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Which Comes First, Identity or Behavior?
I am not perfect, and I will struggle with the “old Jim,” who was and is influenced by American culture, narratives and values. But the key is that identity comes before behavior. We almost always do ... -
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Culture shapes the way we order our life, interpret our experiences, and evaluate the behavior of other people. -
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Behavior modification that’s not empowered by God’s heart-changing grace is self-righteousness, as repugnant to God as the worst sins people gossip about. -
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No Food, No Riot
I had been in Iraq for about two months when I heard about an officer conducting an impromptu habit modification program in Kufa, a small city ninety miles south of the capital. He was an army major w... -
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Behavior vs. Identity
A number of years ago I was discipling a young man who had recently been released from the state’s juvenile detention center. As a teenager he had been hooked on drugs, and he had resorted to stealing... -
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Moralistic behavior change done for one's self simply manipulates and leverages radical selfishness without challenging it. -
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Look at Me!
Children have a tendency to say, “Look at me!” On the tricycle: “Look at me go!” On the trampoline: “Look at me bounce!” On the swing set: “Look at me swing!” Such behavior is acceptable for children.... -
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Societies the world around are currently in desperate straits trying to produce people who are merely capable of coping with their life on earth in a nondestructive manner. -
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By definition, hurry sickness is “a behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness; an overwhelming and continual sense of urgency.” -
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The Hurry Sickness Disease
Psychologists and mental health professionals are now talking about an epidemic of the modern world: “hurry sickness.” As in, they label it a disease. Here’s one definition: A behavior pattern chara... -
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A predominant characteristic . . . of the behavior of those I call evil is scapegoating. Because in their hearts they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at anyone who does reproach... -
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Culture consists of concepts, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are widely shared by people. . . . [These] are transmitted generation to generation, rarely with explicit instr... -
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The Charm of Beauty is to Win Hearts
Recently, when I was in London, I went to the National Gallery. It was a weekday, but it was still crowded with people wearing headsets, staring at famous paintings, listening to a narrator explain th... -
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A Christmas with Home Alone
Richness in the Slapstick I don’t know about you, but when I think of insightful, theologically rich content on Christmas , I don’t naturally start with blockbuster films. And no, I’m not referring ... -
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Getting Feedback is Hard
We all have blind spots. We all have flaws in our personalities, behavior, or work habits that we can’t see, and they block our performance and growth. But others can see them. If we permit them to gi... -
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Book Review: When Narcissism Comes to Church
Pride, and its more serious cousin, narcissism, really shouldn’t have any place in leadership circles in the church. When I became a serious follower of Jesus at a teenager, Philippians 2 became one o... -
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Richard Rohr on White Privilege
White privilege is largely hidden from our eyes if we are white. Why? Because it is structural instead of psychological, and we tend to interpret most things in personal, individual, and psychological... -
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Re-Wilding and Restoring Balance to Nature
In 1995, the gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after a seventy-year hiatus. Scientists expected an ecological ripple effect, but the size and scope of the trophic cascade took th... -
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But even in the much-publicized rebellion of the young against the materialism of the affluent society, the consumer mentality is too often still intact: the standards of behavior are still those of k... -
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A Review of "The Minority Experience" by Adrian Pei
Editors Note: This is perhaps less a review as a jumping off part to articulate some thoughts I developed while reading The Minority Experience. For a full review of the title, a cursory google search... -
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A Different Kind of Entitlement
September 2018 The Millennial Stereotype There is perhaps no stronger stereotype of the millennial generation than that of “entitled.” For those of us who were born between 1981-1996, we’ve been lab... -
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What do We Mean by “Culture?”
