Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – … Continue reading “Christian Love Ain’t Unconditional…it enforces healthy boundaries, too.”
Category: Reconciliation
A Recovering “Nice” Minnesotan
Hi, my name is David, and I am a recovering “nice” Minnesotan. “Nice” Minnesotans are notorious about not saying what we think or sharing how we feel directly. That does not mean it never comes out. It just usually comes out passive aggressively, dontcha know 😉 While I love how neighborly my fellow Minnesotans can be, this … Continue reading “A Recovering “Nice” Minnesotan”
Fickle Is Fully Fake Repentance
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” – … Continue reading “Fickle Is Fully Fake Repentance”
Despising God’s Gifts
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what … Continue reading “Despising God’s Gifts”
Abusing the Example of Hosea
When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” – Hosea 1:2, NIV Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that … Continue reading “Abusing the Example of Hosea”
If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, why then all the pressure to tolerate it in Christian marriages?
If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, “You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14 (repeated in Deuteronomy 5:18), ESV (Ten Commandments) “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” – Leviticus 20:10, ESV “If a … Continue reading “If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, why then all the pressure to tolerate it in Christian marriages?”
Beware of Bias
Since we cannot hold a perspective from nowhere and thereby be completely objective, we need to become aware of potential biases and perspectives in discerning counsel from various individuals. We all have a world view, which has been shaped by our experiences and cultures. Biases born from our worldview are neither good nor bad in … Continue reading “Beware of Bias”
But I Want To Stay Married!
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” -Job 1:20-21, NIV Shame … Continue reading “But I Want To Stay Married!”
Uriah Was Never Blamed
Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites…. Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan … Continue reading “Uriah Was Never Blamed”
No More Silence From the Pulpit On Adultery
If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. – Deuteronomy 22:22, NIV “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not … Continue reading “No More Silence From the Pulpit On Adultery”