Ask Pastor John

Sometimes the Bible confronts us and tears down our longstanding opinions. And although the process may hurt, being refined by God’s word is always worth the cost.

God’s world shines with his glory — and so does his word. Just as the heavens declare God’s greatness, so his word overflows with the beauty of his majesty.

When it comes to making God-honoring decisions, our greatest problem isn’t necessarily that we don’t think enough, but that we don’t have hearts and emotions that treasure God above all else.

As we study the Bible, we want to go deep into the details of specific texts, and we want to get a broad overview of the whole. How can we do both in a limited amount of time?

We need more pastors with both theological backbones of steel and compassionate hearts of warmth. In short, we need more pastors like our Lord Jesus Christ.

Should a parent share their past sins with a child to comfort or warn them? Or are parents better off just keeping their sins to themselves?

The Bible repeatedly calls Christians to set their minds on what is above — on what is true and good and beautiful. But does that mean we need to avoid anything that isn’t obviously Christian?

As a writer and musician, Trip Lee reads regularly to spark his creativity. So what three books have influenced his life most?

We may assume that we can always just do something later, but God never guarantees a “later.” We must make the most of the time we have now.

We will never find security if we think we have what it takes to make it through life. Only God himself can provide the fullness of hope we desperately long for.

God calls Christians to stand firm in the truth, but that doesn’t excuse us for being jerks when our culture turns against us.

Our phones offer us plenty of convenience, but it comes at the price of distraction. Sometimes we need to step back and make sure we control our phones and that they haven’t mastered us.

Explicit sexuality and nudity are pervasive in our culture. And because it’s everywhere, Christians need to guard their souls more than ever.

We may sometimes be tempted to think that God is just a cosmic killjoy with lots of rules. But in reality, he is working for our highest joy, even when he asks us to deny ourselves.

We can use social media as a tool for good, but all too often, the likes and retweets can consume us. How do we get sucked in so easily?

Joy in the Christian life doesn’t usually come without a struggle. We have to fight to delight in the Lord on a daily basis.

True strength doesn’t come from having the energy to do everything we want to accomplish. According to the Bible, when we are weak, then we are strong.

Jesus did not have a sinful nature like ours, but that doesn’t mean he can’t identify with our temptation. He was tempted as we are, but had to remain without sin to save us forever.

Jesus teaches us to pray that the Father would deliver us from evil. But what exactly does God deliver us from, and does he do it?

The world around us isn’t impressed with a church that lives just like everyone else. What they need to see are people who daily breathe the air of another world.