Fight Fire with Water, not Fire. Be a Cooler, not a Fueler.

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Fight Fire with Water, not Fire. Be a Cooler, not a Fueler.

I know the familiar phrase, “fight fire with fire" can be taken a few different ways, so let me take a few paragraphs to set the stage…

I’ve always heard that phrase and thought it was a fairly good thing, implying that we should never back down and always stand our ground. Until, that is, when I heard Kayleigh McEnany reference it in the keynote speech she gave at a fundraising event for the Pennsylvania Family Institute. She closed her address with a spin on the popular saying, a spin that was spun by one of her political mentors. His advice to Kayleigh, for some rather hot, heated, and fiery debates she’ll likely find herself in, was simply:

“Fight fire with water, not fire.”

And as she passed that piece of advice on to her audience, it resonated deeply with me. And here’s what I mean…

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The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make

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The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make

I heard a song yesterday (one of my favorites actually), but yesterday when I listened, it literally did what the lyrics describe — It took me back to the time I met Jesus, not the time I said a prayer or was baptized, but the time I truly understood and experienced His love, grace, and forgiveness in my own life. It was a time when the complexities of Christianity became, for me, a simple reality through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God is no longer distant to me, He’s near to me through the person of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. He saved me, redeemed me, and set me free from the bondage and burden of sin.

In this world, there are a lot of decisions vying for our immediate attention, but yesterday as God took me back through this song to the most important decision I’ve ever made, He nudged me to simply share about it with you, too. So, I’m inviting you to simply push pause in your day, stop scrolling, and give me just a few minutes to tell you about this life changing decision that requires your undivided attention.

And the song that prompted it all and literally took me back — “Take Me Back” by Meredith Andrews.

The lyrics are simple, but their meaning is quite profound, and it stirred up something my cynical and sarcastic heart needed to feel. This heavy and hurting world has a way of making us all a little callous and cold — numb and maybe even naive to the false narratives it’s insisting we believe. Sarcasm and cynicism are my go to coping mechanisms, but unfortunately they have no power against the real enemy.

Only Jesus, the son of God, sent to save us. He alone holds the authority to rescue us from the enemy. He has our back. He can’t wait to take us back.

Take me back to the day I met You

When my dead heart came alive

I was running but You came chasing

You couldn’t wait to take me back

God longs to “take me back.” He longs to “take you back,” too.

You see, we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We literally, because of our sin, are separated from Him...spiritually dead. And as long as we go our own way, do our own thing, live by our own worldly standards, we stay separated from God.

But...

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” ~ 2 Peter 3:9

A price had to be paid. A way had to be made.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 6:23

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” ~ John 14:6

His great love was manifested in His amazing grace.

As I reached the chorus of the song, the tears started to flow a little more freely as I was reminded of my freedom in Christ made possible by the power of Gospel...

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Wheat is Wheat. A Grain by Any Other Name Just isn't the Right Thing. Be the Wheat.

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Wheat is Wheat. A Grain by Any Other Name Just isn't the Right Thing. Be the Wheat.

Wheat is wheat. A grain by any other name just isn’t the right thing. Be the wheat.

There are a lot of different names for a lot of different things these days. Understanding Biblical Truth through the lens of a Biblical Worldview demands that we define our terms, name our nuances, and think critically within the context of the conversation.

We don’t have time to mince words. It’s time to submit to God’s Word, and in order to obey it, we must seek to understand it.

Did you know that true believers are compared to wheat in the Bible? And in every reference and translation, the word is “wheat.” However, there are several “imposters of wheat” or “competitors of wheat” called out in the Word as well, primarily in the book of Matthew.

In Matthew 3, when John the Baptist was preaching repentance and testifying of the fruit that would be produced after true repentance, he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees:

“‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’” ~ Matthew 3:7-12 ESV

And again in Matthew 13, teaching through a parable, Jesus said,

“‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”~ Matthew 13:24-30 ESV

(In the KJV, weeds are referred to as tares.)

Chaff, by definition, is the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing. It is likened to trash or worthless things.

Weeds are “wild plants growing where they are not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.”

And tares were known as “injurious weeds resembling wheat when young.”

Chaff, weeds, or tares. Call them what you want, none of them are wheat. None of them are substantive or useful. They are worthless substitutes that cause harm and are cause for alarm.

And it’s high time, we recognize the danger of being deceived by imposters.

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From Contradictory to Complementary. The Beauty of Harmony.

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From Contradictory to Complementary. The Beauty of Harmony.

I’m a little more graced based. His convictions are rooted in truth. I’m a feeler and follow my heart. He wants the facts so he can lead with his head.

Truth and Grace. Facts and Feelings. Head and Heart.

Seemingly opposite, but beautifully blended by the love that binds us, not blinds us.

"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." ~ Colossians 3:14 ESV

Notice the word used in this translation: "harmony," not necessarily “unity” (although “unity” is used in some translations, the original greek word in the text is “sundeo” which means “to bind together” — to make complete or perfect, but not to make equal or the same). Harmony in music is multi-tonal, richer and fuller, whereas unity or unison, while still beautiful on its own, is monotone, a rather lonely tone, lacking dimension and depth.

{I could go into much more detail about how disparity is not a rarity because our humanity disrupts our unity, and I do actually in this blog post by the same title.}

Steve and I are well aware of our differences, and yet those differences are often the very thing that pulls us together, draws us closer, and allows us to learn, grow, and become richer and fuller, more complete as we complement each other, strengthening not only our marriage, but our faith, too.

We love each other better, because God loved us first and best. As Lent leads us closer to the cross, let's focus on that fact and the feelings surrounding it. Jesus, the son of God, gave His life for us, and in so doing, married seemingly different theological truths to add power and purpose to the trustworthy Good News!

