Month: July 2026

Happy Birthday, America

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“For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 CSB – Read the chapter)

Tomorrow the United States of America celebrates its 250th birthday. Personally, I’m going to be up early claiming a spot on Main Street where I will watch our town’s annual Fourth of July parade. It’s the largest such parade in the area. I’ll be joined by 30-35,000 of my closest friends who will park…everywhere there is to park in our town of about 2,500 people. After that, I’m going to be hunkering down in the AC (for my European friends, that is a miraculous invention that allows you to make it dramatically cooler on the inside than it is on the outside) because it will be nearly 100 degrees already by the time the parade ends. Then I’ll go to a cookout with some friends and close the day out by watching the largest fireworks display our town has ever had on the last day of our weeklong carnival. The next morning, I’ll get up early and head to church. In other words, it’ll be about the most American weekend you could imagine. Let’s talk a bit today about what makes America so great.

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Man tied to tree with rope in dense forest looking distressed

Getting Caught in Your Own Trap

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“Why, my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a wayward woman? For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths. A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin. He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity.” (Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Have you ever done something that seemed like a good idea at the time only to run into a wall later? Had you really stopped to think about it, you probably wouldn’t have done it, but you wanted it. And so, instead of listening to the friend or two who warned you against it, you convinced yourself that you were right or even wise—at least justified—in doing whatever it was. Sin is a trap, but it’s one we often fall into ourselves because of a pattern of bad decision making. This applies to all sorts of situations, but especially times of sexual sin. Let’s talk about it.

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Couple walking hand in hand on a coastal trail at sunset with ocean and hills in background

Delighting in the Goodness of Marriage

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“Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers. Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. A loving deer, a graceful doe—let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.” (Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

After God made the first woman, He brought her to the first man to be his partner, his wife. And the first man, seeing her for the first time, was so excited that he broke into song. God designed marriage to be a good thing. He created it to be good for us and glorifying for Him. Today, though, it is often treated as something less than that. Yet when we get it right, it is a still a blessing. Let’s talk about some of Solomon’s wisdom for doing that.

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