Godliness is Manliness

As I was rereading this book to prepare for this review, I was saddened to hear the news of the recent passing of the great author and theologian J.I. Packer. As such, this review feels like a proper way to honor the memory of a man that has delivered the Word to millions worldwide and encouraged countless believers to grow in their faith.  Author: My first introduction to J.I. Packer's work was this book. We were required to read it as members of the student leadership team for my campus ministry, RUF. As I researched his life, I began to realize the massive impact he has had on the global evangelical movement. Despite his membership in the Anglican Church, he sought to strengthen Christians of all denominations.  While I have personally never read any of his works outside of Knowing God, I can say that any book he has written is a good choice. Though I don't think any are as fundamental to the Christian life as Knowing God, I think if you are looking for a book by a reputabl...

Tell me if you've been here before: You've had a stressful day. You've just had a busy day at work or you've taken a big exam and you just need an escape. You decide to look at pornography again or you call up that one friend with benefits or you unload anger on your roommates/spouse/children, etc. Whatever your vice is, you've decided to tap into that well of pleasure so that you can escape one more time. But this is the last time right? You tell yourself you'll never do this again but just a few days later you're back in the same old hole.  As human beings we all have our weaknesses; chips in our 'armor' if you will. Ephesians 6:10-18 (often referred to as the 'Armor of God' passage) even acknowledges that the 'armor' will help us 'withstand' evil but not escape untouched. Most of the time, we are doing kingdom work: sharing the gospel with nonbelievers, praying for each other, reading the Bible daily, etc. However, we all h...

Blog Update: I think that one of the most important parts of Christian growth is reading. Every Christian (hopefully) reads the Bible on a regular basis. However, I think that reading works by other Christians and seasoned pastors presents us with new insights into how the Bible applies to our life. This is especially important for new believers as they build the foundation of their knowledge of doctrine and the Gospel. Thus, I will try to start including reviews of the books that I'm reading to give people a starting point for good books they could be reading to dive deeper into the Gospel.  Review *Since this is my first review, I will explain my plan for organizing them. I will run through different aspects of the book via segments and at the end I will give a general recommendation for everyone as well as who would benefit by reading the book.*  Author: Kevin DeYoung is simply one of my favorite authors in the Christian genre. I first read his work for The Gospel Coalition...

NOTE: This is NOT an anti-police message. Unfortunately, some view the condemnation of the actions preformed by officers in these past months as a condemnation of police as a whole. I have friends and family in law enforcement and am aware that not all cops are corrupt. I respect the decision of many of these brave men and women to uphold the law despite the obvious danger. This is instead a message to address all forms of racial injustice in this country, which expands well beyond instances of police brutality. In my opinion, Jesus would want the church to address these issues directly.  There are events in everyone's lives that leave lasting impressions on their world view. These events can be either positive or negative in their impact. One such positive event for me occurred not long after I became a Christian. I attended a Racial Reconciliation event co-hosted by RUF and Cru in which we learned from Jimmy Carter (not that one), a preacher who had used his experiences as a past...

One of the biggest determinants of our health is our weight. Being overweight can lead to dozens of complications such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or certain types of cancer. As a medical professional in training, I have found that no one cares about the health implications of obesity, but rather their personal body image. We live in a society today that is the equivalent of a philosophical Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The public tries to push a message of body positivity but use weight as means to bring someone down or show their superiority. Since this a Christian blog, I will try to discuss how God intends us to view our bodies and try to introduce some practical ways that we can better our health. For anyone reading this that doesn't know me or hasn't known me for long, I have gone through a body transformation that most people dream of and have probably seen similar feats on TV. During my senior year of high school, I peaked at around 350 pounds. I was definitely obese...

Sanctification is the process of God shaping us more in His image everyday. Our sanctification is dependent on many things: prayer, scripture reading and Christian community. However, few tools of sanctification are more synonymous with Christianity than church. Not only does church bring us closer to God, but it lifts our spirits. As the 19th century evangelist Dwight L. Moody said, "Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man." As such, it is important for all believers (and non-believers) to attend church as often as possible. The question now is "What should we look for in a church?" Before we discuss these qualities, I think it's important to say that one should be thorough when choosing a church. Many of my mentors have advised me to just jump into a church and join it. However, I would like to respectfully disagree. Church membership is a serious commitment and those vows should only be taken when...

When I was growing up, I always viewed cowboys as the pinnacle of manhood. My dad always watched an hour of westerns in the morning before going to work, so the first thing my tired eyes seen in the morning was usually Matt Dillon and Festus keeping peace in Dodge City. This continued until I was in high school, so seeing my dad look up to these fictional cowboys made me look up to them as well and I always viewed them as men's men, with John Wayne being the ultimate man. To me, manhood was synonymous with packing a gun, having perfect stubble, being lean, talking with a lot of grit and having a killer survival instinct. The Bible, however, paints a very different picture of what a man should be: kind, gentle, forgiving self-controlled, hospitable and pure. This is the exact opposite of what today's culture claims a man should be. Men today strive to be an "alpha male": harsh, detached, greedy and immoral. These stereotypes are perpetuated throughout culture. Societ...