The Worldly Deceit of Willpower
In 1975, three friends and I participated in a 200-mile bicycle marathon on Belle Isle, an island-park owned by the city of Detroit. The course was a …
The Unworthiness of Self-Esteem
The Times of London once asked leading British intellectuals to enter a competition, writing articles that answered this simple question: “What is the …
What Does God Sound Like When We Sin?
Years ago I told a friend of an embarrassing, recurring temptation. Over the next month, he shared my secret with dozens of people, spicing up my …
There Is Hope in Our Suffering
After my junior year at University, I wanted to spend a summer abroad, but money was tight, so tight that my Sunday feast was Raman noodles. I found a …
Are We Unconsciously Controlled?
[Click here for a reading and commentary on this article.] Years ago I read a study asking people to list their earliest memories of world news. The …
Chasing Lovers
During its first fifteen years, my old software company only worked with domestic clients. In the late nineties, we landed Oxford University Press (a …
When Two Parties Claim the Same Throne
I vividly remember my introduction to spiritual warfare. I was in my Detroit high school prayer group, the New Vine, when someone got a hold of some …
Is Modern Therapy Serving Up Spiritual Malnutrition?
A few years ago, I attended a men’s conference on discipleship. There were only two full-audience speeches; the rest of the conference consisted of a …
Just Like a Friend
I’m an introvert (as God meant all people to be). When I fly, I sit quietly ignoring the person next to me (as God meant all airline passengers to …
Learning to Hear God’s Voice
Every human longs to hear the voice of God. It’s who we are, it’s in our DNA. But most believers find that prayer is too one-sided: us speaking to God …
Controlling The Remote
When I was a student at university, I saw the Stepford Wives (the original not the copy). It was so eerie I couldn’t get it out of my mind. A decade …
When Helping God is Lethal
I have an atheist friend who hates the Bible because of the Old Testament: the violent wars, people struck dead, and idea of a fearful God. He doesn’t …