All Blog Posts

Number of blog posts for each year is shown after the year. Number of comments is shown after each post title.

2021 (1)

Jan 5 -- How Jay Adams Would Counsel a Pedophile (67)

2020 (19)

Dec 24 -- Hope for the Weary at Advent (guest post by Teri Zalk) (4)
Dec 14 -- Here’s Why “Gratitude Motivation” Isn’t Biblical—and What’s Better (18)
Nov 13 -- [FREE GIFT] Here’s what to do when you’re too frazzled to know how to pray (6)
Nov 10 -- Your Pastor Isn’t Moses: a Response to John Bevere’s “Under Cover” (42)
Oct 22 -- Small to Great (guest post by Rochelle Sadie) (9)
Oct 7 -- Do you always have a log in your own eye? (6)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 63rd Birthday: The Box of Things I Don’t Know What to Do With (22)
Aug 2 -- That “obey your leaders and submit to their authority” Scripture: examining Hebrews 13:17 (18)
Jul 20 -- An update on my one-on-one ministry (6)
Jul 13 -- Why you need to listen to your emotions (5)
Jun 23 -- “Loyalty” is not a Christian virtue (18)
Jun 1 -- Bill Gothard’s umbrella heresy in a day of protests against police brutality (13)
May 12 -- Christians and conspiracy theories: a response to The Gospel Coalition (41)
Apr 28 -- What The Truman Show can illustrate about church (8)
Apr 12 -- Rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord! (0)
Apr 9 -- The arrest of Jesus reminds us that we need to understand the Pharisees (13)
Mar 13 -- Untwisting Scriptures about “your rights” (a video) (11)
Feb 17 -- A “We Care About Sex Trafficking” Initiative parable, by anonymous guest writer (12)
Jan 13 -- That time I tried to be transparent in a small group . . . (41)

2019 (38)

Dec 2 -- Blessings are not sweet little things (guest post by Deborah Brunt) (0)
Nov 26 -- What’s the best way for us to bring glory to God? (4)
Nov 25 -- Is God glorified through our suffering? (22)
Nov 21 -- Why the Jeffrey Epstein case matters to Christians (44)
Nov 12 -- Did I do all I could for my siblings? (guest post by Erika Smith) (22)
Oct 28 -- “The Return of the Daughters” meets Rachael Denhollander (39)
Oct 14 -- Here’s what’s wrong with God looking through the “filter” of Jesus to see His children (25)
Oct 7 -- “Your greatest problem is your own sin” (guest post by Valerie Jacobsen) (9)
Sep 23 -- What does “loving your enemies” look like with an abuser? (19)
Sep 16 -- “Look to the cross more”: a response to the “gospel-centered” movement (10)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 62nd birthday: “What if your life were written as a story?” (20)
Aug 19 -- The best counsel I ever received—it’s not what you’d expect (guest post by Ruth Harris) (10)
Aug 6 -- Are wolves proliferating in the churches? (20)
Jul 29 -- A Gothard Girl testifies about the “root of bitterness” (guest post by Lauren Rose) (19)
Jul 22 -- Can God be in the presence of sin? (8)
Jul 15 -- Have you been Philippians 4:8’d? (27)
Jul 8 -- “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (8)
Jul 1 -- For those who Don’t want to Waste Your Lives . . . (17)
Jun 24 -- “It’s not about you” (25)
Jun 17 -- “Your empathy is a sin” – a response to Desiring God (72)
Jun 14 -- A new church parable of the Good Samaritan (14)
Jun 10 -- “Better than I deserve” (16)
May 30 -- Will God send leanness to your soul? (3)
May 27 -- Three fingers pointing back at you (34)
May 21 -- What does “fear of man” really mean? And other observations about fear (10)
May 20 -- Is your fear sinful . . . or actually pleasing to God? (16)
Apr 25 -- Faith in All It’s Splendor (17)
Apr 23 -- The good news about Biblical bitterness (a short talk) (10)
Apr 11 -- Those “renegade bloggers” in the Christian Post (25)
Apr 3 -- That forgiveness talk at Harvest Bible Chapel (48)
Apr 2 -- Because it’s appropriate for a victim to name her offender (0)
Apr 1 -- New book for help with praying when you’re under spiritual attack (5)
Mar 26 -- You should come to church to “give” and not to “get” (7)
Mar 18 -- When God is not disappointed with you (19)
Feb 4 -- When “moral failure” is redefined as “you didn’t submit to church authority”: thoughts on the Harvest Bible Chapel scandal (7)
Jan 28 -- 5 things needed more than theology for unity in the church: a response to Al Mohler (19)
Jan 23 -- The secret to living a life that pleases God (4)
Jan 7 -- Thirsty yet? (3)

