Our family was sitting down to dinner when the walls rumbled. Assuming it was just an unusual surge of electricity preceding one of Lebanon’s frequent power outages, we readied to say our prayers. And then came the boom, and the whole house shook. “An earthquake?” I wondered, as we rushed our four children, ages 7Continue reading “How Do You Explain Beirut Explosion to Your Children”
Author Archives: Intentional Faith
Sometimes Love Your Enemy Means Love Your Spouse
One of the most difficult and most counter-cultural things Jesus calls us to do is to love our enemies—to do unto others as we could have them do to us (Luke 6:31). We are to treat others in the way we would wish to be treated, for the mark of true love is that itContinue reading “Sometimes Love Your Enemy Means Love Your Spouse”
Do We Need Extrabiblical Texts to Understand the Bible?
I’m not sure, but it may be that the assumption of this question is that there is some key to answering the question from outside the book of Hebrews in the first-century milieu. I’m not sure, but that’s often the case, so let me just say a word about that assumption. I want to sayContinue reading “Do We Need Extrabiblical Texts to Understand the Bible?”
Professors Concede their ‘Gender Affirming’ Study Showed No Benefit
Two professors who published a paper last year on the mental health benefits of ‘gender-affirming’ surgeries have revised their original findings. The population study, published last October in the American Journal of Psychiatry, was conducted by John Pachankis, associate professor at Yale School of Public Health, and Richard Bränström, associate professor at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. They analysedContinue reading “Professors Concede their ‘Gender Affirming’ Study Showed No Benefit”
Long-term Relationships Are No Longer the Norm but They Should Be
Recently I discussed my forty plus years of marriage with a young person. He said he couldn’t imagine being with one person for that length of time. It caused me to think about the impact that television and the media is having on young people. No longer are long-term relationships modelled as the norm. Instead,Continue reading “Long-term Relationships Are No Longer the Norm but They Should Be”
Brave Words with a Broken Heart
Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth grows hard if it is not softened by love. —John Stott John Piper has tried to capture this reality with the term “brokenhearted boldness.” The word boldness is self-evident, connoting truth and confidence and courage and strength. The word brokenhearted isContinue reading “Brave Words with a Broken Heart”
The Future of Christianity Is Africa
Stories published in the sober British medical journal The Lancet don’t normally inspire sensational headlines. But one recent piece on current and future trends in global fertility has called forth some stunned and stunning reactions. The article describes what the BBC terms a ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Global Crash in Children Being Born, as most areas of theContinue reading “The Future of Christianity Is Africa”
We Will Get Through This
During this pandemic, quarantine, and sheltering at-home orders, I’ve found myself drawn to Bible stories of liberation and freedom from captivity. We were created to be free—not isolated, alienated, held in captivity, or exiled indefinitely. Even so, such things happen, and it happened to the people of God during a period of 70 years weContinue reading “We Will Get Through This”
Don’t Let COVID19 Turn You Into a Social Media Addict
With America on lockdown, many of us are spending more time with our phones and social media feeds than is normal or healthy. This piece, originally published in 2017, has some advice on how to curb the need for validation, information and entertainment Have you ever noticed that your greatest need can produce your greatestContinue reading “Don’t Let COVID19 Turn You Into a Social Media Addict”
Tips to Discuss Politics, Race, Religion and Other Controversial Topics
Who has not been exposed to or may be even involved in discussions of controversial topics these days? It seems that talk of politics, race, religion, and a whole host of other controversial topics are swirling around us everywhere we go. Some topics we can ignore and avoid, and others we get sucked into. SomeContinue reading “Tips to Discuss Politics, Race, Religion and Other Controversial Topics”
