Does your walk with God need renewed energy and joy? Do you want to break free from the wintry spiritual blues? Do you need some fresh wind in your sails?

You’re not alone. Lots of Christ followers are reporting a real-life struggle to maintain the passion for God they once took for granted. The sequence can become a vicious cycle: renewed hope, followed by sincere pursuit, followed by general disappointment, leading to unavoidable exhaustion. I probably don’t need to tell you about the gnawing guilt that can stay with us as long as we’re on this train.

Thankfully, when we feel spiritually exhausted – perhaps stemming from a long stretch of disappointment or difficulty – you and I can call upon the Lord (Jeremiah 33:3)! Hallelujah! Jesus promised that our heavenly Father desires that we seek the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Whenever and wherever we feel overwhelmed by spiritual dryness, God loves to flood our dry souls with His living waters of refreshment (Jeremiah 31:25; Matthew 11:28; John 4:10).

That we might rightly understand a topic as important as the Holy Spirit, let’s consider more of the Bible’s promises. First of all, God is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7). We can take that to the bank. The truth of God’s omnipresence should be deeply comforting to us, no matter where we are or what we’re facing. Our God is not bound by any of the limitations which mark our humanness. So, wherever we are, He’s right there with us.

Secondly, if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is ours forever. And we are His! To receive Christ is to receive His Spirit (Romans 8:9). So, when we ask for more of the Spirit, we’re not asking for something – or someone – we don’t already have. But we’re asking for a heightened awareness of the Spirit’s presence and power, and a deeper appreciation of His ministry to and in us. We’re asking Him to work in new, life-giving ways in and through us.

All of that being established, I think it’s also important to note that the Holy Spirit, though present everywhere and always, chooses to make Himself known at specific times and in specific circumstances. As only He knows what is best for us, and what we most need, He ministers to each one of us in unique ways. As He blesses us individually, His ministry pours through us into the lives of others. And He blesses us through our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Spirit’s great love for the body strengthens the church through His much-needed fruit and gifts, and His gracious presence among us (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23). This is how He comes to us, and this is why I love asking Him to come!

As I think about you today, friend, I feel compelled to encourage you not to be afraid to seek the Holy Spirit. Like no other, He is on your side! As the third Person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit is to be honored and worshiped. You and I should delight in Him! We can pray to Him … meditate upon His glorious attributes … thank Him for His personal ministry to us … and call upon Him whenever we need to know more of God’s presence and power.

He is God. We are His. He is ours.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my vision today, that I may see Christ in every moment and in every interaction.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my mind today, that I may know how to abide in Christ and be found faithful in Him.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my life today, that my gifts and abilities may shine for Christ alone.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my heart today, that I may bear the fruit of my bruised and risen Savior – so I may love like Jesus.

Come, Holy Spirit!

Pastor Charles

The gun is loaded and pointed. Right at the Bible.

That’s what you get when you combine rampant moral relativism and widespread hostility toward objective truth. So those of us who believe the Bible better know why we believe what we believe. Otherwise, we’ll “go with the flow” downstream in the river of hostility toward the most beautiful Word that was ever written.

It’s not only a cultural problem, but entire denominations have jettisoned the authority of Scripture. Sadly, in those contexts, anyone still committed to the Bible is considered a fool.

If believing the Bible is foolish, count me among the fools.

I’m here to encourage you today, friends. Not only is the Bible true, but the Bible is inerrant. “Inerrant” is a word that we don’t use very much anymore, but it’s a word worth dusting off and rediscovering. So I’m devoting today’s blog posting to the subject of Biblical inerrancy. And I want to start by telling you what it’s not.

Inerrancy does not mean that every statement in the Bible is true. For example, in the book of Job, the statements of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar – though accurately reported and recorded – cannot be taken as words of absolute truth. To the contrary, the truth that we learn from the bad advice of Job’s friends – because they misrepresent God – is often the precise opposite of what they actually say. One of the strongest arguments for the veracity of Scripture is that it reports the good, the bad, and the ugly. It tells not only the truth about human nature, but the truth about what real people have thought, said, and done – and what real people continue to think, say, and do.

Inerrancy does not mean that every copy of the Bible is perfect. In 1530, William Tyndale finished his English translation of the Bible, the de facto English Bible until King James I commissioned one in 1604. First printed in 1611, the King James Version became the preeminent English Bible for the next 300 years. From the 19^th century until today, many translations have been completed. English is a relatively young language, and a very fluid one. Because the way we use words changes, we need new translations, but translators – who don’t always agree with each other – make important judgment calls about the text’s original meaning. Obviously, some calls are better than others, and so some Bible versions are better than others. And a commitment to Biblical inerrancy does not deny the existence of variants among the copies of the text that are available to translators.