2018 (59)

Dec 31 -- Here’s the Joy looks back over 2018 and looks forward (4)
Dec 26 -- Joseph wasn’t afraid of “rebellion, the sin like witchcraft” (8)
Nov 27 -- Looking for “evidences of grace” in the life of an abuser (19)
Nov 22 -- At Thanksgiving, here’s one of the people I’m thankful for (5)
Nov 19 -- The vision of James MacDonald, mega-church pastor who sues bloggers’ wives (29)
Nov 14 -- What place does “striving” have in sanctification? A response to Heath Lambert (10)
Nov 13 -- Reconciling the “resting” and the “striving,” with some thoughts from Heath Lambert (10)
Nov 12 -- Struggling with “striving”: When should I strive and when should I rest? (9)
Oct 31 -- What is real Christianity? (5)
Oct 28 -- For my Mother (1927-2018) (55)
Oct 24 -- New website page: The beliefs behind the blog (0)
Oct 9 -- Is exposing evildoers a violation of the ninth commandment? a response to Tim Challies (part two) (11)
Oct 8 -- Is exposing evildoers a violation of the ninth commandment? a response to Tim Challies (part one) (6)
Oct 4 -- What about “repressed memories”? A response to John MacArthur (27)
Sep 26 -- “Why are you so negative?” A response to “positive” people (15)
Sep 25 -- A message to the wounded helpers: What would Jesus do? (1)
Sep 17 -- “You can’t argue with success” (guest post from a former pastor’s wife) (7)
Sep 14 -- If you were harmed, does that mean you’ll blame God? And other questions for John MacArthur (30)
Sep 12 -- Social justice is not the gospel: a response to John MacArthur (15)
Sep 10 -- No “digging up the past” allowed: a response to nouthetic (“Biblical”) counseling (35)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 61st birthday: “Why don’t I ever meet those people?” (37)
Sep 3 -- Should The Master’s University insist on loyalty to authority more than care for the oppressed? (10)
Aug 14 -- Thoughts on conspiracies and conspiracy theorists, inspired by the Thomas Chantry trial (6)
Aug 10 -- Are you exiled from God? (0)
Jul 27 -- Cleanse your guilty conscience, get grace, and other solutions to the noisy soul (a response to Jim Berg, Part 3) (8)
Jul 25 -- The Solutions to the Noisy Soul – a response to Jim Berg – (Part 2) (19)
Jul 23 -- Quieting a Noisy Soul by Jim Berg – A Response (Part 1) (19)
Jul 17 -- An absolute must if you want to deeply help others in the church (21)
Jul 17 -- “The unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believer”? Examining 1 Corinthians 7:13-16 (Part Two) (1)
Jul 16 -- “The unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believer”? Examining 1 Corinthians 7:13-16 (Part One) (18)
Jul 12 -- Are you the prodigal son or the older brother? (8)
Jul 2 -- Why we’re glad we considered an alternative to four-year college (11)
Jun 17 -- My dad in the 1960s: integrity vs “virtue signaling” (5)
Jun 15 -- The “slippery slope” of victimization (13)
Jun 12 -- The SBC sexual offender database that isn’t: my inside peek (10)
Jun 10 -- Behind the broken wall, beyond the torn curtain (4)
Jun 7 -- The most important time to stop going to your church – a response to the Gospel Coalition (37)
Jun 4 -- Making sense of the church world’s epidemic of abuse (18)
May 26 -- Commentary on JD Greear’s Facebook Live statement (11)
May 24 -- A letter to the Washington Post revealing abuse at an SBC seminary (16)
May 23 -- What students thought about Paige Patterson’s forced early retirement (3)
May 17 -- 5 reasons for church small groups to replace “transparency” with “integrity” (10)
May 15 -- Reason trumps emotions? 90% of evangelicals say yes (18)
May 13 -- Happy complicated Mother’s Day (19)
May 4 -- Paige Patterson and a culture that breeds a generation of abusers (26)
Apr 30 -- Sin and Holiness — a poster (7)
Apr 27 -- When is it wrong to be a “living sacrifice”? Reexamining Romans 12:1 (1)
Apr 20 -- Are all Christians hypocrites? A response to a Bill Hybels supporter (10)
Mar 30 -- Defeat that roaring lion (2)
Mar 19 -- No more karma Christianity (17)
Mar 5 -- How to handle those “forgive and forget” Scriptures (17)
Feb 12 -- Should you love yourself? A response to Desiring God (13)
Jan 26 -- Rachael Denhollander, SGM, and Bob Jones University (8)
Jan 25 -- Rachael Denhollander lost her church over her advocacy for abuse survivors (50)
Jan 22 -- Turpin tragedy: Is homeschooling the problem? (25)
Jan 16 -- David and Louise Turpin: the picture perfect homeschooling family (125)
Jan 10 -- Let’s look beyond those generational labels (6)
Jan 5 -- That “innocent until proven guilty” question: a response to Ryan Fullerton (13)
Jan 2 -- Prayers for those who haven’t prayed in a long time (5)

