Be The Fruit

Are You like the Tree Planted Near a Stream?

Which form of vegetation describes your life?  Are you a tree near a stream or a shrub in the desert?
“Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see [...]

David Powlison on Marital Intimacy

Take some time to watch the video below that features David Powlison discussing marital intimacy. Powlison touches on some key issues that often escape us when we examine marriages.  Here are some of the points that I got from watching this video:

Love is hard — Too many people see love as merely a euphoric emotion, [...]

Why should the local church counsel?

In the modern church, counseling is thought to be something left for “professionals” to handle.  After all, they have a license issued by the state that says they are qualified to counsel, right?
With this prevailing mindset you may ask, “Why should the local church counsel?Are not the licensed people the best and most qualified to [...]

The Cross & Children’s Ministry

One thing I have realized is that it is easier to teach obedience alone than it is to teach grace alone which leads to obedience.  Whether it is adults or children, it is always easier to say, “don’t drink, don’t do drugs, don’t have sex (outside marriage),” or on the flip side to say, “work [...]

Should Christians plan to marry young?

Update: I had chance to listen to the episode of the Albert Mohler Radio Program that discussed this topic.  There was some good thoughts and discussion that dovetails with my thoughts below.  You can listen to the program here (also on itunes).  Go listen to the episode for some more thought on this topic.
William Guice [...]

A Budget Breakdown

I just came across a post from Andrew Nordine that can be read here.  In his post, he challenges us to rethink both our personal budgets and growing church budgets.  Here is an excerpt:
What if these headlines were reversed?
Headline 1: Church Completes $23 Million Building Project
Headline 2: Churches in the State Send $5K to Aid [...]

David Powlison on Time Management

C. J. Mahaney has been doing a series of interviews on his blog and right now he is interviewing David Powlison.  Powlison is probably the leading mind in biblical counseling today.  Yesterday, Mahaney asked Powlison to give a piece of advice that has helped him to effectively use his time.  His response is very interesting [...]

Empathetic Disagreement

Jay Adams wrote a very helpful post titled “Nobody Understands” that can be read here.  The main point of the article is to show how we can be understanding of people’s problems, but still point out what they need to change.  Here is an excerpt:

The biblical counselor may experience much of the pain of his [...]

Should Christians get a Prenup?

Russell Moore takes on this interesting question in a post that can be read here.  Below is a brief excerpt, but go read the full post.
A Christian marriage, however, is a one-flesh union. What is true of the one is true of the other. A prenuptial agreement in a Christian marriage makes about as much sense [...]

Your spouse is part of “all things.”

How is  your marriage going?  Is it easy? Is your relationship with your spouse working the way you want it, or are there a few things you want them to change to make the relationship better?
Anyone who has been married for any time will recognize that marriages are not easy.  Although the positives are great, [...]