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The Biggest Mistake I’ve Made This Year

Jay Brock — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:31:43 +0000

I have a confession to make…

I’m not perfect.

GASP!

No seriously, I’m really screwed up. I think before I speak, and sometimes I act before I do either.

Which led me to the realization that I am blessed to share with you today: the biggest mistake I’ve made this year.

About 5 years ago, there was a particular situation which I did not think through whatsoever at all. Some crazy stuff (nothing sinful, just crazy) went down and I ended up getting booted from that ministry.

In hindsight, I was a total idiot. Super unwise. Very disrespectful. Total blockhead move. The leadership made the right call in asking me to peace out for a season.

But it didn’t end there. Because as time went on, I found out that this team had been spreading the misunderstanding to others. Lots of others. My past has been held over my head, and grace was being withheld. I got furious, pointing out the obvious hypocrisy of their actions, and of course, the glorious Christian rumor mill was spinning at full speed!

So what did I do? I started fighting back. I starting dropping malice+judgement+gossip bombs EVERYWHERE. Which of course led them to continue to do the same, but also to justify their previous decisions. Both sides believe the other to be in the wrong, and neither of us see ourselves as the hypocrites.

It’s driven a huge wedge in that relationship, one that exists to this day. Worse still, it continues to bring more people into it that have NOTHING to do with it!

The crazy thing is that we are NOT enemies… we’re family! We’re both on the same side, fighting for the same things… God’s kingdom come!

How did things get so messed up?

Quite simple actually. It’s my biggest mistake of the year: I’ve been fighting sin with sin.

I don’t know if you’ve ever done this. Maybe it was a boyfriend who left you or a close friend that hurt you. Maybe it was just a ridiculous misunderstanding, or maybe you hurt someone and have been too prideful to admit it. Whatever it was, you didn’t take the high road. You started judging, slandering, and gossiping.

I went there. And it’s not working out so well.

Which leads me to the biggest lesson I’ve been learning this year so far: You can’t fight sin with sin.

Remember what Jesus said- “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

I’ve been called to lay down the sinful weapons of darkness. And I think God wants you to do the same.

It’s hard though, isn’t it?! Your “enemies” are still using all these weapons, but you MUST lay yours down first… that’s like putting down your gun in a fire fight! Trust God.

The truth is, maybe God just wants to work on your character. I know he’s working on mine. I’ve been in tears, broken by my hypocrisy in this situation. I’ve had to ask forgiveness of people- some have said yes, some have ignored me completed and continued to ostercize me.

It doesn’t matter. God started something in me, and He’ll continue working it out to completion. But only if I stand aside and let him do it. Every single one of us owes each other a “debt of love”… not because they deserve, but because we MUST forgive- because Jesus paid for our sin.

So let go. Forgive. Overcome with grace, truth, and time. Re-build broken relationships. Lay down your weapons. You’re not fighting flesh and blood anyway!

Learn from my greatest mistake this year… don’t fight sin with sin.

Benjamin Franklin’s Advice for Living Well and Becoming a History Maker

Jay Brock — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:21:28 +0000

On January 31st of 1783, Mr. Benjamin Vaughan wrote a letter, sent from Paris to the New World, to a one Benjamin Franklin. In that letter, Vaughan implored Franklin to sit down and write an autobiography of his life.

(For those unfamiliar with Benjamin Franklin, he was an author and the inventor of bifocals, the indoor furnace, the public library, the fire department, the lightning rod, and the United States of America, among other things!)

(And yes, the city near Toronto where Wonderland is located is named after Benjamin Vaughan! He was a British commissioner who was instrumental in the Treaty of Paris.)

In Vaughan’s letter, he gave a list of reasons why Franklin MUST write down the story of his life:

Franklin’s history was directly tied to the rise of America.

Because formal education wasn’t doing its job

Because he had the listening ears of the youth of America and it was in youth that almost all great life decision are made.

So that already-wise men could have a roadmap to mark their progress.

To improve the average level of character and wisdom of the new colonies.

To paint this new America in a better light around the world.

But in my opinion, Vaughan wrote one reason that stands far above all others. I believe it might have been the reason for which Franklin did indeed eventually sit down to write his classic work.