Inerrancy does not mean that every interpretation of the Bible is legitimate or correct. This observation may go without saying, but I think it’s good to be reminded that you and I are responsible to be diligent in our study of the Scriptures, and to rightly and consistently apply sound principles of Bible hermeneutics – as some seem prone not to do. We can’t be negligent or careless, and then blame our misguided or heretical teaching on the Bible.

Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible is flawless in grammar or literary style. Though God is its ultimate Author, the Bible conveys human communication which is wrapped in historical and cultural context. Real people, with real human perspectives, and with real human limitations and failings, were involved in writing the books of the Bible. Though the language of the Bible is anthropomorphic – written from a human perspective so that we can understand it – the Bible is divine in origin. This is where it really gets exciting!

So what do we mean when we say that the Bible is inerrant?

Inerrancy means that the original manuscripts of the Bible contain no errors whatsoever. When we affirm that God has preserved the Biblical text, we mean that nothing that we believe to be doctrinally true, and therefore nothing that we’re commanded by the Bible to do, is in any way jeopardized by a variant. 99% of the variants are trivial, like spelling errors – impacting absolutely nothing. Of the small number of meaningful variants which are considered viable, no cardinal doctrine hangs in the balance. Thus, we can be confident in the reliability of the Scriptures.

Inerrancy means that the Bible is entirely truthful, in the sense that it is free from error in everything that it affirms. When we start diving into the inspiration of Holy Scripture – how the Bible came to us – we discover a unique and beautiful harmony. In the good providence of God, the active minds of the human writers and the sovereign direction of the Holy Spirit came together to produce God’s inerrant and infallible Word for the human race.

Inerrancy means that the Bible is without error in all that it teaches. It is “true and reliable in all the matters it addresses” (“Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,” 1978). Though this is a surprise to many, the Old and New Testaments stand up to rigorous academic scrutiny. There’s a widespread belief that much of the Bible was written centuries after the events it records, and that it’s been tampered with ad nauseum. But the breadth and age of the existing ancient manuscripts tell a remarkably different story. Scholars have far less evidence for Homer’s mythology, for example, but no one questions it.

We should be concerned about errors in the Bible. But the reality is: they’re not there. By their very nature, errors damage the accessibility, beauty, durability, trustworthiness, and usefulness of anything which claims to be a source of authority. Think of the damage done by a false witness. Thankfully, we can know with certainty that all 66 books of the Bible – with their unified goal to reveal to us the good news of salvation in Christ – are unmarred by such inaccuracies. The Bible is reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative for all matters of faith and practice. As we trust God, we can trust the Bible. It is inerrant.

The Scriptures are inspired – “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16) – and so the Word of God is unlike any other word that we will ever receive. In regard to its own divine authority, the Bible self-attests: “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

So the reason inerrancy matters is because the Bible is the very word of God. It’s God’s glorious self-revelation to us. Quite wondrously, at the center of God’s revelation is Jesus! And Christ is called the Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13).

Come be a fool with me!

Pastor Charles

“Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death” (Matthew 26:59).

The scene in Jerusalem was a palatial mansion. As the supreme ecclesiastical court, supposedly in search of divine justice, the Sanhedrin were assembled – in all their glory. The gathering may have included all 70 members, but there must have been at least 23 – enough for a legal quorum. I’m quite sure the number was as high as humanly possible for a hastily convened proceeding in the middle of the night.

They smelled blood in the water.

Rome was in ultimate control of all judicial proceedings, but what we see in the trial of Jesus before the high priest, Caiaphas, is that the empire’s subjects were allowed substantial freedom to try their own cases. Technically, this meltdown of truth started with Annas, the high priest’s father-in-law and a former incumbent in the position himself. For time’s sake, I won’t go into all the details, but this relationship – and the politics behind it – was twisted. Around the time of Christ’s birth, a very seedy process of high priest selection became the norm. An influential man could maneuver into an office that was up for sale.

What we discover, at each step along the way to the Cross, is injustice after injustice after injustice. It appears from the text of Scripture that most of the “false witnesses” were so utterly bad at their job that they disqualified themselves. The liars couldn’t lie well enough. But, as you might imagine, some of the trumped-up charges against Jesus eventually started to stick.

If ever – in the entire history of the human race – there were a kangaroo court, this was it. I haven’t even mentioned the moral failings of Pontius Pilate, which were soon to follow. And, unsurprisingly, as the gruesome details continued to unfold, Herod Antipas – son of “Herod the Great” – proved to be just as perverted as the rest of the cast. Our Lord Jesus suffered under the enormous weight of a multilayered charade of deceit. Amazing love.

The Sanhedrin recognized their problem. Their blasphemy charges weren’t enough. They had to convince the people in power that Jesus was a threat to the government itself. So – capitalizing on the innate depravity of all the players involved – they lined up liar after liar until the job was done.

Jesus had done nothing wrong, yet everything – and everyone – was against Him.

How are you and I to handle the injustices which come our way? Knowing that we are far from perfect – and that our only perfection is in Christ – how do we take on His mind and heart when the unfairness, false reports, and lack of grace are aimed at us? How do we respond to mistreatment?