Old Testament law. New Testament grace. The law fulfilled by grace, not replaced by grace. Fulfilled. Made richer and fuller. It took Jesus, fully God and fully man, to give us full access to God’s Amazing Grace. Sin separated. Sacrifice emancipated. The ultimate sacrifice that did not end in death but made a way for forgiveness. Forgiveness that forged new life, a richer and fuller life, earthly abundant now and heavenly eternal forever.

How do opposites like Steve and me find a way to love so beautifully? God's Love. Plain and simple. And yet extremely intricate and complex. Minds can’t always comprehend it, but hearts will always connect to it and through it.

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Conversations > Cancellations

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Conversations > Cancellations

We must have conversations about objective truth because they are so much greater and far more effective than cancellations over subjective truth.

TRUTH, God’s Truth, to a believer of that truth, is verifiable, undeniable, indisputable, non-negotiable, actual, factual TRUTH.

It is objective, not subjective. The object of that truth is Jesus Christ Himself, and that truth is not subject to change based on opinions or feelings. If the Gospel is not objective truth to the believer, then what’s the point in believing it? Its veracity gives it authority, and its authority commands our bravery — bravery to have the hard conversation and not succumb to cancellation.

Now more than ever, our conversations about truth have been sabotaged by our dissenting definitions of truth. In order for truth to be defendable, it must be objective, based on facts and logic, free of individual subjectivity or relativism.

Obviously, I’m approaching this conversation from a Biblical Worldview, with the Bible, the very Word of God, being the ultimate authority on truth when viewing the world and all that is going on in it. I have wrestled with and reconciled this for myself, as I have trusted Jesus Christ, the son of God, as my Lord and Savior.

As a child of God, my highest calling is to know Him and make Him known, and I believe all who have trusted Him, all Christians, should view the world with that same objective, authoritative Biblical Truth as their lens lest we get confused and cower to the ways of this world that are contrary, crafty, and cunning — so much so they threaten to lead us further and further away from that objective truth that urges us to stay.

Whether you’re a great theologian or a great big skeptic, one of the world’s smartest academics or struggle to make sense of common logic, whether you are a conspiracy theorist, right or left wing activist, a BLM supporter or CRT purporter, whether you are an MD with a PhD or you have no degree and would rather agree to disagree, if you have placed your trust and hope in Christ, you have been called to stand up for Truth. Standing up for Biblical Truth requires releasing “lesser truths” that are subject to change and receiving “the only truth” that leads to life change.

We all want to know what’s right and what’s wrong, and guess what? The Bible has defined that all along. And if we claim to believe it, we must show we believe it, by the way we receive it, apply it and no longer deny it in our conversations about truth.

We’re all called to be apologists — not to apologize for our faith, but to defend our faith, and all the more against the opposition we face.

We must practice standing up and speaking up or our default will be to sit down and shut up. It’s like playing an instrument or sport, the more your practice it, the better you’ll get at it. Start in safe spaces, but have the conversations. They will become more challenging, but you’ll be better equipped to have them the less you shy away from them.

In an age of silencing and censoring dissenting views, our voices must be louder and stronger when speaking the truth.

We must have conversations about objective truth because they are so much greater and far more effective than cancellations over subjective truth.

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Chew the Meat, Spit Out the Bones. Sound Advice or a Dangerous Lie?

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Chew the Meat, Spit Out the Bones. Sound Advice or a Dangerous Lie?

You may be able to chew the meat and spit out the bones, but you can’t chew the meat and spit out the poison.

Maybe you’ve heard part or all of this clever expression, and while it may be quite clever, it’s also rather concerning.

I‘ve actually heard it quoted a couple times recently, once during a conversation between Allie Beth Stuckey and Dr. Neil Shenvi, and Dr. Shenvi’s addition of the poison component resonated so very deeply in my troubled heart.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the seeming innocence of the first part of this expression in juxtaposition to the dangerous toxicity of the latter half.

In light of the many false narratives circulating among our culture and the false gospels creeping into our churches, I’m feeling an urge to call it out — not to stir the pot, but to stir your heart.

What “gospel” are you reading? And who are you believing? Are you listening and learning out of guilt? Are you being convinced your very moral foundation must be rebuilt?

There are a lot of new ideologies floating around out there, with seemingly innocent and somewhat good messages, but the truth of the matter is, there is only one truth that matters — the Gospel Truth.

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In a Year of Curve Balls, Free Falls, and Duty Calls, We need to Align with the True Plumb Line

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In a Year of Curve Balls, Free Falls, and Duty Calls, We need to Align with the True Plumb Line

Oh 2020, you’ve been full of curve balls, free falls, and duty calls.

Curve balls that have consisted of cancelations, closures, and the craziness covid invited into our daily lives.

Free falls that have felt a bit out of control and left us not knowing how to pull the cord, when to open the chute, or where we should land.

Duty calls. We’ve voted so our voice could be heard. We’ve prayed so His voice would be the final word.

We’ve questioned our sanity. But even that doesn’t change reality. 2 + 2 = 4. Always and forever. When things in our world aren’t quite adding up, it’s time to get back to the basics (because it’s highly probable someone’s been skewing the equations)...

Gospel Truth through the lens of a Biblical Worldview. He died once. For all. Sin divides us. Jesus unites us.

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Just because the woke have spoke doesn’t mean we have to obey everything they say.

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Just because the woke have spoke doesn’t mean we have to obey everything they say.

Since when has a social movement based on a new ideology been more enlightened or had more to offer than a Biblical way of life based on timeless truths?

The Bible. The very Word of God — breathed by Him, penned by men, given to us as promises to trust.

It’s foundational.

It’s relational.

It’s alive and active.

It will shake us and wake us until it completely remakes us.

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