2017 (68)

Dec 29 -- Here’s the Joy looks back over 2017 and looks forward (4)
Dec 27 -- “With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael” celebrates thirty years (my first book) (14)
Dec 25 -- A Christian Carol (or, Living in the Spirit Present) (0)
Dec 20 -- Husbands, you don’t need to get her ready for Jesus—a response to Desiring God (19)
Dec 19 -- A better motivator for Christian service than gratitude (5)
Dec 15 -- Happy 33rd anniversary, Mr. Reasonable (6)
Dec 12 -- Encouraging thoughts on forgiveness and grief (4)
Dec 4 -- You want to “suffer well”? — a poster (4)
Nov 30 -- Getting help with an “angry husband,” according to “Biblical counseling” (19)
Nov 29 -- Don’t be a martyr, but do suffer in your marriage to an angry husband (and other “Biblical counseling”) (16)
Nov 28 -- Should Texas church shooter’s wife have gotten “Biblical counseling”? #churchtoo (20)
Nov 27 -- Grandma, can I tell you about my rape? A message to kind Christian grandparents #youtoo (6)
Nov 24 -- She is “Undiminished” (guest post by an abuse survivor) (2)
Nov 22 -- Thankful . . . for the Protectors (9)
Nov 20 -- John Piper’s gossip post needs Part 2, to address double standards (14)
Nov 15 -- Untwisting “you should surrender your rights” (a guest post for Leslie Vernick) (4)
Nov 8 -- It’s unBiblical to surrender your rights (6)
Nov 3 -- “Erring on the side of grace” when it comes to repentance? (6)
Oct 30 -- Does God crush you like a rose to make perfume? (16)
Oct 22 -- An Authority Covering Umbrella of Protection parable, to celebrate the Reformation (12)
Oct 16 -- Speaking at a DV conference in Raleigh, NC, in November (0)
Oct 10 -- Tullian: Jesus + Nothing = Everything? (27)
Oct 6 -- “(Adult) children obey your parents”? Part Two, for adults raised in Patriarchy (21)
Oct 5 -- “Children obey your parents”? Part One (4)
Sep 30 -- Here’s an abuse survivor’s plea about nouthetic “Biblical” counseling (28)
Sep 29 -- If “Jane” from The Master’s University were to seek “Biblical counseling” (19)
Sep 19 -- Nothing like The Sheep Sermon to make you feel stupid, disgusting, and useless (23)
Sep 12 -- In which I have a small argument with a Puritan about suffering (10)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 60th birthday: reframing my name (17)
Aug 29 -- Maybe it’s time to stop praying for God to “use” you (6)
Aug 27 -- “Jesus as Intercessor”: barely restraining God’s wrath? (13)
Aug 22 -- The problem of excommunication – a response to Desiring God (70)
Aug 18 -- Mr. Charming and Miss Target (a guest post at A Cry for Justice) (1)
