How To Not Commit Adultery

Adultery is an unpleasant subject.

The secular world, attempting to assuage its collective conscious, deals with this unpleasant subject by calling it “an affair.”

An “affair,” you see, is trivial, a mere fling. Nothing to see here. Move along.

True Jesus-followers are usually savvy enough to avoid this secular word play and see it for what it is—an attempt to render amoral one of the most destructive relational acts known to man by a linguistic slight of hand. But then they often make a different mistake, a mistake which is equally offensive to the Truth.

That mistake is calling the process that results in infidelity as “falling into adultery.” I suspect they do this to not sound judgmental toward the adulterer. “You see, he didn’t really mean to hurt anyone. He fell into adultery.”

The problem here is that people do not “fall into adultery.” People fall into manholes; they commit adultery.  Continue reading “How To Not Commit Adultery”

Advice for Judges from the Bible

I’m a trial lawyer.

And as a trial lawyer, my job requires dealing with judges.

Even if you are not a trial lawyer, you should be concerned about judges because judges are the dispensers of justice in our society.

And, if we do not have a good judges we will not have justice, and justice is foundational not only to a healthy culture but to the kingdom of God. (Isaiah 9:7).

Fortunately, the Bible is quite clear as to what makes a good judge; it is stated in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. There are three principle qualifications: Continue reading “Advice for Judges from the Bible”

Treason In The Kingdom

Treason AureliousRecently the youth minister at my in-law’s church in Tennessee was indicted for soliciting prostitution of a minor.

It made the national news. Maybe you saw it.

While it was probably the youth minister’s fifteen minutes of fame, I’m guessing it was not the kind of fame he had hoped for.

Of all the transgressions he could have committed, as a youth minister solicitation of a minor is probably the dumbest. It certainly would have been better for him had he opted for a less grievous sin like failing to put the toilet seat down or take out the trash. But then again, such sins rarely have anything to do with intelligence.  Continue reading “Treason In The Kingdom”

Why God Is Not Fair

Fair-Versus-UnfairMy parents bought bicycles for me and my brother for our tenth birthdays. My brother is 10 months older than me, so he got his–a brand new red one–first.

When my birthday arrived, my expectations were high. I can still remember my disappointment when instead of a new bike, I receive a used Schwinn. It wasn’t fair.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time after His resurrection Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the other disciples. Peter said he did. Jesus then told Peter that when he was old he would be taken into custody and put to death. Peter then looked around and saw the disciple, John, and asked Jesus if John would get the same fate. Jesus responded, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” John 21:18;22. Continue reading “Why God Is Not Fair”

Some Kingdom Perspective On Taxes

taxesI don’t like taxes.

I don’t like calculating them, and I don’t like paying them.

I don’t like income taxes, payroll taxes or sales taxes.

The taxes I dislike the most are property taxes.

The idea that I can actually own something, like my house, and have to continue to pay taxes on it or the government can take it from me, I think, is crazy.

I get that some taxes may be necessary to run the government, but I still don’t like paying them.

Notwithstanding my dislike of taxes, I love Jesus, and because I love Jesus I pay my taxes. Continue reading “Some Kingdom Perspective On Taxes”