...

A while back my email inbox had an article from John Piper in it: "When Satan Hurts Christ’s People: Reflections on Why Christians Suffer Losses ." Knowing loss (to some degree) first hand in my life and desiring to want to learn how to grieve better, I was enamored with the topic. Indeed "Why?" is one of the predominant questions in our society, and we as Christians want to not just give pat answers (argh!) but to love and encourage and be able to communicate God’s answers (which people may not want) for questions they are asking, and in forms they can readily grasp. In...

“I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.” - Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth [HT: Of First Importance ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "I am His, in more ways than one", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/05/21/i-am-his-in-more-ways-than-one/" });

There is a short phrase I like to use when describing the mysterious paradox between two truths, which from God’s perspective probably compliment one another, but from our limited vantage point seem unnecessary or at least difficult to grasp. I call these "happy tensions ." Since we are made in God’s image, and not vice versa, our place is not to judge. Rather, we shall joyfully receive all the goodness and love and justice Almighty God our Creator — the one and only God — happily chooses to send our way. And if we don’t feel like rejoicing, then part of...

"A person must confront his own sinfulness in all its ravaging depths before he can enjoy the comforts of salvation." -Martin Luther SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A person must confront his own sinfulness", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/04/30/a-person-must-confront-his-own-sinfulness/" });

I’m headed out to pick up Kari from a women’s retreat she taught/preached at this weekend (read her notes ). Dutch and I stayed home to play and pray, and are so excited to get our wife and mommy back. It was a joy to sit and read her notes while she preached and be praying for her through the various points. Kari posted her notes/manuscript from her two talks at the retreat — from Philippians 2:1-4: 1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having...