Aug 8 -- What if you married a Nazi? (0)
Aug 7 -- “You just need to be content” — a response to Desiring God (19)
Aug 2 -- Two book recommendations—funny, outrageous, and inspiring (1)
Jul 25 -- Standing against evildoers—a poster (3)
Jul 23 -- A new website exposing a cult (0)
Jul 21 -- My letter to the man who said your marriage is designed to kill you (11)
Jul 20 -- Dear Christian, find your life in Jesus Christ (4)
Jul 19 -- Dear Christian, you are called to spiritual life, not perpetual death (8)
Jul 18 -- Dear Christian: stop trying to die (3)
Jul 17 -- Dear Christian, your marriage is not supposed to kill you (17)
Jul 11 -- Pronoun Trouble in Romans 2 that can keep the oppressed in a place of bondage (5)
Jul 10 -- A bit of news (with a video) (0)
Jul 7 -- How easy it is to appear righteous: a poster (2)
Jul 6 -- To those in “Biblical” Patriarchy: return to God (15)
Jul 5 -- “Biblical” patriarchy: Here’s how you replaced God (28)
Jun 27 -- Our only hope: a poster (4)
Jun 26 -- Righteous anger or sinful? A response to the Women’s Study Bible (12)
Jun 23 -- Dear Michael Pearl, this is what righteous anger looks like (37)
Jun 21 -- If you know someone who can’t hold onto hope . . . yet (6)
Jun 20 -- Maybe your bitterness isn’t really sinful: a video interview (5)
Jun 14 -- There weren’t any wicked people in MY part of the world (0)
Jun 6 -- The other kind of radical (a guest post for Give Her Wings) (6)
Jun 3 -- A video interview on the topic of “yielding rights” (4)
May 31 -- The other kind of hypocrisy (a guest post for Leslie Vernick) (24)
May 22 -- Dear sister I read about on the CBCMoscow blog post (25)
May 16 -- The defiled conscience: should we lovingly help or sharply rebuke? (2)
May 8 -- Thoughts for the hopeless from Isaiah 40 (12)
May 1 -- “The evolution of this blog” updated (0)
Apr 20 -- “Conscience” in the Bible: insight into abusers and their targets (11)
Mar 21 -- 4 ways teaching Christians to embrace “I’m the worst sinner I know” is harming the church (26)
Feb 25 -- On calling people out via social media—a response to Jarrid Wilson (1)
Feb 2 -- Why “moral injury,” like “PTSD” is a term that applies to far more than our soldiers, and why that’s important to all of us (8)
Jan 26 -- New book: Tear Down This Wall of Silence now in its second edition (1)
Jan 18 -- Rethinking the idol factory: challenging the “idol” construct as the explanation for all sin in the lives of Christians (26)
Jan 4 -- Tullian Tchividjian, Tom Chantry, BJUGrace, and gossip (2)

2016 (23)

