Marriage Message

Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at Bethel on the topic of marriage. You can listen to the sermon here.

Valentine's Day

Here's an interesting post by Mark Driscoll regarding the origination of Valentine's Day.

Where are the young men?

Al Mohler asks one of the most pressing questions of our day.

Tebow Video

Here's a video from Focus on the Family telling why they chose life for their son.

Pursuing Holiness

This past Saturday I had the privilege of speaking at a seminar hosted by thechristianleader.org. My topic for the day was Pursuing Holiness: The First Priority of Every Christian Leader. Here's the outline from my talk:

Why is holiness the first priority of every Christian leader?

1. Holiness is the first priority of every Christian (Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Colossians 1:15-18).

2. Holiness builds trust within your followers.

3. God blesses obedience (Matthew 6:31-33).

In what areas do leaders struggle with a lack of personal holiness?

1. Integrity (Ephesians 4:22-25)

2. Purity (Ephesians 5:3)

3. Humility (Mark 10:32-45)

How do we grow in holiness as leaders?

1. Remember that God is always with you.

2. Focus on your heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

3. Practice Gospel-centered leadership.

It's Not Just a Guy Problem

I have posted quite a bit about the struggles men have with pornography; however, the reality is that it's just not a guy problem. We increasingly see this as a struggle for women as well. Perhaps this article will help.

The Other Side of Betrayal

Let me say first of all that I would never recommend that anyone betray another person in any way.

Yet I’ve seen how God often uses what Satan meant for harm, a betrayal, to make a relationship better on the other side.

For example, I can’t count the number of times I’ve counseled a couple through an affair. Although many times this will cause an unstable marriage to break down, often times the opposite is true. When both people are truly seeking Christ, the power of forgiveness and healing overcomes the power of the evil one.

Amy and I watched as a betrayed wife accepted her wayward husband back. Through tears she told him she was choosing to forgive him as freely as Christ had forgiven her.

Stunned, he returned a bold promise that he’d devote the rest of his life to serving Christ and serving her. So far he’s delivered on his promise. Their marriage is better today than it ever has been.

If you’ve been hurt by someone or by a church, maybe your relationship—with God’s help—can be even better on the other side. -- Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv on the blog Swerve.

Super Bowl Ad Isn't Intolerant; Its Critics Are

Here is an interesting (and refreshing!) take on the Tim Tebow controversy from pro-choice columnist Sally Jenkins.

How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain

I haven't read this yet, but this book by William Struthers looks to be very interesting, and hopefully very helpful as well. You can read Al Mohler's overview of the book here.

Four Costs of Becoming a Christian

JC Ryle shares four things that a person must be willing to give up in order to become a Christian.