Christian Living, Politics
John Beeson
Political Trench Warfare

Just over a hundred years ago the world was mired in the Great War, what would come to be called World War I. Parallel trenches were constructed across Europe. Millions of young men with baryonetted rifles in hand lined the muddy ditches. Fighting was brutal with thousands of lives lost for gains measured in feet, not miles.

Trenches may be a thing of the past when it comes to warfare, but they are alive and well when it comes to political conversations. We line up shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers-in-arms and fire rounds across no man’s land to the other side.

Political Trench Warfare
Culture, Forgiveness, Spiritual Growth
John Beeson
The Untrustworthiness of Me

My car glided down our suburban streets when I noted the silver Civic maneuver a hurried U-turn a hundred yards or so in front of me. “That’s quite an aggressive driver,” I thought to myself. I watched as the driver floored their Civic and closely tailed the SUV in front of them in the right lane. “Oh wow,” I thought. That young man is in a hurry or is angry. The Civic kept tailing the SUV even though the left lane was empty. “This must be personal,” I thought.

 As we came up to the stop light, I was cautious.

The Untrustworthiness of Me
Christian Living, Spiritual Growth
John Beeson
Are You Wearing Spiritual Spanx?

$1.3 billion: that’s Sara Blakely's net worth. In 2000, Blakely began going door to door with an invisible product. Well, invisible to everyone but the wearer. Spanx was a very different kind of underwear, created to help shape the wearer's body: tucking, hiding, and shaping your body to make you feel better. No longer did you have to go to the gym to get the body you wanted. You could shape your body with your underwear.

If you are as old as me or older, you remember when gym clothes were bulky and formless. Sweatpants and oversized t-shirts were once the expected attire.

Are You Wearing Spiritual Spanx?
Counseling, Education
John Beeson
Should My Counselor Be Licensed?

Looking for a counselor can be overwhelming. How do you know if they will be good? Are they properly trained? Are they a Christian? If they are a Christian, how much does their Christian worldview shape their counsel?

 

One of the most frequent pieces of advice I hear is to seek out a licensed Christian counselor. I recently finished a book by a counselor I respect who offered this advice a number of times throughout her book. Near the end of the book, she explained that she urges people to seek a licensed counselor because licensure certifies that the counselor has received proper training and isn’t offering faulty or half-baked advice.

Should My Counselor Be Licensed?
Culture, Parenting, Social Media
John Beeson
Why Are We All So Anxious?

Gallup recently reported that, “The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29.0%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015. The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8%, up about seven points over the same period. Both rates are the highest recorded by Gallup since it began measuring depression using the current form of data collection in 2015.”

Why Are We All So Anxious?

comfort

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What If Everyone at Your Church Was Like You?

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What If Everyone at Your Church Was Like You?

Is the church biblically sound? Do its leaders bear a faithful witness with their personal lives? Is the theology sound? Does the worship honor Christ? Is there programming that helps those from diverse ages grow in faith? Does it reflect the ethnic diversity of its neighborhood?

This is just the tip of the iceberg of appropriate questions when considering whether a church might be a good fit for us. Most of us have a finely tuned ability to evaluate churches. We’ve developed these skills by combining our biblical knowledge with our experience in our consumer culture.

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How to Avoid Being Satan’s Miserable Comforter

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How to Avoid Being Satan’s Miserable Comforter

The heavenly host surrounds the Almighty. The Enemy enters. “From where have you come?” God asks the Opposer. Satan sneers, “From going to and fro on the earth.” God asks him to consider his servant Job, “a blameless and upright man.” Satan mocks, “Does Job fear God for no reason?”

Like Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, the Adversary saunters across the scene and challenges his foe, “Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?” Unlike Dirty Harry, Satan does not work alone. He manipulates, coerces, and cajoles us to join him in his cause to multiply the ranks of those who curse God.

Job’s wife is the first to be lured by Satan, “Curse God and die!” she urges husband. Job’s friends soon join in. “Miserable comforters are you all[!]” (Job 16:2) Job sputters, provoked by their arrogance and lack of empathy.

You’ve been there, haven’t you? You were passed over for a promotion and it stung. “God has something better,” your friend assures you before empathizing. Miserable comforter.

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