Book of Wishes: The reason we long for more
It arrived every November, wrapped in cellophane, its pages filled with new possibilities. On the cover, a dreamy holiday image, pulling your heart into the season and beckoning you to indulge in hours of wish making. It’s hard to overestimate the sheer joy the Sears Wish Book brought to my young heart. Before Amazon and […]
Sanctity of Life Sunday Resources
This Sunday, January 15th, many churches around the country are acknowledging Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Some churches are doing this the following week on January 22nd. This is a good time for the people of God to stand up for the unique dignity of human life, from conception to natural death. If you are […]
Do You Really Believe This? On Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Unbelievable
It is during this season, the glorious Christmas season, that my wife watches her favorite channel the most. Unfortunately for me, that channel is not one of the ESPN family of networks, but the Hallmark Channel. I’m generally a fan of Hallmark’s usually wholesome television programming, stuff you can actually watch with your nine-year-old in […]
My New Project on Human Dignity
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just signed a contract for my next book project. I’m pleased to be working with The Good Book Company on a book on human dignity. I’m deeply grateful for my agent, Erik Wolgemuth and for The Good Book Company for believing in this idea. I’ve been impressed with TGBC, […]
Evangelism After the Bible Belt: Why Sharing Christ is Both Easier and Harder in a Post-Christian culture
Evangelism is the one topic that is guaranteed to get the most amens in church and yet produces the most fear and guilt in those of us called to share the good news of the gospel. And today, in an increasingly post-Christian culture, the job of fulfilling the Great Commission seems more impossible than it […]
A modest, post-election goal for everyone
We just finished perhaps the most divisive election in modern history. The good news is that the election is over and we are experiencing what few countries experience: a peaceful transfer of power. It was good to see the President and President-elect meet and discuss the transition. But there is stil much division in the […]
Five Great Reads on Theo Epstein
If you haven’t heard, the Cubs just won the World Series. No really, they did. The pathway from a team mired in mediocrity to a first-class operation began with the brilliant hire, by new owner Tom Ricketts, of Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations. When Ricketts made this move in 2011, I knew the Cubs […]
Hannah’s Prayer for 2016
She was an otherwise unknown Middle-Eastern woman. Because of her inability to bear children, her husband took a second wife, who bore him several children. She was publicly shamed for her infertility. Hannah had few resources, no agency, diminished status. She lived in a time of great distress for God’s people. The end of the book of […]
Shaping a Whole Life, Pro Life Ethic
Earlier this year I had the chance to host a panel at the Evangelicals for Life Conference in Washington, D.C hosted by ERLC and Focus on the Family. My guests were Trillia Newbell, Ron Sider, Karen Swallow Prior, Emily Colsen, and John Stonestreet.
20 Things I’ve Learned in the 20 Years Since Graduation
In June of 1996, I walked down the aisle, with thirteen others, at Quentin Road Christian School in Lake Zurich, Illinois and received my high school diploma. I distinctly remember the mixture of anticipation and hope I felt that day. Twenty years later, I look back with amazement. First, it’s hard to believe it has […]
Friday Flashback: My Prayer Before the Illinois State House
Three years ago, I was graciously invited to deliver the opening prayer before the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield, IL. This was my prayer: Prayer of Convocation Illinois General Assembly Monday, May 20th, 2013 2:00 PM Dear Heavenly Father. We offer our humble gratitude for the gift of freedom as Americans, forged over 200 years […]
Everyone Is a Culture Warrior. Some Admit it.
My friend and colleague, Samuel James, has a brilliant piece (you should read the whole thing) on why the culture wars are inescapable: The idea that conservative Americans can escape the “wrong side of history” if only they will shut up and be kind is an idea based on a myth: The myth that progressivism […]