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I’m Struggling Spiritually… What Should I Do?
Someone recently wrote me and told me they were struggling with some things in their life and consequently were struggling spiritually. The person will remain anonymous, but I wanted to share my response, with a few details made more generic. If you are struggling spiritually, here is some good basic advice to get you in the right direction. — Dear Anonymous, I am really sorry that you are having a tough time right now. I don’t have any dramatic words…
Praying For Your Spouse and Marriage
Last year I wrote about how we can be praying for our children. My wife and I refer back to that post on a daily basis and use it as a blueprint for praying for our kids each night before we go to bed. I highly recommend you use it! Today I want to give some suggestions on how we can be praying for our spouse. Most of these suggestions come from the book by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, titled,…
Finding Freedom From Drugs
Here are a few questions to ask as you start to find freedom from drug addiction: 1) Do you know Jesus? True change – heart change – will never happen unless Jesus is the Lord of your life. If you have never turned to him, then you are missing out on the assurance of heaven, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in your life, and God working in your life to turn you into a new person. I encourage you…
Finding Freedom From Porn
Finding freedom from porn involves a “two-pronged approach.” Or, in food terms, it’s like an Oreo cookie because it has two sides. The first side is to proactively fight the addiction. In terms of pornography, this involves you figuring out the “temptation points” in your life and working to get rid of them. Whatever areas are sources for temptation need to be exterminated, or at the very least, minimized. For example, many people struggle with internet pornography on their phone.…
Here’s Why Abortion Clinics Are Shutting Down
I was very interested to read an article this week that was written by someone who is not part of the pro-life movement. Titled, “Indie Abortion Clinics Are Shutting Down All Over the Country,” Carter Sherman writes about how the last eight years have been bad for the abortion industry. “In 2012, there were 510 open independent clinics, the report found. By November 2020, that number had shrunk to 337. This year alone [2020], 14 independent clinics closed or stopped…
Some of My Favorite Books I Read In 2020
Since 2012 I have been keeping a list of all the books that I read. This allows me to look back on the year and see how my reading has gone as well as to catch any patterns than may need to change. For example, I love reading fiction, but I benefit more from reading non-fiction. So while I allow myself to enjoy fiction, I also make sure that I am reading a similar amount of non-fiction. I am not…
No Place For Arrogance
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3 A while back, when I was working on my doctorate, I went to a coffee house to work on some school work and encountered the one thing no school-working person wants to encounter… a talkative person.…
How’s Your Prayer Life?
“Continue steadfastly in prayer…” – Colossians 4:2 Let’s pretend you are a stalker. And you, as a stalker, want to find out what kind of things I really like in life. One of the best ways you will find this out is by seeing what I do throughout the day. For example, you will notice that I spend a lot of time with my wife and family. You will notice that I always seem to be nibbling on some sort…
How Should I Address Those That Are Transgender?
Ask The Pastor – How Should I Address Those That Are Transgender? This is a question that I came up with myself because I was asking this very question recently! The other day I read in an article that actress Ellen Page, who announced a few years back that she was gay, has now announced that she is transgender. She said that her preferred pronoun is “he” and would like to now be called Elliot Page. This, and many similar…
Do I Pray To The Father, Son, or Holy Spirit?
Do I Pray To The Father, Son, or Holy Spirit? In the Lewis household, we have an unspoken policy that any of the adults in our house can open mail, regardless of whom it is directed to. So when a bill comes in addressed to my wife, she has no problem with me opening it. When a card arrives for Pastor Kyle, I have no problem with her opening it. As long as it makes it to the house, either…
Should We Sing Songs Written By Catholics and Pentecostals?
Hypothetical question here: As a Baptist, would you sing a song written by a Catholic? Would you sing a song written by someone who holds to prosperity theology? What about someone who does not believe in the Trinity? Those may be hypothetical questions to you, but they are very real to me. Each week, as we select songs, we come across a lot of popular ones written by people we don’t agree. Should we sing their music? Matt Maher, who…
Ask The Pastor: Can A Democrat Be A Christian?
Ask The Pastor: Can A Democrat Be A Christian? Thank you church! Let’s just skip right to the loaded, controversial questions! Here is my response… To begin with, we need to establish how a person is saved: Salvation comes from believing in Jesus Christ as Lord. We are not saved through any actions or beliefs other than by believing in Jesus. So to answer your question at the broadest level… Yes! A Democrat can be a Christian. A Republican can…