Dec 28 -- Here’s the Joy looks back over 2016 and looks forward (0)
Dec 22 -- A guest post on A Cry for Justice (0)
Dec 16 -- What hypocrisy is and what it isn’t and why that’s important: a lesson from Tullian Tchividjian (3)
Dec 13 -- Just call me Mr. Knightley (0)
Dec 6 -- Power over Porn (1)
Nov 30 -- What does it mean to “serve the church”? (7)
Nov 24 -- The picture on my grandmother’s wall (4)
Nov 16 -- Why do they tell you to “surrender rights” that aren’t even rights at all? (2)
Nov 1 -- In the messy middle of the story (9)
Oct 24 -- Behind the scenes at “Untwisting Scriptures” (2)
Oct 17 -- Do you see how significant this is? (3)
Oct 11 -- Do you pray for God to “break” you? (14)
Oct 3 -- New book on the way: “Untwisting Scriptures” (11)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 59th birthday: a warrior’s tale (9)
Aug 29 -- Bible journaling before Bible journaling was cool (0)
Aug 22 -- Why did David lift his eyes to the hills? A new perspective on an old question (25)
Aug 15 -- Bitterness in the Bible? It’s not what you thought it was (4)
Aug 3 -- The “gall of bitterness” in Acts — it isn’t resentment (2)
Jul 27 -- The “root of bitterness” in Hebrews–it isn’t unforgiveness (10)
Jul 14 -- Don’t trust your feelings? (1)
Jul 6 -- “You give them something to eat” (0)
Jun 30 -- Greenville Woman Cannot Bear Evil, Leaves Primary Love. You Won’t Believe What Happens Next. (2)
Jun 23 -- Not really six months of silence (2)

2015 (10)

Nov 22 -- Lessons from blind men and the elephant in the room (1)
Nov 15 -- Searching for the one who is worth searching for (3)
Oct 6 -- What kind of salvation did we get? (4)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 58th birthday: found faithful (3)
Jul 15 -- Let’s pray right now (4)
Jun 23 -- Patience right now (3)
Apr 14 -- Note to self: Stop saying “I can’t” (2)
Mar 2 -- If necessary, use words (2)
Feb 17 -- What kind of help do you need? (0)
Jan 7 -- So where’s the fruit? Thoughts on John 15 and the sower and seed (0)

2014 (15)

Dec 2 -- Sin? Holiness? Legalism? Hypocrisy? Defining terms (0)
Sep 24 -- Replying to one who says Christians should have no rights (15)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 57th birthday: Stepping Heavenward (2)
Aug 23 -- How much of a day of rest should Sunday really be? (5)
Aug 7 -- Airing my dirty laundry at Bob Jones University (2)
Aug 1 -- Psalm 131: How can I have a soul like a weaned child? (5)
Jul 25 -- The Heavenly Man: Revival in China . . . and Iran (1)
Jul 15 -- What does it mean to live in community? (6)
May 25 -- Letter to an abuse survivor friend (0)
Apr 4 -- The “Peace Child” story for a new generation (0)
Mar 26 -- Free from sin (0)
Mar 13 -- Waging warfare through Psalm 18 (1)
Feb 11 -- Taking up offenses (7)
Jan 26 -- How can I be strong in the Lord? (5)
Jan 15 -- Is Satan really a defeated foe in my everyday life? (1)

2013 (18)

Dec 8 -- For shame, beautiful Botkins (26)
Nov 18 -- Ephemeral and everlasting (0)
Oct 21 -- Who is Jesus Christ to me and for me? (0)
Sep 19 -- Should we refuse to talk about the sins that are done in secret? (5)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 56th birthday: thoughts about moving into the basement (17)
Jul 28 -- Ask Him what it means (0)
Jul 14 -- Checking my motives (0)
Jun 12 -- Is the Bible really my daily manna? (11)
Jun 5 -- A song I love to hate (11)
May 23 -- Maintaining a false unity (a commentary on the SGM scandals) (4)
Apr 26 -- Is church attendance pleasing to God? (5)
Mar 29 -- The lion roared (0)
Mar 10 -- We are not able (0)
Mar 3 -- What does it mean to be spiritually dead and alive? (4)
Feb 9 -- Changing Perspectives (1)
Jan 27 -- The Thick Darkness Where God Was (10)
Jan 13 -- The Prayer of Jabez, revisited (2)
Jan 6 -- Godliness through Discipline by Jay Adams: a response (4)

