The church of Christ on McDermott Road

Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, there has been tension, conflict, and struggle within marriage. Sometimes we try to domineer, grabbing the steering wheel of leadership. Other times, we abdicate our leadership responsibilities, leaving no one at the wheel. Unfortunately, cultural gender stereotypes only make the matter worse. What role does God really expect us to […]

There are two biological sexes, male and female. However, some individuals experience incongruity between their biological sex and their internal sense of gender. In other words, they report feeling they are trapped in the wrong body. In our culture, it has become widely accepted that a person’s internal sense, their psychology, should take precedent over their biology. However, this modern ideolo...

Stopping to get directions can be difficult and embarrassing, because it requires us to admit we need help and we don’t know everything. But God never intended for mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children to travel this road alone. Generations must be learning from,  mentoring, encouraging, and teaching one another. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for advice, it might […]

Same sex attraction and same sex behavior are nothing new, this was fairly common even in the ancient world. However, what is new is the idea of “sexual orientation” and an identity built around sexual orientation. In our overly-sexualized world, the Gospel not only offers an alternative standard for sexual behavior, but also freedom from the idea that we must […]

Though kids are the ones who typically ask, “Are We There Yet?” even adults get tired, impatient, and exasperated. Sometimes we grow tired because we are pursuing too many goals, we are trying to be and do too much. Paul’s words to the Thessalonians can help us simplify our lives, focus on what matters, and experience peace. (Scripture 1 […]

Mission Sunday Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

Paul said, “Be angry and do not sin” but this shouldn’t be seen as justification for all of our anger. In fact, in the same passage, he has a lot more to say about anger. He tells Christians to put away all of our angry words. When we put on the new self in Christ, we have […]

Nearly everyone has been affected, in one way or another, by divorce. It can be devastating not only for the couple who divorces, but also for their children, parents, and others. Jesus sheds light on why divorce is so tragic and why marriage was always intended by God to be a life-long arrangement. There are […]

Continuing to describe the “new self,” Paul teaches us that we should not let any “corrupting talk” come out of our mouths. What is corrupting talk? Do you ever reflect on whether or not you are speaking words of corruption? By contrast, Paul says every word we speak should be “good for building up” and “give grace to […]

The Christian view of marriage was unique in the ancient world. It challenged many of the preconceived ideas and practices in that culture. Today, it remains a unique view and continues to challenge preconceived ideas and practices. Christian marriage is not simply a way to pursue personal happiness and fulfillment, but is a sacred way […]

Paul says that that the “new self” is marked by putting away falsehood and speaking truth. He says the reason for choosing to speak truth is that, “we are members one of another.” Living the new life means reflecting on how we are connected to other people. It also means reflecting on how our words affect the people […]

Both Jesus and Paul were single men and both made a compelling case for why others might also choose to remain single for the sake of the kingdom. Unmarried Christians are uniquely qualified to focus on a wide-range of relationships and ministries, as well as testify against  our generation’s idolatry of romance and sex.

On the Sunday afternoon that Jesus was raised from the dead, he spent quite a lot of time with two disciples (about whom we know almost nothing). These disciples were sad, confused, and unaware of Jesus’ true identity. He walked and talked with them. He reasoned from the Scriptures about the resurrection of the Messiah. Their hearts […]

Scripture gives us a high view of sex. God created sex. Sex is good, but it is not a god. When we make sex a god, as our culture has done, we become enslaved by this idolatry. On the other hand, when we appreciate sex as one aspect of God’s good creation, it can be an avenue through which […]

One of the most important areas of reflection is our own mortality. Unfortunately, this area of reflection is largely discouraged and frowned upon in our culture. Discussion of death is considered morbid. So, we tend to push death as far away from ourselves as possible. However, the book of Ecclesiastes tells that attending funerals and thinking soberly about death […]

As Jesus was ministering to a whole crowd of people, he was interrupted by a religious leader who had a very sick daughter. Jesus welcomed this interruption and accompanied the man to his home. As he was on his way, Jesus was again interrupted by a woman who was also very sick. Once again, Jesus welcomed the interruption. […]

How we perceive ourselves and how we believe we should express ourselves is often at the heart of various understandings about sexuality. As Christians, what is our identity? Are we being inauthentic or hypocritical if our outward behavior conflicts with our feelings and desires?

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day thought that he violated and dishonored the Sabbath. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus had an even higher regard for the Sabbath than the Pharisees. Jesus understood and truly honored the Sabbath, because he is lord of the Sabbath. He understood that the Sabbath was FOR man. It was a […]

It is hard to understand biblical sexuality without understanding what Scripture teaches about the human body, soul, and spirit. Scripture does not teach that the human body is an encumbrance or something separate from our true self. Scripture teaches that our body is good and that we are our body.

How often do we rush past people on the street, at work, at school, in the hallways of the church building, or even in our own homes, and not really see them? Our “to do” list is always spurring us on to the next task. And when we do have a moment of free time, we […]

God’s love is true love. Our passions, desires, and loves become disordered when we attempt to love apart from God. In order to love truly, we must first know the love of God. Everything else in this series will be ordered around the true love that comes from God.

After 40 days in the wilderness with nothing to eat, Luke says Jesus, “was hungry.” When we are hungry, literally or metaphorically, we tend to grow impatient. We not only want our hunger to be satisfied, we want it to be satisfied immediately. And our impatience almost always leads to sin. Jesus, on the other hand, did not […]

What Happened in the Old Testament and How It Leads to Jesus

Paul’s critics “measured themselves by one another and compared themselves with one another.” This made them proud and arrogant. They boasted and commended themselves, because they were choosing the standards of measurement and what qualities and traits should be measured. They were confident, but their confidence was misplaced. Our confidence should never come from comparison, but from the Gospel...

What Happened in the Old Testament and How It Leads to Jesus