First of all, I think we remind ourselves that such seasons are part of life on a fallen planet. They’re not enjoyable, but they teach us much about the gospel that we claim to cherish. It was the humiliation of Jesus which led to His exaltation, and the salvation of sinners like us (Philippians 2:8-11). You and I can expect, as we’re being steadily conformed to the likeness of Christ, to share in His sufferings (Romans 8:17; 1 Peter 4:13).

Secondly, I think we recognize that opposition only serves to strengthen us (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). It renews our focus on Jesus and reenforces our dependence on His providential care. We don’t want to float downstream like a dead fish, as we’ve been called to swim upstream for the glory of God! We rarely grow stronger without an opposing force which we must learn to overcome.

Thirdly, you and I can learn to celebrate with gusto the close presence of the risen Jesus – there’s nothing like it in the world – when we’re persecuted for our faithfulness to Him (Matthew 5:10-12). Those are the moments – strange as it sounds – when we can feel the joy of Christ in ways that defy human understanding. And it’s that outlandish joy that we desperately need in order to summon the supernatural strength that’s soon to be required for the next leg of the marvelous journey that’s before us (Nehemiah 8:10).

Lastly, we can choose to rest – and I mean really, truly rest – in the merciful and perfect plan of our sovereign and gracious God (Joshua 1:5; Psalm 20:7; John 16:33; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). His good plan is unstoppable, I’m happy to report. And, in Christ, we have the cheerleader par excellence. He is not surprised by our sufferings, nor is He removed from them. In fact, He’s with us through it all – including every malicious attack against us – and He’s closer than our breath. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Reflecting on his own sadness from the ravages of World War 1, the English minister Edward Shillito (1872-1948) penned these words in 1919 …

“If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.”

Not to worry, friends. The kangaroos are no match for our nail-scarred Christ.

Pastor Charles

I write this as a passionate foreign language major. With career ambitions in teaching or international law, I received my undergrad degree in Spanish from the University of Kentucky in 1984. I earned a 4.0 in my major, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Reedy in the Department of Spanish and Italian, now the Department of Hispanic Studies. The faculty were extraordinary, having been lured wholesale from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Those dedicated professors put U.K.’s program on the map – among the nation’s top colleges for Spanish. Dr. Reedy became Dean Emeritus of U.K.’s Grad School.

Not only did we study linguistics, but we were immersed in Hispanic literature and culture from contexts both domestic and abroad – from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. The goal was to leave us with a self-awareness that included taking our place as global citizens in a pluralistic society. It was an integral part of my young adult formation, and my later Christian commitment only deepened my fondness for the people whose language I’d been privileged to learn. So as not to be confusing, I’ll say it clearly: I love Hispanics.

Love matters. Jesus tells us plainly that loving God and others complies with the highest and greatest commandments (Mark 12:28-34). Loving God first and foremost is essential, but how do I “love my neighbor as I love myself”?

The Jews of Jesus’ day would largely have understood their “neighbor” to be their fellow Israelite. But God has a much broader definition of “love”. Loving my neighbor is more than simply loving those who are like me and who love me – or who can love me – in return.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus specifically answers for us the question, “Who is my neighbor?” In Christ’s compelling story, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked and left on the roadside for dead. A priest walking by sees the man but chooses to pass by on the other side. The same happens when a Levite arrives on the scene. Two Jews, both from the priestly line of Israelites – who should have known and obeyed God’s law – failed to show love to their brother in need.

Enter the Samaritan, stage right. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews because of cultural and religious differences. But, as Jesus tells the story, it’s the Samaritan who chooses to help the injured man. And he goes way out of his way to do it. He cares for the man’s injuries and pays for his lodging. So a person whom the Jews would have considered “unclean” and outside of God’s covenant shows the only true compassion. And it’s compassion for an “enemy” that ends up being the only real love in the parable. In short, my neighbor is anyone who needs my love.

So how in the world do we apply the goal of genuine Christlike love to the complex issues of national immigration?

I may get this wrong, and I’m open to your telling me that, but let me give it my best shot …

1. I ought to assume that I, personally, suffer from a love deficit, and that I am in daily need of Christ’s grace – that He might give me the heart of compassion that I desperately lack. Without such divine intervention, I will walk by human suffering like the priest or the Levite. I must always remember that every person is fashioned in God’s image, and worthy of dignity and respect (Genesis 1:27).

2. I can only love my neighbor, including my enemy, when I act toward that person with a heart that first loves God. I love others only out of the overflow of God’s love for me (Matthew 5:43-48; Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 3:13-17; 1 John 4:7-12).

3. I must not assume that loving someone means agreeing with everything they say or do. Our culture is very confused on this point, but we who follow Christ must be clearheaded about it. My love for another will not always gain that person’s approval, as love requires that I speak and live the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6; Ephesians 4:15).