2012 (20)

Dec 30 -- A New Year Filled with Hope (3)
Dec 9 -- What does real repentance look like? (14)
Nov 18 -- How can I give grace? (14)
Nov 1 -- Joy in darkness (2)
Sep 30 -- It’s HARD Living by the List (6)
Aug 12 -- Are all sins really equal? (6)
Jul 29 -- “If you died tonight, what would you say to God to get Him to let you into His heaven?” (2)
Jul 25 -- Chief of hypocrites (1)
Jul 20 -- Glory, glory, glory (2)
Jul 15 -- On holiness and human waste (1)
Jun 24 -- No more night of the living dead (0)
Jun 10 -- Broken wall, torn curtain (1)
May 20 -- The trump card of Romans 7 (4)
Apr 29 -- Somebody’s perfect? (1)
Apr 22 -- That I may know Him . . . (0)
Apr 15 -- What would Jesus do, revisited (2)
Apr 6 -- Resurrection now (0)
Mar 27 -- Reading under the covers with a flashlight (1)
Feb 28 -- You gotta laugh: hope in the midst of Alzheimer’s (3)
Feb 14 -- Fresh Bread, Fresh Words (1)

2011 (21)

Nov 7 -- New book! What the Bible means to me (1)
Nov 3 -- Expecting the joy when you can’t feel it (joy part 4) (0)
Oct 18 -- Joy comes as a response in the realm of the spirit (joy part 3) (0)
Sep 29 -- Joy is a response (joy part 2) (2)
Sep 21 -- Maybe joy isn’t a discipline but is . . . (gasp) a feeling (joy part 1) (8)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 54th birthday: getting old (0)
Aug 30 -- He’s still the Hiding Place (0)
Aug 24 -- A brief timeline of redemptive history (3)
Jul 24 -- Garments of praise (1)
Jun 26 -- Is praise really a sacrifice? (0)
May 29 -- Acknowledging my inability (5)
May 8 -- Life lessons from Bill Nye (2)
Apr 24 -- A Resurrection psalm (1)
Apr 3 -- The joy of Joy Ridderhof (5)
Mar 20 -- Perhaps another opportunity in Japan (0)
Mar 6 -- On reading through the Bible in 2011 (4)
Feb 20 -- Leviticus: My Wilderness Book (1)
Feb 8 -- Mother’s Day in February (6)
Jan 16 -- Seeing beyond the screen (2)
Jan 9 -- A Tribute to Dr. John Dreisbach, chapter 2 (1)
Jan 2 -- Thirsty yet? (7)

2010 (13)

Dec 12 -- “Pronoun Trouble” in Galatians 5:16-17 (0)
Dec 5 -- The magnifying glass of God (5)
Nov 28 -- Celebrating Redemption (3)
Nov 6 -- Where does your mind go? (2)
Sep 26 -- How can I be pleasing to God? (3)
Sep 5 -- Reflections on my 53rd birthday: in the blink of an eye (2)
Aug 28 -- Should my life be centered around the gospel? (0)
Jun 26 -- I reviewed a book on Amazon: Free and Fulfilled (0)
May 15 -- Lean hard (1)
May 2 -- Facing anxiety attacks (1)
Apr 16 -- The welcome behind the veil (0)
Mar 14 -- Writing about triumph like Charles Dickens (1)
Jan 31 -- So what’s the point of prayer? (0)

2009 (7)

Dec 27 -- Lessons from Teaching English as a Second Language (5)
Dec 20 -- The peace of God at Christmas . . . and all year (0)
Nov 28 -- A Tribute to Dr. John Dreisbach, 1922-2009 (6)
Nov 15 -- Maturity: praying in faith or in fear? (0)
Sep 13 -- Reflections on my 52nd birthday: the opening of the eyes (3)
Aug 2 -- reading Tozer’s The Pursuit of God (0)
Jul 13 -- “He must increase, but I must decrease” (0)

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