We are clay
“Mom, what if when I grow up I find out I’m gay?” A twelve-year-old girl in our church asked her mom this recently. I asked the mother what she said in response to the question. She said, “First, I want to be clear about one thing: I’ll love you no matter what. Second, I don’t […]
What I’ve Learned About Men’s Discipleship from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
“A black belt is just a white belt who never quit” is a popular proverb in martial arts. It takes an average of 13 years to earn a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). Progressing is mostly about grit: not quitting. Those who endure to the end will be promoted. BJJ found its way to the United […]
How To Repent of Your Insecurity
“I know it’s not real, but I’m still afraid.” My son said this to me as he jumped into my arms when we were walking through a neighborhood full of shockingly creepy Halloween decorations. There was a robotic werewolf wrestling against the bars of a cage, shrouded in haze and flashing lights. “That’s okay, my […]
Young Men Need More than Pragmatic Advice
Young men aren’t doing well. In 2022, among those ages 10 to 24, males accounted for 78 percent of fatal suicide attempts. In 2023, males who graduated from high school were about 8 percent less likely to enroll in college. The labor-force participation rate has dropped around 10 percent for young men ages 20 to 24 in the last 30 years; […]
Feasting isn’t gluttony
“When are you going to teach on gluttony? You couldn’t pay me to have sex out of marriage or steal, but I will eat a bag of chips and a box of cookies at the same time in my living room watching TV. The guilt? It’s horrible.” I received this message from a congregant. I […]
Be inconsiderate to AI
“Say please and thank you.” When I first got an Apple HomePod that was powered by Siri, Apple’s AI personality, I was concerned about the speech I was modeling for my children. I’d bark at Siri, making short, impersonal demands. At the same time, I was resolved to teach my kids the basic manners of […]
Why (Really) Do We Become Prayerless?
“I haven’t prayed in a while.” I say this to myself too often. How long has it been? Sometimes a few hours, sometimes most of a day (or more). Where has my mind been? Where has my heart been? I sense the gentle but corrective nudge of the Father. He gets my attention by implanting […]
Grieve with your LDS friends
“They are attacking us like never before. We have to stick together. We have to resolve to be loud and public about our faith.” My Latter-day Saint (LDS/Mormon) friend who is a bishop said this to me the day after the brutal ramming, shooting, and arson at the LDS Stake (church building) that left many […]
How Should Pastors Respond to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination?
Iwas waiting for my lunch appointment to arrive when I saw the video on X. In my gut, I knew Charlie Kirk was going to die. The brutality—and grim clarity—of the clip made my heart drop. My first thought: His wife. His Kids. My second thought: My congregation. What do they need? How many will be heartbroken? […]
Just Discard Human Dignity
Silicon Valley and the technocrat-futurists want to redefine what it means to have a child, but their aims and technologies can be horrifying. Consider what Noor Siddiqui, founder and CEO of tech company Orchid, said in a recent X post: “When I was in elementary school, my mom started going blind. Retinitis pigmentosa. No family […]