4. To love people is to seek what is best for them. I should desire to meet a person’s needs as I – strengthened by God – am able to do so. When I fail to understand what is best for someone else, my “helping” that person is likely to be hurting them.

5. Public policy is not always easily discernible from the Scriptures, as most Old Testament regulations for government – including the subject of immigration – were written for theocratic, pre-Messiah Israel. The New Testament tends to address the church and individual believers rather than the state. So I need humility, and an open heart from the Lord’s hand, to even begin to get this right.

6. I must not confuse the Bible’s teachings by reading or citing them out of context. For example, Romans 13:1-7 describes the government as a God-instituted authority over us – “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” But, as an individual, I am specifically prohibited from vengeance and retaliation (Romans 12:14-21). I am called to feed my enemy, and to “turn the other cheek” when I am wronged, as Jesus instructs me (Matthew 5:38-42). If I’m expecting the state to turn the other cheek, I’ve missed the point. Turning the other cheek is my job.

7. I must not expect the government to do what Christ has called me to do. As His church – His body on earth – you and I are the hands and feet of Jesus to serve “the least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46).

8. It’s a matter of Christian wisdom to seek to determine whether or not a government policy is workable and effective, including issues surrounding border security, amnesty, immigration, and refugee policy. I think it’s safe to say that a completely open border soon creates a situation that is unsustainable for everybody, and helpful to nobody. In fact, it bolsters the brazenness of deadly drug cartels and encourages the scourge of human trafficking – and particularly the sex slavery of children.

9. It’s important that I not conflate the categories of legal and illegal immigration. Even in the ancient world, nations had borders that were protected and respected. Foreigners who wished to reside in another country had to obtain some sort of permission in order to be considered an alien with rights and privileges. The Bible’s multiple Hebrew terms for “foreigner” suggest that some resided in Israel with permission, while others didn’t. So, when we’re applying the Bible to our contemporary context, the legality issue matters.

10. Supporting reasonable, sustainable, and just immigration policy is not the abandonment of love, but the outworking of it. Similarly, support for the rule of law is an expression of love and protection for all.

11. It’s always my responsibility and privilege to pray for those in positions of government authority who’ve been charged with making or enforcing these kinds of challenging decisions (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

12. It’s fundamentally important that I trust God in each and every season. This is exceptionally critical when it comes to the complex questions of life – like the matter of national immigration in 2025 – which leave us without easy answers. I’m always in need of Christ’s wisdom and grace.

Friends, you and I are the people whose history includes the not-so-insignificant detail that our sovereign God chose “Ruth the Moabitess” – the most unlikely candidate imaginable – to be the great grandmother of Jesus. Through a poor immigrant woman, God saved an entire nation.

Lord, we are listening. In the words of the old hymn: “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the facing of this hour.”

Pastor Charles

Still reflecting on all that I have seen here in D.C. surrounding the inauguration, I am rather quiet tonight. The climate in Washington is invigorating, in both a political and meteorological sense, but I am silently pondering the responsibility that must be ours to use our freedom for God’s glory.

Such freedom didn’t come to us without great sacrifice. In fact, our republican form of government was ignited by 56 brave patriots. They mutually pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to build a new nation beyond the grasp of a powerful king more than 3000 miles from these shores. And most paid dearly to keep that pledge. Five were captured and tortured as traitors. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the army, and another had two sons captured. Nine fought and died in the Revolutionary War.

What the Founders envisioned was bold and full of uncertainty and risk. The core ideals were relatively straightforward: that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

That is the line that presses upon me tonight, for you and I are “the governed.” It means that, if you and I are to live out the promise and hope of America, that we have to take some responsibility for her character and her direction. That’s a tall order.

But that’s not all. For those of us who follow Christ, we have sacred responsibilities of an even higher order. We who walk in the Spirit have been liberated from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-4), and our entire lives are to be submitted to Christ’s Lordship (1 Corinthians 6:17-20). He has made us His holy people, and He is making us His holy people. In the promises of the Scriptures, both a judicial declaration and a personal transformation are in view.

We’ve been redeemed, and we’re being redeemed. We’ve been rescued, and we’re being reformed. We’re always reforming. “Semper reformanda.”

Jesus warned (Luke 12:48): “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” We who’ve been granted spiritual freedom, and then been doubly blessed to enjoy a land of freedom, for how much will we give an account? May Christ find us ready: watchful, prayerful, and faithful.

Thankfully, history reveals that many of God’s people have utilized the blessings of America to support the work of gracious Christian ministry, to build strong churches, and to export Christ’s liberating gospel far and wide. They were women and men of the Word. They pressed on with one eye heavenward, as lovers and heralds of the good news. They persevered as spiritual heroes, working in the city of man, but living for the city of God. Of a celestial and eternal kingdom, patriots.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. But let’s make sure that we stand, and that we keep standing.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine what life would be like for us had the original thirteen colonies not come together and taken an unqualified stand against tyranny. Providentially, the novel and blossoming concept of self-government was spurred on by hard-fought victory in the war for freedom. That was followed by the marvelous unifying of all the states under a Constitution and rule of law which secure for all citizens those fundamental rights upon which our nation was painstakingly established, and which have been painstakingly preserved.