Vaughan writes “If it encourages more writings of the same kind with your own, and induces more men to spend lives fit to be written, it will be worth all of Plutarch’s Lives [a series of 50 ancient Greek and Roman biographies] put together.”

Fit to be written. I love that!

I just got back from a roadtrip (swam all 5 Great Lakes in 5 days!), and one the way I asked the boys in the car: “what makes a life “fit to be written“?

We came up with a few ideas…

Adventure and Experience
Vision worth following
Contribution and making a difference
Christlike Character
Contribution… leaving a legacy that actually helps humanity beyond your years.

It reminds me of the words of the great poet Walt Whitman: “The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

It seems to me that this is what our “fathers of the faith” used to do in the past…

The entire Bible is filled with stories of people who lived lives fit to be written. Think of David, Deborah, Moses, Paul, Joshua, Noah, Ruth, Gideon. In fact, the entire Bible is simply the stories of people who fit into a much bigger story:
the redemption of sin-filled us by the perfect son of God, Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Stop singing History Makers unless you live it. Paul says RUN!

We are being watched.

All of eternity is taking notes.

Oh that followers of Jesus would live lives fit to be written. What a story would be told!

So what do YOU think? What makes a life “fit to be written“? How are you contributing to History?

When What We Love Turns On Us

Michelle Brock — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:55:11 +0000

Sin is a funny thing. As my professor would say, it’s not funny ‘haha’ but funny ‘peculiar.’ Coveting, murder, lust, gluttony, and idolatry are all sin and eventually hurt us as well as others. Though we can immediately identify these as negative and harmful, it is more difficult to spot them when they have not yet developed into the monsters they become. In his book Jesus for President, Shane Claiborne says this:

Most of the ugliness in the human narrative comes from a distorted quest to possess beauty. Coveting begins with appreciating blessings. Murder begins with a hunger for justice. Lust begins with a recognition of beauty. Gluttony begins when our enjoyment of the delectable gifts of God starts to consume us. Idolatry begins when our seeing a reflection of God in something beautiful leads to our thinking that the beautiful image bearer is worthy of worship.

If you have a strong passion for justice, an appreciation for beauty, or a love for cooking, be sure to keep them in their proper place. Sin often is birthed out of what we love, not what we hate.

Michelle

Interview with Jeff Strong, Pastor at Grindstone Church and Author of Mere Disciple

Jay Brock — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:37:06 +0000

I love meeting dreamers and hearing their stories. When I heard that Jeff Strong was releasing a book, I immediately contacted him for an interview.

Jeff is a pastor at Grindstone Church, probably one of the most progressive churches in the Hamilton area.

He’s written a new book called Mere Disciple: A Spiritual Guide for Emerging Leaders.

I sat down with Jeff (virtually) back in June (in Mexico!) to ask him a few questions about life, writing, and dreaming…

Jeff who? Jeff from where? What do you do there?!

Originally from Kingston, I moved to Hamilton area to attend Redeemer University College in Ancaster, and am now working as an associate pastor (Emerging Church Ministries and Teaching) at Grindstone church in Waterdown, Ontario.

What’s the new book all about?

Mere Disciple is a discipleship guide for students/young adults. It’s designed to provide readers with a holistic framework for discipleship to Jesus. It’s broken up into three compact sections that sequentially move from the theoretical to the practical:

Part I explores the worldview foundations that need to be in place in order for discipleship to Jesus to become a lived reality instead of a cliché.

Part II explores the themes of money, sex, and power, and how discipleship to Jesus can redeem and transform our relationship to each.

Part III focuses on the tools and strategies needed to create a plan for daily discipleship.

So what made you decide to write this book?

Mere Disciple was the result of many motivations and factors coming together. One of the most significant ones, however, was that after years of looking for a discipleship guide for the Velvet Elvis/Blue Like Jazz Generation, I was continually disappointed and frustrated by the lack of quality resources. I became focused on taking the concept of discipleship and moving it out of the “churched” subculture (where it was overemphasized but lifeless and static) and into the emerging church context (which, in my opinion, was perilously close to abandoning the concept altogether).

