Author: S&P

It’s Valentine’s season again. Strange, how in our popular culture the word “love” can be used in such a trivial way, but then also be used to refer to the deepest of relationships. “I love my wife!” “I love hamburgers!” “I love my husband!” “I love the movie Nacho Libre!” No wonder it’s so easy for us to miss the type of love God calls us to express toward, not just our favorite ...

Mike understood bonds—government bonds, corporate bonds, municiples and the rest. The team that wrote the bond trading software, however, didn’t have a clue. It was Mike’s job to teach the coders about the bond business and he hated it. One day, just before a presentation, Mike said wearily, “Jim, I really don’t believe it’s God’s will for me to be teaching Bonds 101 to a bunch of coders.” Not rea...

It is impossible to live in a fallen world populated with fallen people in yet unconverted flesh and not hurt others or be hurt by them, and as believers we can do one of two things in response–either isolate in our own self protective, “fantasy” kingdoms (withdrawing, avoiding honesty and vulnerability, being paralyzed with a fear of rejection, controlling with anger) or live ...

The couple stood in my office, discouraged and downcast. They were struggling in their relationship. They were new believers, newly married. The woman had a child from a previous relationship. They had very little money. They had conflicts. Communication problems. Very little income. They didn’t know how they were going to make it. They were frustrated at each other and had little hope. I wonder w...

The Super Bowl is the largest sports event and the most-watched program on U.S. TV every year. Not exactly news, I know, but what might shock you is that other large sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup are increasingly becoming magnets for sex trafficking and child prostitution. The 2010 Super Bowl saw an estimated 10,000 sex workers brought in to Miami, while t...

I did it again and again when our children resisted our instruction and correction. I did it again and again when they debated a command or questioned our plans. I did it again and again when they opposed our authority and quested for self-rule. I did it again and again for two good reasons. To begin with, my wife and I had brought children into this world who thought they didn’t need us! Each of ...

When people criticize the Bible, they often point to contradictions. “The Bible says this here, but says the opposite over here!” This proves, they say, that this cannot be God’s book, it’s no different from any other human book with the usual errors and mistakes. Usually it’s quite easy to show that these are only “seeming” contradictions. If we interpret God’s Word correctly, we will usually be ...

My daughter is precious beyond belief. An exploding barrel of gunpowder, rainbow sprinkles, unicorns, and sarcastic Barbie Dolls is probably the best description of her personality. She’s a caring and compassionate soul who melts my heart with a funny phrase or hint of a smile. And, I want her to become a confident woman who leads with her personality, glorifies God, and demands the right attentio...

This week marks the 42nd Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on January 22, 1973.  Since that time over 60 million babies have been aborted in the United States. That’s about 8 times the number of people who live in Indiana (my state) and over a sixth of the total current population in the United States. Abortion is a polarizing issue i...

On January 19 thousands of churches will observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Since 1973 this observance has taken place annually on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. Here are 20 sermons that may help you in your preaching and Bible teaching this week. The first few deal with abortion directly. The rest deal with some aspect of t...

I remember when I graduated from seminary my dad said, “You know, you’re still in school, it’s just a different kind of school than you’ve been in the last three years. Pay attention and learn your lessons well.” Dad was right; we’re all being schooled every day. So it’s appropriate to ask in the never ending learning center that’s human life, who is schoo...

One of my favorite childhood memories is watching the movie Star Wars in the theater in 1977. I (along with an entire nation) was awestruck. Nothing like that had ever been done before. We were all sucked into a new world of spaceships, light sabers, strange creatures, and distant galaxies. But of all the things that caught the attention of the average Star Wars viewer, no doub...