George Washington, having been duly elected as our first President, chose to step down from that office in 1797, setting the critical precedent that America would never be governed by a single person. No emperor. No dictator. Not here. Instead, the ultimate powers of government would be vested in “We the People.”

So here’s my point: the fact that We the People get to be We the People is a great gift from Almighty God. And with that great gift comes great responsibility, friends.

As of Monday, 74 oaths of office have been spoken by 47 Presidents of these United States of America. Each time the government’s power has been transferred peaceably, you and I have received an invisible blessing.

The blessing of freedom.

Let’s not waste it. Let’s use our God-ordained freedom to make much of the Lord Jesus. Let’s use our freedoms of religion and speech and assembly to lift high the one and only Savior of the world!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). No king but Jesus.

Pastor Charles

The evangelical culture has dropped the ball.

It’s my guess that no one intended to drop the ball, but we did. After the widespread failure of “purity culture” to deliver the healthy marriages and families that it promised – at least in the experiences of many – we’re left with lots of Christian men struggling to find a distinctively true vision of masculinity. We can’t live it out if we don’t even know what it is.

Andrew Tate can’t help us. By his own admission, he’s attracted to power, so it’s easy to see how he can entertain a male audience. But Andrew’s view of the world is the way of absolute dominance. Thus, Islam holds powerful sway over Mr. Tate. He is outraged by contemporary views of “tolerance” – and we can, to a degree, validate his concern – but Andrew Tate ends up propagating an understanding of masculine strength that is antithetical to the Scriptures.

So what’s the truth about masculinity?

1. Masculinity is healthy and good. Men are called to manhood, and that includes a thankfulness for how God has made and wired us. True manhood embraces God’s design with gusto and gratitude. For example, we by nature tend to be visual creatures, and there should be no shame in that. In and of itself, it was non-toxic that Eve turned Adam’s head. Real men respect the priceless image of God imprinted upon themselves and upon others (Genesis 1:27-28). We men subdue the earth, but no person is objectified or dehumanized in the heart of a real man.

2. Masculinity appreciates the good gift of sex. Among its other purposes, God designed sex to be pleasurable, and the ecstasy of sex foreshadows the complete ecstasy of our complete union with Christ. Tim Keller wrote, “Great sex is a parable of the Gospel – to be utterly accepted in spite of your sin, to be loved by the One you admire to the sky.” Sex is sacred because it pictures the happiness within the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit live in perfect devotion to each other, pouring love and joy into one another without limits. Sex between a husband and wife points to the love within the Trinity, and the love between Christ and us (Ephesians 5:31-33). It takes some deprogramming and reprogramming – and some strong bonds of honest brotherhood – but real men get this.

3. Masculinity pictures the strength of Jesus. The same Lord whom the Bible describes as one whose “eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:14-15) also tells us this: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). When people perceive Jesus as “weak” in a pejorative sense, it’s because they completely misunderstand His grace. The “weakness” that Jesus brings is a measureless love for a lost world.

4. Masculinity bends the knee. Fully male manliness fears God. Without the fear of God, there’s no true masculinity. But, with the fear of God, manliness displays the stooping love of Jesus. Authentic manhood keeps its eye on the prize, and is fueled by the compelling remembrance of Christ, who “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7).

5. Masculinity understands the world’s deep brokenness, and seeks to be actively redemptive in the midst of it. We speak out against sexual and other abuse, and we defend those who are victims – or potential victims – of it. A real man repents of his personal abuses of power, and seeks to demonstrate the ferociously formidable yet gracious gospel of Christ through his own radically changed life.

6. Masculinity lives by the power of God. No matter how much a man can bench press, manhood doesn’t show itself in the form of arrogance or rudeness. Healthy masculinity doesn’t demand its own way (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). In God’s economy, unchecked dominance and ego are never signs of strength, but tragic indicators of weakness. The world doesn’t understand this, but godly compassion is the ultimate strength. Said Jesus, “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). On the Cross, Christ became weak for us, so that we – now in covenant union with Him – might become strength for others.

7. Masculinity reflects the glory of God. Whether single or married, we love with invisible power. The glorious good news of the Christian gospel does not abandon the idea of strength, but we men are to wield that strength for the benefit of others. Real men protect and provide. Real men are strong for those who can’t be. That, friends, is chivalry at its finest.

We who are evangelical followers of Christ should be the most sex-positive people on the planet. Until we are, we can expect the young people among us to get their cues on this subject from the world. It is this pastor’s humble opinion that the church needs a healthy dose of confession and repentance in this regard. We have largely avoided the subject of human sexuality, and – when we have chosen to address it – come across more passionate about the prohibitions than the gift of sex itself. This must change.

