Counseling and first impressions

You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. Bad first impressions can be corrected, strengthened, or supplemented so that initial miscues aren’t lasting failures. As first impressions go, Job’s friends were masterful. When Job’s tragic circumstances became known, his friends came immediately to be with him (Job 2:11). No delay, no mental hesitation, […]

Q&A with King Solomon

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon does a Q&A with himself on a variety of life topics. Listen in as Solomon conducts this “interview” with himself. Q: What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun? (1:3) A: All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is […]

Do I believe this?

The Psalms repeatedly affirm the goodness and lovingkindness of God. He is merciful. He is trustworthy. Reading Psalm 118 this morning, I wondered, “Do I believe this?” So I turned the statements of the psalmist into a series of questions to test the condition of my heart — Do I believe that God is lovingly […]

Are you pure in heart?

A believer in Christ is to be pure. In one sense, he already is. The blood of Christ has been applied to his life, and all the impurity of his life — past, present, and future — has been removed. He stands guiltless before God. (That’s an amazing sentence!) But in another sense, he is […]

Questions to start the new year

As Don Whitney notes, “The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.” What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? What’s the most humanly […]

Questions to diagnose the heart of your child

The trouble of arriving at adequate solutions to complex problems is the difficulty of diagnosis. Make a mistake in evaluation and you are almost certain to make an inadequate response. That’s true for a mechanic and a car engine, a student and a math equation, a plumber and a clogged drain, an accountant and a […]

Leadership questions

What makes a good leader? What makes a good leader in a home? In his outstanding and classic book, Spiritual Leadership (purchase the original edition, if you can find it), Oswald Sanders asks a series of questions that reveal the character of a natural leader. They are good questions for all leaders — whether they […]

Nine Questions

Here are the nine questions that John Patrick says every person must answer; I mentioned these in the sermon this morning: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? How do I come to terms with death? How do I make sense of suffering? How can I possibly believe in […]