Burn me down, burn me up!

Q; What kind of plant grows best after it has been struck by lightning?
A: A Christian?
Huh? Says who? Turns out, God did:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and [...]

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The quotification of John Owen

Some time ago picked up a copy of John Owen’s “The Mortification of Sin.” I literally bought it because I had a gift certificate to our church bookstore, wanted one particular book, had only a few dollars left, and Owen’s book was the cheapest one available at the time. I figured, “Hey, I always hear [...]

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Fastidious, Pt.2

Back again with some more thoughts on fasting. As I work through this issue, it’s felt more natural to throw some of the large fragments out there for public consumption. Was that a pun? I apologize if so.
After digesting (sorry, last time) a basic framework for discussion and establishing a goal in my considerations, [...]

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The weaker brother is not a terrorist

Here is a passage that is more often abused than used correctly:
“Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, [...]

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How to use your brain.

Since I keep saying that I’m going to get back to things and never do, I want to return to a topic I’ve been meaning to bring up again. I think that a drastically overlooked aspect of spiritual growth is an understanding of the intellect, the affections, and the will. Understanding these elements of thinking [...]

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Some advice on buying spiritual real estate.

My wife and I go a chance to go out tonight. One of the students in the high school ministry offered to watch our children, so we gladly took advantage of the opportunity for a quiet evening out. That’s the thing about having young children: you love them to death, you even miss them when [...]

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Toward a balanced view of mortification.

Some thoughts about the mortification of the flesh, gleaned from the book study hosted in my home with some of the students in the high school ministry. Many of the students were noting the extreme positions that people take in dealing with their sin. They tied some points of note in the Kris Lundgaard book [...]

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Sometimes you take from the mountain…sometimes the mountain takes back.

“Sometimes you take from the mountain…sometimes the mountain takes back.”
My pastor said that about our high school ministry’s senior skiing/snowboarding trip a few days ago. I chuckled. The next day, the mountain took back, all right…from me. I took a nasty spill but got up and made it down the mountain by myself. Totally worth [...]

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Pining for the Shepherd’s Conference

The Irish Calvinist gets credit for guessing the latest riddle here at Ikonograph. To jog your memories, the riddle was ‘What are the only man-made objects in heaven?” The answer is “the holes in Christ’s hands and side.” Our beloved Irish Calvinist guessed “the nails” but he basically got it. This riddle is drawn from [...]

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Just eat it! The ludicrous-ity of Lent.

Ever try to get into a Red Lobster on a Friday this time of year? I and my wife made that mistake last winter. We were out on a date, and I think we got there quite early, only to find the joint packed. We had to have some cheesy garlic biscuits, though, so we [...]

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