As I write this, I’m vividly aware that the one writing this is a man still under construction. I’ve made lots of mistakes, and gotten lots of things wrong. I’ve been selfish when I should have been a servant. But I’m learning. I’m also aware that all the men reading this are imperfect too. Here’s to you, sir – don’t give up! You are not defined by your past mistakes. God is so for you that He sent His only Son to set you free from your greatest enemy, sin. He can redeem that which was once broken. He can heal that which was once disastrous. He can give you a new start and a new strength.

He still makes real men.

Pastor Charles

I just don’t have enough faith. Let me be clear: I don’t have enough faith to believe that you and I evolved from nothing. In fact, I don’t believe that species-to-species evolutionists can answer my most fundamental question: If nothing ever was, what would there be now?

And my second question is similar: If there was ever nothing, how did we jumpstart to something?

Friends, you just can’t get something from nothing. That’s the first law of thermodynamics.

Maybe you don’t like physics. Can I interest you in a little philosophy? “Ex nihilo nihil fit.” That’s Latin, so here’s the English: “From nothing, nothing comes.” Perhaps it started with Parmenides in the 5th century, but the point is: Nothing can’t create something.

If you start with nothing, nothing’s what you’re gonna get. And keep getting.

Even the remnants of pop culture remind us that – when it comes to nothing and something – all of us enjoy a little practical philosophy from time to time …

“Nothing comes from nothing,
Nothing ever could.”
– Richard Rodgers (Rodgers and Hammerstein, “The Sound of Music”)

“Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin’
You gotta have somethin’ if you wanna be with me.”
– Billy Preston

“From nothing, nothing comes.”

As you and I embrace 2025 for all it’s worth, we’re not standing on nothing. (Forgive me, former English teachers.) We’d have to check our brains at the door to believe something like that. In fact, the notion that an all-wise and all-powerful God created everything – and that He’s still reigning and ruling over His creation – makes a heckuva lot more sense than, “Well, poof! It just happened.”

As to the theory that nothing comes from nothing – and therefore there must exist a necessary, eternal entity – some University of Manchester scientists tried to prove that something can come from nothing. Inside a large container, they created an absolute vacuum, so secure that nothing could get in or get out. (I’m no physicist, but I think the theory is that you have to perturb the empty space until something happens.) And eureka! After some time, they found little specks of matter floating in this perfect environment. Their conclusion: Something had come from nothing. My conclusion: Those specks were undetected all along, or their vacuum wasn’t as “absolute” as they thought.

Spontaneous generation? Something from nothing? Call me crazy, or at least a skeptic, but time alone is no creator.

So I’m anchored to the ancient premise given to us by Thomas Aquinas, who died in 1274. From nothing comes nothing. Every effect has a cause, and no matter how far back we go in the material world – or how much stock we put in what some folks call the “Big Bang” – there is a cause of some kind for everything. If at some point, we discover an uncaused cause – some self-existing reality – then we know that we’re onto something exceptionally and vitally important. I would submit to you that the uncaused cause – the cause to which everything in the universe points – is God. In fact, the only uncaused cause is God.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
– Genesis 1:1

God. There’s the something behind the something. The Someone behind the something. The Someone behind all the somethings. If you and I can find security and hope in that marvelous beginning and source of everything that exists, we’ll be better prepared to wrestle with all the things this year that we can’t understand.

I have no doubt that 2025 will bring more than its share of perplexities that leave us scratching our heads – but you and I aren’t starting from scratch. We’re standing firmly on a more than reasonable foundation of truth: “In the beginning, God.”

And it gets even better, my friends. God’s Son has come to us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Pastor Charles

We in affluent America rarely think of just “one thing” for Christmas, but maybe we should. The Apostle Paul expressed a powerful sentiment with these words (Philippians 3:13-14): “… one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

One thing.

As our celebration of Christmas proper draws near, it’s the perfect time to make sure that Paul’s one thing is our one thing: moving forward in Christ! It’s so easy for any of us to get stuck in the past, but the past is not where we’ve been called to live. We’re to appreciate the past, and to trust God with the good parts as well as the hard parts of our past. We’re to learn from the past, and to grow in wisdom from our experiences. And we’re to remember the manifold faithfulness of God in days gone by. But, when it comes to the past, you and I don’t live there anymore.

C.S. Lewis reminds us, and this is true for every follower of Christ: “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” That’s a good word for the close of one year and the start of a new one.

It’s been said, and for good reason, that our rearview mirror is much smaller than our windshield. Similarly, Paul is reminding us that, when we’re not moving forward in Christ, joy is very elusive. That’s because joy isn’t found in the things that are prized by this world, but only in our life-giving walk with Jesus. Christ alone is where our truest joy is found. Joy is born out of our life with Him. All of the lesser and temporal pleasures of this world functions like neon signs – they point us to the ultimate and eternal fulfillment for which our souls were designed to long: Jesus.

