So, what is real holiness? What does it mean to be a holy (qdsh) person? It means that you give up your right or claim to be and do according to your own will. It means giving yourself... Read More »

Often when we Christians talk about holiness, our talk is accompanied by one of two problematic responses. The first mistake many of us make is to resign ourselves to failure. “I can... Read More »

What does it mean to be holy? In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word most often translated “holy” is qodesh (or a form of the root qdsh). Qdsh is used in the Old Testament in all... Read More »

I had been in ministry for about 18 months when I came to a startling revelation—I didn’t know what I was doing. Looking back, I can’t believe it took me that long to realize my... Read More »

As I continue to process the idea of pastor as conductor, I am struck by the similarities. Each is tasked with helping people get that which is beautiful off the page and into the... Read More »

A couple of months ago my oldest son was chosen to play in the regional honors band. One to three students from each of the region’s 40 schools were chosen to comprise the 88-member... Read More »

We said in an earlier blog, and implied in the last one, that one of the great problems we face in responding to the teaching and expectations of the Scriptures is that we struggle... Read More »

The idea of license was not unknown in the early church—and it is not foreign to the church today. Paul wrote to the Romans, saying: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in... Read More »

The concept of license must also be defined in a theological sense. Simply stated, license means “to give permission.” The theological view of license is that, because of the... Read More »

It is baffling that legalism tends to flourish in our evangelical circles, when an entire book of the New Testament was written to combat this thinking—the letter to the Galatians.... Read More »