Soccer games. Groceries. Working 70 hours a week. Trying to exercise and keep our houses in order. Driving children to endless activities. These are the concerns and rhythms for many of us in suburbia. The glories that grab our hearts are healthy children who do well in school, careers that are satisfying, and, somehow, accomplishing […]
Dear Friend, You rightly recognize the audacious claims of Christians and others who assert they possession knowledge of ultimate reality and God. (It is a bold statement to claim such knowledge about God and reality.) You also rightly recognize that competing statements about God (Jesus is God and Jesus is not God for instance) cannot […]
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Preaching Daniel
Our church in Naperville (Cross of Christ Fellowship) is going through the book of Daniel together on Sunday mornings. And as I write this post we have made it through the first five chapters so far. This Sunday a friend of mine is coming to preach chapter 6 and then we’ll be in a new […]
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Only God Can Judge Me
Sometimes I hear people say, “Only God can judge me.” What are we, who are Christians, to make of such a statement? The statement often occurs in the context of opposing self-righteous judgementalism. When we hear someone say, ‘Only God can judge me,’ we are meant to infer that ‘since only God can judge […]
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What is Beauty?
This Saturday our meetup discussion group is discussing BEAUTY together. I’ve enjoyed preparing for this discussion and thinking about it a bit. Here’s some of the questions we’ll be thinking through together: 1. When we say a thing is beautiful, what do we mean?2. What makes a thing beautiful and a thing ugly?3. Is beauty […]
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Preaching Daniel 4
Working away at our sermon series on book of Daniel at our church in Naperville, Cross of Christ Fellowship. Here’s some notes from my Daniel 4 sermon prep: Main idea: God is the true KING “Most High rules over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever he wills” (17, 26, 32). This would […]
My atheist friends often speak with pride about how they have chosen the way of science and reason and have rejected religious superstitions and myths. Theirs is the way void of religious mysticism, unlike Christians or those who believe in God. We’re often given the impression that the way of atheism is the way free […]
If atheism is true, it is impossible to waste one’s life. You can live for hedonism or altruism, but neither way is more wasteful or virtuous in the grand scheme of the universe. You can try to save the planet or destroy it, but neither is a more wasteful or virtuous way of living now. […]
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Two Contrasting Powers
Some thoughts from sermon prep on Daniel 3. TWO CONTRASTING POWERS Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king in the world, but he used his power for selfish, vain, and evil purposes, especially in trying force people into sinful worship of an idol. He was powerful, but limited in his power—his power could not thwart God […]
Without God, is it possible to have a non-arbitrary purpose to human existence? Here’s some thoughts on the topic: Sometimes I hear the following sentiment from friends who embrace a naturalistic worldview (the worldview that says we live in a universe void of God and the supernatural and that the universe and human race are […]