One thing.

The main message of Christmas is that Christ has come to be “God with us” forever! This was the angel’s “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). So Paul is reminding us to keep celebrating that good news, and to not let our past regrets, sins, failures, and mistakes get the best of us. We all wrestle with parts of our history that we wish had been different. It’s called being human. But we who follow Christ must always remember the “marvelous grace of our loving Lord … grace that is greater than all our sin” (Julia Johnston, 1910).

The cross is higher. The blood is deeper. The river of grace is wider.

We must keep swimming in that river. If the current of God’s grace isn’t moving us forward, then we’re moving backward. For us, there’s no holding pattern or neutral territory. Our spiritual maturity (the word Paul uses in Philippians 3:15) requires that we “press on …”

As 2025 approaches, you may be dogged by ominous feelings of false guilt. We all can get overwhelmed by agony over sins which – quite ironically – God has already forgiven. I urge you to recognize these feelings for what they are: feelings. Feelings can be very deceptive. That’s why we can’t trust them indiscriminately.

In sharp contrast, you and I must agree with God. When our feelings contradict what God has spoken, then we must side with God. And what has God spoken? In Christ, you and I are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17)! We are forgiven and free! The “prize” of which Paul speaks is the unspeakable joy of everlasting life with Christ – and knowing that the “everlasting” part has already begun. We have been changed … we are being changed … and we will be changed! No other gift which we will ever receive even comes close.

One thing.

As we celebrate the marvelous birth of Christ – the Word made flesh – let’s remember that joy isn’t something we can purchase. We can’t wrap it up and put it under the tree. We can’t manufacture it or reduce it to a tangible commodity – because it’s not of this world. True joy comes from our Creator and Sovereign Lord. It’s a gift from God – an unearned fruit of His Holy Spirit – secured through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And the incredible joy of which I write in late December is unshakable because it’s grounded in the truth of God’s timeless and immutable Word.

One thing.

Let this Christmas and new year be our shining moment, friends, as we surrender the past … embrace and appreciate the present … and press on in vital faith. As we fix our eyes on Jesus, we’ll learn to walk – and even run – in the fullness of joy that our Christ has come to give us.

In the manger, God with us.

On the cross, God for us.

Now and forever, God in us.

I’m on the journey with you. And we are so not alone.

Pastor Charles

This photograph captures our 2010 Christmas. We were living in Southern California, and Josh had just turned 11. In the storehouse of my memory, it was a special year, as Eileen and I enjoyed that season of our son’s life which marked the unstoppable transition from child to youth. Things were changing for him and for us, and it allowed me to relate vividly to a song written by Mariah Carey for the 2000 movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” …

“Where are you Christmas
Why can’t I find you
Why have you gone away …
My world is changing
I’m rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too?”

Yes, sometimes even Christmas has to change.

My title for today’s blog posting was inspired by “A Christmas Carol,” the classic novella by Charles Dickens. In Stave V, after the dramatic transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge has transpired, the very first thing we hear from the new man is: “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge has learned from all three ghosts who paid him a visit. And I would suggest that we who follow Christ must learn to view our lives through that same lens. There’s a very real sense in which we too must keep the past in right perspective in order to live fully in the present and be ready for the future.

In Matthew 24:36, Jesus explains that the timing of His coming again – His second coming – is a mystery known only to the Father. In the Latin version of the New Testament, the word “coming” is “adventus,” from which we get our English word “Advent.” So you and I are living between the advents. That means that our life is a mix of looking back and looking forward. A life of true faith in Jesus Christ – now – requires much of both. We must look back to see the faithfulness of God in order to face tomorrow’s unknowns with confidence and joy. When we look back honestly and humbly, we discover that the Lord who never changes with the times (Hebrews 13:8) has been faithful to us, even in those past chapters where we still feel some sadness or regret.

Here’s my point. When we fail to look wisely in both directions – backward and forward – we’re unable to experience the worth of this present moment. And it’s of inestimable value. Did you know that this Christmas counts forever?

The Vince Guaraldi Trio captured a taste of Christmas past in their song made famous by the 1965 television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” …

“Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share …
Christmastime is here
Families drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year.”

In fact, you can see all of time represented in those simple lyrics, including the comforting “ancient rhymes” which we associate with the holiday that is upon us. All of time matters.

Here’s why the past matters: it’s rich with meaning and significance. Just like at the dawn of Creation, even on that first Christmas, God was working wonders on our behalf! The angel brought “good news of great joy” to the shepherds near Bethlehem: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Christmas is a marvelous opportunity for you and me to recognize the incredible blessings that were initiated by the coming of Christ to us. Had He not humbled Himself to reach us, friends, we would’ve been as trapped in our sin as Scrooge’s business partner was trapped by the cruel chains that shackled him mercilessly to the past. We’d be bound by brokenness, weighed down by wickedness – ours and everybody else’s – and imprisoned by shame.