Not very long ago, “culture” commonly referred to what is now meant by “high culture.” For instance, we might have said, “She has such a cultured voice.” If a person read Shakespeare, Goethe, Gore Vid... -
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The Seminary Faculty Guest
There’s a story out there about an angel that showed up at a seminary faculty meeting. In order to honor the dean, who had been a man of unselfish and exemplary behavior, the angel said God had decide... -
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Finding the Plots of our Own Lives
The same impulse that makes us want our books to have a plot makes us want our lives to have a plot. We need to feel that we are getting somewhere, making progress. There is something in us that is no... -
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Solving the Narcissism Epidemic
Recently a group of researchers conducted a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs. The researchers reported a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music... -
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Persuading Ourselves of the Truth
When we observe evil, sinful behavior from a distance, the inclination is simply to see people as acting with malicious intent. We assume they are “bad people.” But often the motivations that lead to ... -
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Rising GNP and Lowering GNH
There has been a paradigm shift going on in neighborhoods in the United States since the end of WWII. For decades before the 1940s, neighborhoods were places where people were known and were active. W... -
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The Stalker
Editor’s Note: This story is often told as a true story, when in fact it is probably fictitious. Nevertheless, there is a significant illustrative point: sometimes the things we fear most may in fact ... -
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How do you help People Change: The Story of the St. Lucian Parrot
But could you imagine how valuable it would be to be able to change people’s thoughts, actions, behaviors across a whole host of areas from one to another? This is precisely the question Dan and Chip... -
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The hole in our holiness is that we don’t really care much about it. Passionate exhortation to pursue gospel-driven holiness is barely heard in most of our churches. It’s not that we don’t talk about ...
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A
- Abandonment
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B
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C
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D
- Dancing
- Danger
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- Dangers of Technology
- Darkness
- Deacons
- Death
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- Debt
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- Desires
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- Diversity
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- Divine Love
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- Division
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- Doubt
- Dreams
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- Drugs
- Dying to Self
- The Digital World
- The Dying
E
- Easter
- Eating
- Economics
- Eden
- Education
- Elderly People
- Elders
- Elections (Political)
- Emotions
- Empowerment
- Emptiness
- Encouragement
