Monthly Archives: January 2011

Emotions and Attitudes: Depression

Many of us are effective at ignoring the warning signs of our emotions and attitudes when we should be paying attention to these God-given alerts that something is amiss deep down. Often, if we will look with God’s help, we will see something connected to the emotion or attitude that needs to be confessed, repentedContinue reading “Emotions and Attitudes: Depression”

Emotions and Attitudes: Boredom

I’ve blogged this week about emotions and attitudes and how they are warning signs to us that there is something buried deep within us of which we need to repent. I wrote about Anger and Anxiety on Tuesday and yesterday’s blog on Pride received some interesting comments particularly on Facebook. Today I want to blogContinue reading “Emotions and Attitudes: Boredom”

Emotions and Attitudes: Pride

Pride is the excessive belief in one’s own abilities which interferes with our ability to see our need for and thus experience the grace of God. Our hearts creep into pride when we estimate a high or inordinate opinion of our own dignity, importance, merit or superiority. It comes with a self-imagined importance that inContinue reading “Emotions and Attitudes: Pride”

Emotions and Attitudes: Anxiety & Anger

In the past I ignored the warning lights on the dashboard of my car when I should have been checking under the hood to see what was wrong. Sometimes we ignore our emotions and heart attitudes when we should treat them as warning lights that something deep down inside of us is wrong. So whatContinue reading “Emotions and Attitudes: Anxiety & Anger”

Emotions as Warning Signs – Part I

Most Christians won’t be surprised to hear that our hearts are not inclined to easily and naturally trust in God. In recent years, I have been much more aware of the anti-faith protective posture of my heart which leads me away from trusting in God but instead relying on my own independent resources. When IContinue reading “Emotions as Warning Signs – Part I”

A life that welcomes sinners is a calling to an openness and comfort around sinners like a doctor has around sick people

When you get really sick, besides your mother, who comes to mind? … The Doctor! Doctors are identified with sick people and no one chooses a Doctor who is visibly uncomfortable around sick people. I was a pre-Med. major for about six months in college until I realized that the sight of blood made meContinue reading “A life that welcomes sinners is a calling to an openness and comfort around sinners like a doctor has around sick people”

A life that welcomes sinners will be criticized by the self-righteous establishment

Do you love a good controversy? Well, Jesus was the instigator of several controversies during his 3 years of ministry on the earth including the strong disagreement over the people with whom he chose to eat. The Religiously Serious leaders of the day (the people  who you may have expected to be closer to JesusContinue reading “A life that welcomes sinners will be criticized by the self-righteous establishment”

A life that welcomes sinners overflows into the desire to invite your non-religious friends to party with Jesus

Last night I asked a large group of friends to describe the best party they had ever attended. Eyes lit up as men told stories of great wedding receptions and even a yacht party on the open sea that lasted five days with all expenses paid. Well surprisingly, the best party Jesus ever attended onContinue reading “A life that welcomes sinners overflows into the desire to invite your non-religious friends to party with Jesus”

A life that welcomes sinners begins with an experience of Christ’s undeserved love & generosity

Often we encounter Jesus in the gospels walking around in “secular space” associating with people of questionable character. One day he went out and met a tax collector named Matthew or Levi (likely his original Hebrew name) sitting at the tax booth, a place infamously known for plundering and unjust transactions. Because Roman Tax CollectorsContinue reading “A life that welcomes sinners begins with an experience of Christ’s undeserved love & generosity”