How’s the response been so far?

It’s hard to tell at this point, quite honestly. Early feedback has been positive, but that’s mostly from family and friends (hardly an objective standard!). I have used individual chapters as templates for talks/discussions I’ve given over the last 6-12 months, and the feedback from those have been overwhelmingly positive.

People find the material theologically and philosophically engaging, but also grounded in the pragmatic. That’s maybe the main strength of the book: it manages to hold the conceptual and practical in tension together in a way that people find refreshing and helpful.

What’s been the most life-changing moments in your life so far?

Wow. This is a tough question to answer. In no particular order:

My marriage to my wife Heather. It’s not a moment; but a series of moments that continues to build a richness and depth into my life that is difficult to capture in words.

The birth of my daughters. My two little girls (Lauren and Kara) are such an inspiration. I dedicated Mere Disciple to them because of the unique way they inspire me to follow Jesus more faithfully and courageously.

I’ve had a series of eye surgeries (corneal transplants) over the course of my life that God has used to powerfully shape my understanding of Him, myself, and my calling within His kingdom.

What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

I think working through the issues that have emerged as I’ve had to work through vision issues have been a consistent challenge. Having periods of full, limited and no vision throughout my life has forced me to adapt in significant ways. God has used those times to powerfully teach me that it’s not only with the eyes that one sees rightly.

What’s the one question you wish people would ask you?

I think an important question I’d like people to spend more time thinking through is, “What is the difference between being a disciple of Jesus vs. a follower of Jesus?” That’s a distinction that can lead us in two very different directions as Christians, and in my experience Christians aren’t struggling through this question and its implications enough.

What’s your dream?

I want to see churches embrace students and young adults as emerging leaders within the kingdom of God. That’s not simply a matter of semantics either; how you see someone determines the opportunities you give them (or refuse to give them!). We need more churches and church leaders who view these emerging leaders as a critical part of the church, and empower them to take their place within the mission of God. Personally and professionally, I want to do all that I can to help emerging leaders find opportunities for significant engagement with the gospel and the local church as disciples of Jesus.

Sweet dude. Thanks so much Jeff!

Be sure to check out Grindstone Church

Follow Jeff’s journey at Jeff Strong’s Blog

Check out his website where you can download a free chapter and buy the book at Mere Disciple

Why You Need to Invest Time in a Life Investment Plan!

Jay Brock — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:50:16 +0000

Inflation sucks.

Basically how it works is this: the government prints money, thus there’s more money circulating, thus all the money is worth less. Prices go up. Buying power per dollar goes down. If inflation for a year is 7%, that means if you had $100 sitting in your account right now, it would be worth $93 exactly one year from now. Or your government can print tons, hyper-inflate your economy, and you’ll need a truckload of bills just to go grocery shopping. Inflation sucks, doesn’t it?!

Moral of the story? Don’t save too much money. Money was not created to be saved. You should either spend it (wisely) or invest it. Because if you just hold on to it, it’ll slowly waste away.

My new favourite word is INVESTMENT.

Specifically, in regards to my time.

Time is alot like money, except that it’s way more valuable. And time works a LOT like money. It should either be spent wisely, or invested. But you can’t save time. You can’t bank it away for a rainy day. The clock never stops. And so it works a lot like inflation… if you you don’t spend it wisely or invest it, you simply lose it…FOREVER.

What am I trying to say?

If you want a million dollars, then put $200/month for 6 years in a mutual fund and let it grow for a few decades. You can’t just expect it to magically happen. Or you can play the lottery and hope for the best. (= crazy)

If you want to see growth in areas of your life, you can’t just expect it to magically happen. Or you can hope for the best and realize there isn’t a lottery for instant character growth, relational health, or spiritual intimacy.

Action step: Write a Life Investment Plan.

Here’s how:

Grab a piece of paper, and across the top write: INVEST DAILY TIME INTO THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST IN LIFE.

Then write the list. My list currently reads:

Walk with God
Spiritual Protection
Sexual purity
My marriage
Family
Friendships
Mission
Ministry
Wealth Creation
Emotional well-being
Personal development
Influence
Physical health

(Someday I’ll hopefully add each of my children’s names and my involvement in a church plant leadership team.)