- Endurance
- Enemies
- Energy
- Enlightenment
- Entertainment
- Entitlement
- Environment
- Envy
- Equality
- Eschatology (End Times)
- Eternal Life
- Eternity
- Eternity of God
- Ethics
- Evangelism
- Evil
- Evolution
- Example
- Excellence
- Exclusion
- Exhaustion
- Expectations
- Expectations of Children
- Experience
- Exploitation
- Eyes
- The Early Church
- The Earth
- The Epiphany
F
- Face of God
- Failure
- Fairy Tales
- Faith
- Faith and Doubt
- Faithfulness
- Falling Short
- Fame
- Family
- Family Discipleship
- Family Dysfunction
- Farming
- Fashion
- Fatherhood of God
- Fathers
- Fatigue
- Favor of God
- Fear
- Feedback
- Fellowship
- Fiction
- Fire
- Five Senses
- Flesh
- Flourishing
- Focus
- Following
- Following Jesus
- Food
- Foolishness
- Football (American)
- Forgetfulness
- Forgiveness
- Foundations
- Four Gospels
- Free Will
- Freedom
- Friends
- Friendship
- Fruit
- Fulfillment
- Fun
- Funerals
- Future
- The Fear of God
G
- Games
- Garden of Eden
- Gardening
- Gardens
- Gathering
- Generations
- Generosity
- Genesis
- Gifts
- Giving
- Giving God the Glory
- Gladness
- Global Christianity
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- Glorifying God
- Glory
- Goals
- God
- God Seeking Us
- God the Creator
- God's Anger
- God's Character
- God's Faithfulness
- God's Gifts
- God's Goodness
- God's Judgment
- God's Justice
- God's Law
- God's Love
- God's Name
- God's Nearness
- God's Omniscience
- God's Plans
- God's Power (Omnipotence)
- God's Protection
- God's Provision
- God's Pursuit
- God's Reign
- God's Sovereignty
- God's Story
- God's Sufficiency
- God's Throne
- God's Voice
- God's Will
- God's Word
- God's Works
- Good and Evil
- Good Life
- Good News
- Good Works
- Goodness
- Goodness of God
- Gospel
- Government
- Grace
- Grandparents
- Gratitude
- Greatness of God
- Greed
- Grief
- Growth
- Guidance
- Guilt
- The Glory of God
H
- Habits
- Happiness
- Hard Work
- Harmony
- Harvest
- Hatred
- Healing
- Health
- Healthcare
- Hearing God
- Heart
- Heart Change
- Heaven
- Hell
- Help
- Helping our Neighbors
- Helping the Poor
- Heroes
- High Performance
- History
- Hobbies
- Holiness
- Holiness of God
- Home
- Home Ownership
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- Honor
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- Hospitality
- Human Condition
- Human History
- Human Nature
- Human Sexuality
- Humanity
- Humble Living
- Humility
- Humor
- Hunger
- Hurry
- Hypocrisy
- The Holy Land
- The Holy Spirit
I
- Ideas
- Identity
- Identity in Christ
- Idolatry
- Ignorance
- Ignoring God
- Illness
- Image
- Image Bearers
- Images
- Imagination
- Immigrants
- Impact
- Impatience
- Independence Day
- Indifference
- Individualism
- Inequality
- Influence
- Information
- Ingratitude
- Inheritance
- Injury
- Injustice
- Inner Peace
- Innovation
- Insanity
- Insecurity
- Inspiration
- Instant Gratification
- Integrity
- Intelligence
- Interdependence
- Invitation
- Irony
- Irresistible
- Isolation
- Israel
- The Image of God
- The Incarnation
- The Internet
J
K
L
- Labor
- Labor Day
- Lack of Presence
- Language
- Laughter
- Law (Torah)
- Laziness
- Leaders
- Leadership
- Learning
- Legacy
- Leisure
- Lent
- Lies
- Life
- Life after Death
- Life Story
- Light
- Light of the World
- Limitations
- Listening
- Listening to God
- Liturgy
- Living Life
- Living Water
- Loneliness
- Longing
- Lord of Lords
- Loss
- Love
- Love of God and Neighbor
- Love of Money
- Loving Kindness
- Loving Other Christians
