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I was talking with a friend about God using the circumstances in our lives to show us what’s in our hearts. For example, if the teenage boy’s drum playing next door angers you, it’s not that he’s making you angry. You actually have anger in your heart . . .

I’m not sure I want my wife telling me what I can’t eat, let alone the government (though I do try to listen to my wife). Stories about government banning certain food items, particularly those with high fat content, are increasing. By way of example, not the latest, but perhaps the most prominent, occurred some time back in San Francisco . . .

Perhaps no recent statement has better captured so glaringly the bent of our culture than Pat Robertson’s advice to a man whose wife has Alzheimer’s: “he should divorce her and start all over again.” . . .

There is no doubt Edward Bulwer-Lytton was right when he coined the phrase for his 1839 play The Conspiracy, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Ideas take root in the minds of people and bear real consequences

The church is not immune to movements, trends, programs, and people latching on to the latest study that’s supposed to transform our lives. Each of these movements or trends is supposed to be that thing we’ve been missing; that thing that will take us over the top spiritually speaking.

The issue of marriage with particular reference to a constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriage is dangerous for conservative Christians who disagree with the majority who are in favor of such an amendment. It’s dangerous in that one who is not in favor of banning homosexual marriage is considered to be in favor of homosexual marriage, liberal, and unbiblical, none of which is the case . . .

If “American Idol” or the latest reality show proves anything it’s that people like to get caught up in things with other people. There is no shortage of news junkies, political movements, rock and roll groupies, or “save the whale” supporters

One of the biggest complaints from parents and teenagers alike is that there is often little or no communication between the two groups. Perhaps you’re like one discouraged mom who said to me, “I’ve tried to talk with my daughter but she just shuts me down. I’ve tried everything to let her know I care but she just won’t let me in any more.” Or maybe you’re like the frustrated dad who told me the only thing his son would ever say to him was “you just don’t understand . . .

President Obama has a problem: volunteers seem uninterested this time around. That’s startling considering that under-thirty-somethings worked on campaigns at a higher rate than the population at large in 2008 for the first time since 1950. Yet, as The New York Times reported sometime back, the campaign rallies on college campuses that formerly felt like rock concerts are now drawing only a few students.

Most American Christians believe that America has a special place in God's heart.

We’ve all heard of “spin” or “spinning a story.” Newscasters give us their spin on different events everyday and we understand that. That’s why we watch our favorite stories analyzed to death; we want to get as much information and opinion as we can. But we’ve moved beyond spin as a culture and it’s not a good thing. We’ve moved into changing reality itself

South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is becoming a bit intrusive. In our neighborhood we have a pool and swim team. To prevent injury, coaches remove the ladders from the pool during practice and meets. They are making wise decisions for themselves and their swimmers based on experience. DHEC however, has consistently insisted the ladders be bolted into the concrete to prevent them from coming out while someone is climbing out of the water.

It's fairly common among American Christians to see the role of government as doing good for the citizens of a nation. We not only live in a time when much is provided by government at tax-payer expense, including housing, food stamps, welfare, ball parks, playgrounds, and tennis courts, to name a few, but we often impose the American experience onto the Scriptures rather than let the Scriptures guide our steps.

Twenty-five years ago my father suffered a major heart-attack and needed by-pass surgery. That’s a frightening prospect for anyone at anytime. Even so in his case, because the technology wasn’t where it is today and his heart was so damaged, the weight of the whole thing was particularly heavy. You can imagine the anxiety we were feeling.

Why are there Bible-believing Christians on opposite sides when it comes to the issue of church and state?

The old saying “when it rains it pours” seems to be true sometimes when it comes to the trials we face in life. There are occasions when we seem to be in one trial and get hit with another. That feeling or reality, as the case may be, is not far from what James actually tells us. He lovingly says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (Jas. 1:2).

Do we live in a pluralistic society or is that changing? A pluralistic society is simply one that is built on religious freedom, a principle that originates from the New Testament. On the other hand, pluralism as a worldview is the notion that all religions, values, philosophies, and truth claims must be seen as equally valid. As a nation we’re headed toward adopting pluralism as our national religion

Where do you stand on the national debt and what we should do about it? Christians should have an informed opinion on these issues.

Musicians often know what the problem is, but they really don’t know the solution. When the Beatles sang, “Help, I need somebody, help, not just anybody,” no words could have been more true. Of course, they weren’t talking about the Lord Jesus . . .