There’s one in every family or group of friends. You know, the one that is indescribably, intensely passionate about politics or exercise or clean eating. The evening is going just fine, then someone mentions “the topic” and everyone goes wide-eyed like you just said the name, Voldemort. All casual conversation and fun leave the room with a loud rushing sound, and the void is filled with awkward...
The desire to marry and have children is honorable and good (Genesis 2:18; Psalm 127:3–5; Proverbs 18:22). But like many good desires, the desire to be married can become idolatrous and ruinous if one puts that desire ahead of his or her commitment to pleasing God. Tiffany was a college senior whose chief ambition had been to get her “Mrs.” degree before graduation. She was a Christian and was...
In a relational crisis, determining realistic expectations and identifying wise nonnegotiables is difficult. It can feel like trying to corral a bag of spilled marbles on a ship during a tropical storm. With every new piece of information, with every conversation that goes poorly or well, with each memory you’re trying to recontextualize, it feels like the marbles (i.e., expectations) move all...
On a Sunday afternoon in January 1851, sixteen-year-old Charles Spurgeon was given an opportunity to preach his very first sermon. The only problem was that the service was going to be in less than an hour. If you were in that situation, what would motivate you to take that opportunity? And if you did take it, what would you preach about? The Motivation for Preaching The previous day, Spurgeon...
King Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful king in all of Babylon, has a dream that troubles him deeply. Some commentaries suggest that he doesn’t even remember the contents of the dream because it was so intense and troubling. Distressed by this great mystery, the king turns to the smartest people he knows to interpret his dream, but they are unable to help. In fact, the wisest people in all of...