- Loving your Neighbor
- Lying
- The Lord's Supper
M
- Magnificat
- Manipulation
- Marriage
- Martyrdom
- Masks
- Materialism
- Meals
- Media
- Medicine
- Meditation
- Meekness
- Mental Health
- Mental Illness
- Mercy
- Military Service
- Millenials
- Mind
- Ministry
- Minorities
- Miracles
- Mission
- Missionaries
- Missions
- Mistaken Identity
- Mistakes
- Misunderstanding
- Mobility
- Modern Life
- Monasticism
- Money
- Moral Relativism
- Morality
- Moses
- Mothers
- Motivations
- Motives
- Mountains
- Mourning
- Music
- Mystery
- Mythology
- Myths
- The Military
- The Mind of Christ
- The Missional Church
- The Morning
N
O
P
- Pace
- Pain
- Palm Sunday
- Parables
- Parenting
- Parents
- Passion
- Past
- Pastors
- Paths
- Patience
- Peace
- Pentecost
- Perfection
- Perfectionism
- Persecution
- Perseverance
- Persistence
- Personal
- Personality
- Perspective
- Phones
- Photographs
- Place
- Play
- Pleasure
- Poetry
- Political Freedom
- Political Leaders
- Politicians
- Politics
- Poor
- Pop Culture
- Popularity
- Possessions
- Postmodernism
- Poverty
- Power
- Praise
- Praise Music
- Prayer
- Prayers for Funerals
- Preaching
- Prejudice
- Presence
- President
- Pressure
- Price
- Pride
- Priorities
- Prisoners
- Private Faith
- Privilege
- Problems
- Productivity
- Progress
- Prosperity
- Protection
- Proud
- Providence
- Provision
- Pruning
- Public Faith
- Purpose
- The Passing of Time
- The Prophets
- The Psalms
R
- Race
- Race (Running)
- Race and Reconciliation
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Rationality
- Reading
- Real Estate
- Reality
- Reason
- Rebellion
- Receiving
- Receiving Forgiveness
- Receiving Gifts
- Receiving Grace
- Receiving Love
- Receiving the Word
- Reconciliation
- Recovery
- Redeemer
- Redemption
- Reformation Sunday
- Rehab
- Rejection
- Relationship with God
- Relationships
- Relaxation
- Relevance
- Religion
- Religion and Politics
- Religion and Public Life
- Religions
- Religious Pluralism
- Renewal
- Repentance
- Repetition
- Reputation
- Rescue
- Resilience
- Responsibility
- Rest
- Restlessness
- Restoration
- Resurrection
- Resurrection of the Dead
- Resurrection to New Life
- Retreat
- Revelation
- Revival
- Rewards
- Rhythms
- Rhythms of Rest
- Riches
- Righteousness
- Risks
- Rituals
- Romantic Love
- Romantic Relationships
- Rootedness
- Routines
- Rules
- The Rich
- The Risen Lord
- The Rock
- The Roman Empire
S
- Sabbath
- Sacred vs. Secular
- Sacrifice
- Safety
- Salt and Light
- Salt of the Earth
- Salvation
- Sanctification
- Satan
- Satisfaction
- Savior
- School
- Science
- Science and Religion
- Scripture
- Sea
- Searching
- Second Chances
- Secularism
- Security
- Seeking God
- Seeking Happiness
- Segregation
- Self-Absorption
- Self-Acceptance
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Centeredness
- Self-Consciousness
- Self-Control
- Self-Deception
- Self-Destruction
- Self-Discipline
- Self-Expression
- Self-Help
- Self-Image
- Self-Improvement
- Self-Interest
- Self-Knowledge
- Self-Love
- Self-Reliance
- Self-Renunciation
- Self-Righteousness
- Self-Sufficiency
- Selfishness
- Selflessness
- Servanthood
- Service
- Settling
- Sex
- Shallowness
- Shalom
- Shame
- Sheep
- Shelter
- Shepherds
- Sickness
- Silence
- Simplicity
- Sin
- Sinfulness
- Singing
- Sins of the Church
- Skepticism
- Slavery
- Slowing Down
- Smart Phones
- Social Media
- Social Status
- Society
- Soil
- Solitude
- Songs
- Sorrow
- Spectacle
- Spiritual Disciplines
- Spiritual Formation
