Peter’s Path to Progress

How do you become a more fruitful, effective Christian? Do we just need to buckle down, read more Bible, pray harder, and show up to church more often? That’s often what we (I) tell people to do. But if that’s all we say, it can become a soul-crushing, joyless works-righteousness that kills our desire for […]

How to Read the Book

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but you should judge a book by its purpose. Some books are meant to be read for fun; I devoured the Hardy Boys detective novels as a kid. Some books are meant to be used as guides; I used the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to look up the meaning of the word “colophon” […]

The God-Man in the Desert

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1 What was it like for Jesus, in the wilderness, while he was tempted by Satan? Was it easy for him? Was it difficult for him? Could Jesus have sinned if he wanted to? Before you roll […]

All Would Be Equally Brave

How much of a difference can faith make? Let’s consider two figures from military history. For now, we’ll call them Thomas and Irvin. Thomas is a quiet, unremarkable college professor who wears a shaggy beard and a worn-out jacket. His students don’t care for him much, and his appearance doesn’t exactly win him praise among […]

Can You Trust the Bible?

“I Can’t Trust the Bible” That statement, or some version of it, is one of the major reasons why people either reject Christianity, refashion it to suit their tastes, or leave the whole concept of “religion” in the realm of comfortable incomprehensibility. But with Easter just behind us, this question comes into sharp focus. The […]

A Taste for Eternity

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we will see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Was it a flaming sunset over a pristine lake? […]

Cade Patterson

S. D. G.