In the fabric of Christian virtues one thread stands out distinctly and weaves through the core of our faith: thankfulness. It sets us apart and reminds us that everything we have and all that we are is a gift. As Christians, our duty and joy are not only to receive these gifts with gratitude but also to embrace this call wholeheartedly. Thankfulness, profound and essential, is at the heart of our faith, shaping our outlook and infusing our lives with meaning and purpose.

Counseling is a loaded term. Depending on your experiences, the term can feel cold and clinical, like something that reminds you of a bad visit to the dentist. Perhaps you’re familiar with this statement: “Certainly, counseling can be good for some people. But I would never have any use for it.”

Let’s not pretend it isn’t a problem. It always has been. The carnage that evil creates is all around us. And its endless media presence has lulled us into accepting a new norm. We are only jolted awake when an outdated version of evil is replaced with fresh depictions of a new travesty.

I'm actually not an expert on dying inasmuch as I'm still mostly alive. Moreover, the number of people interested in the musings of a 37-year-old on death could fit in a thimble. In one of my first hospital visits as a pastor, I was pulled aside by a family member and asked if there were any older pastors available. So, understand that I'm writing today not as someone well-versed in death or even (hopefully) close to having to wrestle with my own mortality.

When Charles Eliot, then President of Harvard University, was deciding how we would dedicate the Emerson Building of Philosophy at Harvard, he needed a suitable inscription to put over the main entrance. One of the other professors suggested a quote from the Greek philosopher Protagoras, “Man is the measure of all things.”

Some years ago, I was rushing through a grocery store on my way home from work, hoping to be in and out as quickly as possible. As I darted into an aisle, I noticed a small boy completely engrossed in a toy he had in his hand, and he was alone. I looked around, but his parent was nowhere to be seen. I knew that as soon as he became aware of that reality, his peaceful mood would change drastically.

There are many truisms in life that have been handed down from one generation to another. To name a few: “Don’t run with scissors,” “Back up your hard drive,” and my favorite, “It takes two to tango.” In life, interpersonal conflict happens when two people at odds with one another are combative and seek only to fulfill their unmet ruling desires (James 4:1-5).

It seems to me that people have lost hope these days. This loss has not happened overnight but over time. The things that promise human flourishing have become shallow expressions of their presented self. No one wakes up and desires to be hopeless. But, when seemingly insurmountable challenges blockade the end road of their hope, the energy and desire to hope again become less and less attractive. The hope that comes through government, physical health, ethnic unity, and economic security has been challenged and, in some cases, destroyed. The only logical conclusion is to rely upon the self to provide the things promised by the object of hope.

As a freshman in college, I remember sitting in History of American Music, a remedial survey class, surrounded by fellow aspiring music majors chatting and getting to know one another as we anticipated the bell to initiate our first session. As class began and without warning, the instructor entered, hushed us, fired up the speakers, and turned down the lights. After a moment of scratchy static, we were immersed in the metallic sliding and plucking of an acoustic guitar accompanying the melancholy vocals of Robert Johnson. With the remaining time, we explored the ins and outs of the musical genre we came to know as the blues.

In recent years, a new vision of human flourishing has entered the church: self-care. “Self-care” is now one of the most common terms used to discuss personal and spiritual health, and it means different things to different people. It can be used to reference basic needs like sleep and exercise, or bingeing a new show, or prayer retreats in the woods.

My retirement fund would be in excellent shape if I had a nickel every time I heard encouragements like: “Listen to your heart! Trust your gut! Follow your moral compass!” Whether it is in your kids’ soccer games or in your job’s staff development training, much motivational talk involves encouraging the hesitant and reluctant to trust their instincts and personal judgment. We are naturally persuaded to believe every human being possesses all the necessary tools to navigate life’s choices and challenges.

Though following the commands of the Lord can be circumstantially challenging, they are given for our benefit so that we might humble ourselves, remember what is truly important in life, and trust the Lord rather than our own wayward hearts.

If you know me at all, it’s no secret I love to eat. I’m not a foodie in a true sense; I’ll eat Taco Bell with as much (more?) gusto as good sushi. But for some people, food is just fuel. Others of us think about dinner at breakfast and have never successfully made it past a box of donuts without partaking.

Too often, discipleship is explained as an over-complicated and programmatic process. However, a biblical perspective of the way Jesus did discipleship reveals a simple plan.

The title of the article is meant to be provocative. It seems true, but it feels wrong to admit it. Should not zeal for truth always lead to holy outcomes? After all, it's truth, a significant part of the Christian faith's foundation. But the sinfulness of sin affects even the highest of Christian virtues.

It’s beyond a truism that wars around culture have infiltrated so much of daily life, both in and outside of the church. While bigger than mere politics, culture wars often fall along political lines. Yet, increasingly, fault lines within political ideology reveal that no one group has the corner on the market of truth and goodness.

Caring for the elderly is not only a command from God, but is beneficial to us and distinctly embodies the kind of practical expression of love that God's people should be known for.

Good Friday gives us the opportunity to reflect upon the effectual work of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. It is always a sobering evening as we consider the weight of sin and the suffering that provided the only pathway for reconciliation with a holy God.