One of our annual vacations has been a two-day camping trip over the memorial day holiday. We have camped with friends at Carpinteria State Beach for the last couple of years. The campsite is within walking distance of the beach and the city. There are train tracks nearby, so you hear the train whizzing by, while at night, you hear the sound of the crashing waves on the shore. A bonus (not really) are the crows that wake you up in the morning. One of my favorite times during the trip is waking up early in the morning to walk on the beach while the sun begins to rise.
I like to reflect as I look out into the sea that seems endless, watching the wave goes back and forth. I feel a sense of peace and tranquility as I take in the sounds of the sea and the sights of birds overhead. A particular Scripture kept coming to my mind...
Here we go again?
Another American mass murder. First, it was ten African Americans murdered in Buffalo, New York. Yesterday, it was nineteen children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas. How do we make sense of these atrocious acts in our country? I would suggest that we pause. This is not a time for trivial or simplistic answers, nor is it a time for egotistical politicians to push their agendas. Now is a time to lament before the Lord and mourn with those who mourn. Some families have had their lives changed forever, and answers that will never bring their loved ones back.
The Psalm writers would often lament before the Lord with questions of "how" and "why" in response to the most challenging circumstances in life (see Psalm 10, 13, 22). Lament was a way for the psalmist to express their deep mourning and trust in God. Lament allows one to mourn the realities of this fallen world, leading back to...
I learned about Jordan Raynor's new book Redeeming Your Time through my job. We have book clubs a couple of times a year in which we read and discuss books. There were various books to choose from, and the title of this one caught my attention. If there is one thing about my life right now, I am busy and need more time!
The book contains seven purposeful, present, and wildly productive principles. These are taken primarily from the life of Jesus, which Raynor then derives principles and practices for greater productivity. I appreciate that he begins by setting the tone that he wants Christians to have "grace-based productivity" instead of "works-based productively." He means that our true identity and worth are not found in what we do but in who we are in Christ. He also guards against legalism by offering many different ways to put the principles into action, without saying his methods are the best. Therefore, the reader...
How do you combine money, exercise, and the motivations of the heart?
Answer: Paceline
Paceline is a new fitness app that gives rewards for exercising. This app is not the first to combine exercise with rewards, but it has additional benefits. The Paceline app is the first fitness app that I have seen which combines credit card rewards and the ability to receive a free Apple Watch (Series 7).
How it works
First, you download the Paceline app, which connects to Apple Health, Fitbit, or Garmin. Next, you will need a fitness tracker that includes heart rate tracking. The goal is to have 150 minutes of elevated heart rate (eHr) per week (maximum 50 minutes a day). For example, a brisk walk will track an elevated heart rate. You will receive a reward each week that you reach the exercise goal. These rewards include $1 Amazon gift cards and other offers for discounts on products and services.
The real benefit to the program comes with...
I recently had the opportunity to read a new book by Curis Solomon called, Redeem Your Marriage: Hope for Husbands Who Have Hurt through Pornography. His wife, Jenny Solomon, also wrote a companion book called Reclaim Your Marriage: Grace for Wives Who Have Been Hurt by Pornography. Solomon is a biblical counselor and serves as the Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition.
The topic of pornography is important for biblical counselors to address. Unfortunately, the message in our culture seems to be that porn is no big deal, and my experience in the church is that many people struggle but few people talk about the issue. This new book by Solomon felt you were sitting with a friend over coffee who offered hope and wisdom to deal with this common struggle with sin. I appreciate the transparency from his own life and how he held the tension of calling pornography evil while not condemning the one struggling. Instead, he...
I have read many books and journal articles on sanctification over the last couple of years as I was doing research for my doctoral project. There are many books and differing views on sanctification, and I have not found one book that captures everything about this important theological truth. Last year I came across John MacArthur's book on sanctification and added it to my Kindle library. I attended The Master's Seminary, and I respect John MacArthur as one who has been a faithful pastor for decades and impacted my life when I first became a believer. I was very interested in how he would deal with this important topic.
MacArthur wrote this short book called Sanctification: God's Passion for His People in 2020. This book is only seven chapters in under 100 pages so that one can read this quickly. He writes this book to pastors, and he says that their primary calling is the "sanctification of God's people." As with...
Six years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Ukraine with Children's Hunger Fund, the nonprofit organization I have worked at for the past eleven years. There has been an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine for many years. In 2014 there was turmoil in Ukraine over the President who wanted to have closer contact with Russia while the people wanted to join the European Union. Instead of signing an agreement with the European Union, the President sided with Russia. In response, there were protests called the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv at Maidan square. The outcome of that event was that the President fled to Russia for asylum, and a new president was installed. I remember visiting Maidan square and seeing the memorial of the many people who had lost their lives during the protests. Later in 2014, Russia annexed the Peninsula of Crimea away from Ukraine. They also invaded Eastern...
Do you have any bad habits? Be honest!
Last year I attended a conference and received a book called Heart & Habits: How We Change For Good by Greg Gifford. I have read many books on sanctification, and this was the first one I read regarding habits. Most of the time, talking about habits is in the realm of self-improvement. Therefore, I was interested in learning how the author would handle habits from a biblical perspective.
Habits are a normal part of life and help us do things without thinking about them. Most people get up in the morning, brush their teeth, take a shower, and put on their clothes without having to think about all of the steps involved in the process. I remember when my kids were learning to tie their shoes. They would slowly take one lace, wrap it around the other lace, and finish off with a bow. It was a time-consuming process, and life would be frustrating...
The stress, busyness, and cares of this world can be overwhelming. There are human limitations that I try to defy, like not getting enough sleep and constantly working. Yet God always reminds me that my body needs rest and refreshment to function the way it was designed. I often know when I am at the point of needing some extended time to refresh when I notice what is coming out of my heart, such as irritation at the slightest thing. Recently I was beyond the point of needing a break, so I decided to take a day off work to do what helps me reset, hiking.
I love to hike, and I hope to inspire you to explore the great outdoors as I share my adventures. I usually hike from April-October, taking a break during the cooler months. However, we had some unusual weather in Southern California this February, with temperatures in the 80's for a short period. The hot weather...
To some degree, bitterness is something that everyone will struggle with in a world that sin has broken. When I think about bitterness, Proverbs 14:10 comes to mind, "The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy." So what causes us to become bitter? How can we deal with our bitterness? Steven Viars answers these questions in his new book, Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life's Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy. Viars has been a pastor and biblical counselor at Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana, since 1987. He has vast experience in biblical counseling and approaches this topic with clarity, gentleness, and patience.
Viars explores how the Bible addresses bitterness in the book's first part. In the Old Testament, the word for bitter is marah, which is also the name that Naomi called herself after going through many trials (Ruth 1:20). In the New Testament, the Greek word is pikros, illustrated as bitter water...
