This resolution speaks directly to being in a spiritual rut. Further, it points to our recurring need for revival of personal dedication and zeal. While reflecting on Edwards 42nd resolution, my own testimony came to mind. Something else that stands out about this...
I’ve gained a new understanding of personal discipleship with Christ over the last year or so. Maybe not so much new as it is better, deeper, or more refined. On a basic level, personal discipleship is simply learning to be more like Christ. A simple concept, yes, but...
We often speak of a heavenly reward. It’s usually said in relation to the phrase “you can’t take it with you.” The “it” in this case is all the stuff we acquire in life. Our homes, cars, clothes, gadgets, toys… even our money. This stuff is stuff we...
I don’t know how it goes in other countries, but the U.S. culture certainly has an interesting relationship with the concept of shame. On the one hand, it seems that nobody has any shame. In addition, people are constantly thrusting themselves into attention seeking...
Being different usually comes with a negative connotation. However, there are times where we must not just endure being different, we must embrace being different. In Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different, Michael Frost argues it’s the...
One of the worst fates is going through life and not ever knowing how to live. I mean genuinely knowing how to live fully with freedom to be you and pursue your purpose. The Audioslave song, Show Me How To Live is one that always gets me pondering that premise. Some...
Bad moods are inevitable. Some of us find our way into them more often than others, but it happens to us all. It may be caused by how we are feeling, events that happen, as a response to stress, or just because. Heck, I have been so moody, it seems like I am sometimes...
The inquiry into why we sin has to be one of the most asked questions of all time. And that is probably true of both believers and non-believers. Though the latter may not ask specifically why we sin, they probably wonder why we do bad things. Jonathan Edwards...
There often seems to be a lacking of personal accountability in our world. In fact, it seems like personal accountability is a dying skill, much like cursive and Latin. That’s why I love that Edwards built personal accountability into his 23rd resolution. And I...
My earliest memories of the concept of being charitable go back to probably first or second grade. I had attended mass with my mom. Afterwards, they handed out unassembled boxes to the churchgoers as they left. Mom explained to me that we were expected to go home,...
The hostile culture of the U.S. is pretty obvious to anyone who pays even a bit of attention. There are warring factions on multiple sides of virtually every topic. Unfortunately, one seemingly can no longer live in peace. That’s because choosing a side also means...
I am the biggest sinner. That’s not a title I wear with any sense of pride, however. I wear the title with shame and humility. But the bigger question, though, is why I am the biggest sinner? The answer to that is rooted in the study of Edwards’s resolution...