Month: August 2019

Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:34 The first chemical dependency counselor I met explained to me that I had a disastrous life problem, but he also explained that it was treatable. He told me that if I followed the path laid out for me –…
Read more

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Matthew 20:26-27 In my first half-hearted attempt at recovery, if I wanted to keep my career, I had to go AA meetings, which I just didn’t feel were very helpful. I shared this with…
Read more

These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. Matthew 20:12 I’m a pastor’s kid, so when I was young, I went to church twice on Sunday and again on Wednesday. I didn’t swear, smoke, or drink alcohol so,…
Read more

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. Many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:29-30 The gym is always a good place to get a clear view…
Read more

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God . . . With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24-26 As I was preparing to leave chemical dependency treatment a few years ago, I…
Read more

  Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Matthew 19:21 Yesterday, I addressed pornography, which probably motivated some to share the blog with their spouses. You need to read this! It’s always easy to see another’s struggle. The truth is though, we’ve all got some struggle.…
Read more

There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:12 Most drug addicts, once they clean up, find they have other addictions. One of the more common ones, involves sex, lust, and pornography. Some don’t find this problematic because that’s just what guys do. Others though, have brought…
Read more

Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19:8 I grew up in a time and place where tattoos were taboo, being worn only by military personnel and bad boys. I was neither. Tattoos are much more common now, but it’s…
Read more

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6 In my addiction, I put the drug above everything: faith, career, and marriage. The repetitive lying, hiding, and destructive behavior eventually took its terrible toll on my relationship with my wife, who, in the third relapse, simply wanted nothing to do with me. In…
Read more

“You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” Matthew 18:32-33 I don’t generally think of myself as bitter, resentful, or unforgiving. If I’m honest though, there are those whom I struggle to forgive.…
Read more