While a student at Dallas Seminary a good friend of mine and I went to an IHOP to study for a Hebrew exam. My friend seemed unusually anxious, tender and, admittedly, a bit awkward. At some point during the evening I finally asked him if he was okay. He looked around cautiously, then in a READ MORE
Homosexuality
Equipping Our Realm to Live Above & Beyond
At Bethel Church we are continuing a very important sermon series entitled “Living Above & Beyond.” The purpose of the whole series, and this season in which we find ourselves, is to equip followers of Jesus to live above and beyond material slavery, spiritual complancency, and small-minded eternal vision. We want God to meet us READ MORE
Judgmentalism, Sexuality and Sin
It is utterly fascinating to me that when sin is identified as the reality of someone’s life those who identify such are immediately castigated as judgmental, as if the very word “judgmental” should mitigate any conviction and invalidate the reasoning of whomever is doing the supposed judging. Of course, for the preacher concerned to communicate READ MORE
Dealing with Distortions: Sexuality and Settling for Less than God’s Best
Any discussion about sex and sexuality requires an honest evaluation of the distortions that rob us of God’s very best. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and following allow for such an evaluation. Consider the passage: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to READ MORE
Crazy Sex: Embracing God’s Best in a World Gone Crazy
As part of Bethel Church’s preparation for the upcoming sermon series entitled “Crazy Sex: Embracing God’s Best in a World Gone Crazy,” this letter has been sent out to the Bethel Church family. I thought it might be helpful for all of my blog readers as well. Dear Friend, “Sex” may well be the most READ MORE
Responding to Proposition 8’s Dismissal
I’ve been asked by local media to respond to the decision handed down on August 4, 2010, that overturns California’s Proposition 8. It is an unfortunate though not unexpected decision. Here are at least a few reasons: It is unfortunate because the court has chosen to disregard the will of millions of Californians who voiced READ MORE