When we face our sins, openly and honestly, and turn to God with open hands of faith, God will swallow our sins in Christ.

Jonah thought he ran from God’s presence. He thought his sin was his own personal issue. But his sin found him out. God knows, no matter where you are, if you're faithful or not. Others may not know your sin yet, but God does.

You may say, “I can be part of Christ’s cosmic church without joining a local church.” To that, I would say, “Try it.”

The entire New Testament speaks not only of the church but to the Church.

Simply put, church membership is a commitment to join Christ on his mission with his people for his glory. 

Ray Ortlund, in his commentary on the book of Proverbs, comments on the culture of life wisdom creates.

A Christian is safe insofar as he leans upon the Lord’s goodness to him. We may search for safety outside of God, but the further in we go, the safer we are.

I've always loved poetry. I write it from time to time, but you'll probably never see it. I'm not a good poet, even if I do enjoy good poetry. And during the month of July, I read a good deal of poetry, with a little theology and fiction sprinkled in. 

Here are the books I read in July 2018.

Imagining the disciples on the Emmaus Road. A fictional first-person narrative I wrote. %t %u

When the Holy Spirit comes down, he changes our culture. We go from selfishness to selflessness, from pride to humility, from fear to courage.