Some years ago, our dog, Gem, needed surgery for a tumor in her throat that was beginning to restrict her breathing. But after a careful pre-op examination, the vet called to say Gem’s chances of recovery were not good.

“I gave you the candlesticks too … Why did you not carry them away with your forks and spoons?” So goes the line that transforms prisoner 24601 into a man of compassion: Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.

My family and I have been reading through the book of Ephesians after dinner one verse at a time. It is remarkable how often we can have a rich 30-minute conversation on one verse. The depth of God's Word!

Proverbs 31 is a classic biblical text on being an amazing wife. “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels” (v. 10). On reading this passage again this week, though, it struck me how motherhood isn’t the main focus in this idealized description of a godly wife.

I love the mountains. I love hiking, trail running, mountain biking, skiing, backpacking. I feel a deep sense of happiness out in the wilderness of the PNW. The mountains sing of God’s grandeur and the quiet of solitude is a comfort to my soul.

Here’s a list for you: four things I have found, over the years, to be common among immature Christians. These serve as good reminders for all of us, regardless of our level of maturity.

During the course of COVID, one of the most complicated ethical questions the church has faced is, “How should we love our neighbors?”

Dying Christian traditions have built increasingly complex doctrines of the worth and ethical treatment of humankind, while neglecting doctrines of the majesty and holiness of God. In other words, “...they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (Romans 1:25).