But we’re free! By Christ’s spotless life, His bloody cross, and His empty tomb, our God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). But remembering what He’s done for us is only part of our spiritual vision.

There’s also what Christ is doing for us now! At the Father’s right hand, we who are in Christ have a great high priest in heaven who understands our every weakness – He’s felt our every temptation – so that He can help us in our every need (Hebrews 4:14-16). He is actively demonstrating His love for us right now by praying for us with all zeal and perseverance (Romans 8:34). And He is leading us into all truth (John 16:13), and conforming us to Christlikeness (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11).

And then there’s our future! Because of Jesus, you and I can live now by the unbreakable promises of God. Fears may knock on our door, but we don’t have to give them permanent residence. Knowing that we’re never alone, and that a glorious inheritance is already ours, we can rest in the goodness of our sovereign Lord – just as Jesus exhorted us … “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). As surely as Christ will come again – His second advent is on the horizon – we can face uncertainties with confidence, knowing that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Charles

When I was a kid in Christmas pajamas – fourth grade to be exact – I decided to spark things up a bit. We had a nice fire in our South Georgia fireplace, but to me things were getting a little dull. So I went to the closet, found a brand-new bottle of rubbing alcohol, and poured the whole thing into the flames. You know what happened next. Not only did the fire rage – as I had hoped – but some of the alcohol splashed onto my nice new red pj’s. The fire came with it. I became an unintended ad for “Stop, Drop, and Roll” – though I tried running away first.

In the end, I’m happy to report, all was well. Lesson learned. Kind of.

Jesus says something mysteriously compelling at the end of Luke 14 … “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile …” Years after my fiery-pajamas incident, I learned that bakers during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry covered their ovens with salt. The salt had a critical catalytic effect – a sparking effect – on the fuel as it was burning. And the fuel was – you guessed it – dried cattle dung. Christ’s main point was this: once the salt stopped sparking, it was good for nothing.

I’ll bet I also speak for you when I say that I don’t want to be good for nothing.

Friends, when it comes to Jesus, are you and I still sparking?

Perhaps this holiday season is a time to reassess. Remember, we who trust Christ have passed from death to life! We’ve passed from darkness to light! From alienation from God and hostility toward God to gracious adoption as His sons and daughters! We understand these things intellectually and theologically … but do our lives – our real lives – still offer evidence of such a dramatic transformation?

The devil is an interesting enemy. Many believe that he focuses on shattering our faith in Jesus. That may be true, but I don’t think it’s his first step. I think that his first clever maneuver is to lure us into complacency about the things that really matter. What you and I need is the opposite of complacency – we need zeal! As Leonard Ravenhill used to preach: “One of these days somebody is going to pick up the Bible, believe it, act on it, and put the rest of us to shame!” You and I need spiritual spark. The sparks are there, if we will but listen …

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”

Sadly, we live at a time when not only the truth, but even the know-ability of truth, is under steady assault. Not only that, but an insidious eclipse of the true gospel is managing to minimize the influence of God’s people. But this Advent season is a great time to get back to the basics, like, “The Word became flesh (John 1:14)!” If we’ll start right there in Bethlehem – and remind ourselves of that glorious good news – we can push back against the paradigm shift that’s happening around us. Christ really is the Truth! And His deepest desire is for us to know the Truth – which can be known! This will get our sparks flying again.

“God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten not created;
O come, let us adore Him …”

The Infinite became finite. As our culture moves away from sound doctrine like that verse captures so beautifully, I don’t want to be part of that drift – and I’ll bet you don’t either. Think about the ancient Israelites. What happened every time God got them out of trouble? They forgot the Lord who’d delivered them, again and again, and they quickly started complaining. Grumbling. Murmuring. They complained about everything, quite literally – never thinking they had enough. They let their spark fade, because God was never enough.

Though savvy marketers seek to sway us differently, this should not be our season for wanting more stuff, but for wanting more of Christ. For us, this should be our season of rich and heartfelt worship, when we – with wide-eyed awe and wonder – make much of the One who has already given us everything. Namely, He has given us Himself. In a way that the Israelites before us could only long for, God has come to us. He who created the hosts of heaven would come to need the help of angels. Christ humbled Himself to the nth degree.

“Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
O come, let us adore Him …”

Tiny Tim prayed wisely: “God bless us, every one!” We who are the Lord’s redeemed really need each other right now. Yes, this is a time of great celebration, but we will never live as “salty” Christ-followers without a vital connection to a vital church. It’s true: “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose” (First Corinthians 12:18). That beautiful promise is a distinctively New Covenant reality accomplished only by Christ’s coming to this dark world. The immortal Ancient of Days became a mortal baby – for us.

You and I are not alone, and we will never be alone. So we must help each other keep the sparks sparking.

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing …”

O come, let us adore Him!

Pastor Charles