- Spiritual Growth
- Spiritual Hunger
- Spirituality
- Sports
- Spring (Season)
- Standards
- Stars
- Status Quo
- Staying Humble
- Steadfast Love
- Stealing
- Stereotypes
- Stewardship
- Stillness
- Stories
- Storms
- Storytelling
- Stranger
- Strength
- Stress
- Structures
- Stuff
- Stupidity
- Submission
- Suburbs
- Success
- Suffering
- Suicide
- Summer
- Sun
- Supernatural
- Surgery
- Surprise
- Surrender
- Suspicion of Authority
- Sustainer
- Sweetness
- The Sacraments
- The Saints
- The Sick
- The Soul
T
- Talents
- Talking
- Targets
- Tears
- Technology
- Teenagers
- Television
- Temptation
- Terrorism
- Thanksgiving (General)
- Thanksgiving (Holiday)
- The Temple
- The Trinity
- Theology
- Therapy
- Things
- Third Third of Life
- Thought
- Threats
- Time
- Tired
- Tongue
- Town
- Tradition
- Training
- Transformation
- Translation
- Travel
- Treasure
- Trees
- Trouble
- True Self
- Trust
- Truth
- Turning a Blind Eye
U
W
- The Way
- The Weak
- The Wild
- Waiting
- Wandering
- Wants
- War
- Water
- Ways
- Weakness
- Wealth
- Weariness
- Weather
- Weeping
- Western Culture
- Wickedness
- Wilderness
- Wisdom
- Wisdom of God
- Witnesses
- Wittiness
- Women
- Women Changing the World
- Wonder
- Words
- Work
- Work and Rest
- Work-Life Balance
- Workaholism
- Workmanship
- World
- World Leaders
- World Peace
- Worldliness
- Worldview
- Worry
- Worship
- Worth
- Writing
Y
Top_level_categories by Reference
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
2 Samuel
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Esther
Job
Psalm
- Ps 1 (5)
- Ps 2 (1)
- Ps 6 (1)
- Ps 8 (5)
- Ps 9 (2)
- Ps 10 (1)
- Ps 12 (1)
- Ps 14 (1)
- Ps 15 (1)
- Ps 16 (1)
- Ps 18 (1)
- Ps 19 (10)
- Ps 20 (1)
- Ps 22 (4)
- Ps 23 (16)
- Ps 24 (9)
- Ps 25 (1)
- Ps 27 (8)
- Ps 30 (4)
- Ps 32 (6)
- Ps 33 (5)
- Ps 34 (19)
- Ps 36 (1)
- Ps 37 (4)
- Ps 39 (2)
- Ps 40 (2)
- Ps 42 (6)
- Ps 46 (21)
- Ps 47 (1)
- Ps 48 (1)
- Ps 51 (18)
- Ps 52 (1)
- Ps 55 (1)
- Ps 56 (1)
- Ps 57 (2)
- Ps 62 (2)
- Ps 63 (2)
- Ps 65 (2)
- Ps 67 (1)
- Ps 68 (2)
- Ps 71 (1)
- Ps 72 (4)
- Ps 73 (3)
- Ps 78 (2)
- Ps 80 (2)
- Ps 82 (6)
- Ps 84 (2)
- Ps 85 (3)
- Ps 86 (3)
- Ps 88 (1)
- Ps 89 (1)
- Ps 90 (8)
- Ps 92 (2)
- Ps 94 (1)
- Ps 95 (4)
- Ps 96 (2)
- Ps 98 (6)
- Ps 100 (5)
- Ps 103 (9)
- Ps 104 (4)
- Ps 105 (1)
- Ps 107 (1)
- Ps 111 (1)
- Ps 112 (2)
- Ps 113 (2)
- Ps 115 (2)
- Ps 117 (1)
- Ps 118 (2)
- Ps 119 (9)
- Ps 121 (1)
- Ps 122 (1)
- Ps 124 (1)
- Ps 126 (2)
- Ps 127 (5)
- Ps 128 (1)
- Ps 133 (5)
- Ps 135 (1)
- Ps 136 (2)
- Ps 139 (16)
- Ps 141 (2)
- Ps 143 (1)
- Ps 145 (4)
- Ps 147 (6)
- Ps 148 (1)
- Ps 150 (1)
Proverbs
- Prov 1 (1)
- Prov 2 (1)
- Prov 3 (19)
- Prov 4 (7)
- Prov 5 (1)
- Prov 6 (1)
- Prov 9 (1)
- Prov 10 (2)
- Prov 11 (5)
- Prov 12 (6)
- Prov 13 (4)
- Prov 14 (9)
- Prov 15 (4)
- Prov 16 (10)
- Prov 17 (6)
- Prov 18 (8)
- Prov 19 (9)
- Prov 20 (2)
- Prov 21 (7)
- Prov 22 (7)
- Prov 23 (3)
- Prov 24 (2)
- Prov 25 (1)
- Prov 26 (1)
- Prov 27 (7)
- Prov 28 (2)
- Prov 29 (7)
- Prov 30 (2)
- Prov 31 (11)
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
- Isa 1 (13)
- Isa 2 (4)
- Isa 5 (4)
- Isa 6 (3)
- Isa 7 (1)
- Isa 9 (14)
- Isa 11 (2)
- Isa 12 (1)
- Isa 25 (1)
- Isa 26 (5)
- Isa 28 (4)
- Isa 30 (7)
- Isa 32 (1)
- Isa 35 (1)
- Isa 40 (26)
- Isa 41 (11)
- Isa 42 (2)
- Isa 43 (10)
- Isa 44 (2)
- Isa 45 (1)
- Isa 47 (2)
- Isa 49 (3)
- Isa 51 (1)
- Isa 53 (11)
- Isa 55 (13)
- Isa 56 (1)
- Isa 57 (4)
- Isa 58 (7)
- Isa 60 (6)
- Isa 61 (16)
- Isa 64 (2)
- Isa 66 (2)