Once you’ve got your list of the things that truly matter the most in life, then develop actions for each that you can do TODAY.

For example, for my Emotional Well-Being value, I’m currently investing time by taking Sabbaths to restore my soul, and Michelle and I continue to purge the stuff that’s dragging us away from living simply.

For Personal Development, I’ve committed to reading at least 1 book/week this year. (I’m currently at 37 book in the past 24 weeks!)

For Ministry, I’m preparing for a church plant internship on Vancouver Island.

The beauty/awesomeness of a Life Investment Plan is that the nature of the investments change over time, but the things that matter never do.

So why is a Life Investment Plan necessary?

Because we forget. Because we’re lazy. Because we’re sinful. We need to be reminded. We need to be held accountable.

I can invest in my marriage, and in 5 years, it’ll still be going strong by God’s grace. Or I can simply hope for the best. Not wise.

I can invest in my friendships and grow in deeply committed, intimate relationships. Or I can be a taker and watch em fade to nothing… but hope for the best right?

I can invest in my sexual purity and become a righteous man of God. Or I can hope for the best and watch it ruin my entire life.

And if nothing I’ve said convinces you, consider the Scripture “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I want to invest my treasure (my time, money, skills, and passions) into things with huge “return on investment.” Not for my benefit, but for His. And that takes a lifetime of investing.

To NOT invest time in the things that matter most is like trying to play a lottery that doesn’t exist. And, like inflation, you’ll slowly lose what little time you have left, never living a truly RICH life.

Start investing today!

Jay

So what do you think? What’s on your list? What investments are you making in your values?

Making Amends for Sin…Nah.

Michelle Brock — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Sometimes when the Holy Spirit convicts me of something in my life, I find myself trying to quench it by justifying my sin as too little or too insignificant to deal with. An example of this happened in the spring at Rancho Margot in Costa Rica, where Jay and I volunteered as cooks in a kitchen at an eco-resort.

Every day we used fresh organic produce from the garden on the property. A guy named Arturo milked the cows daily and made yogurt and cheese for us. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all served in buffet style, and the food was out of this world. Needless to say, we would load up our plates, go for seconds, and over-eat at almost every single meal. Then we’d all laugh about how it was simply impossible to resist food that was so fresh, delicious, and overall healthy.

But halfway through our time there, I began to feel convicted. I didn’t like the feeling of not being able to control myself at mealtimes. I would tell myself that I would only eat X, then throw that out the window the moment my senses kicked in. Though my pathetic attempts were partially motivated by my desire to be healthy and not gain weight, I realized that there was another part to this equation.

God tells us not to be enslaved to anything - whether it is drugs, alcohol, smoking, people-pleasing, materialism, or in this case, over-eating. When we allow ourselves to get to the point where something rules over us and we lack self-control, that thing becomes a god in our lives. And that can come in the way of us serving our true God, who, by the way, knows what is best for us.

I bet some of you are thinking, “wow, over-eating, that’s not really a sin…food was made to be enjoyed…you should not feel guilty about something so insignificant.” This is how I justified it to myself. However, gluttony is talked about quite a bit in the Bible, and for good reason. For one, it can become a master that rules over us. It can make us unhealthy. It can waste our money. It can waste our time. Our desire to eat more for as cheap as possible is depleting the earth’s resources, destroying our crops with chemicals, and creating economic imbalances between us and those in developing countries. But for some reason we only talk about gluttony in Christian circles when someone is overweight, even though many of us struggle with over-eating. After all, sexual sin is waaay more interesting to talk about isn’t it?

“Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.” -Proverbs 14:9

I decided to take the bull by the horns and emailed my mother-in-law, asking her to keep me accountable to eating more responsibly for the rest of my time at Rancho Margot. I asked God for His forgiveness. And the journey continues.

So my question to you is this: when you feel convicted about something, do you let it slide like I did? Or do you take the Holy Spirit’s prompting seriously? Let us not be fools by not making amends for sin, but humble ourselves and not be enslaved to anything.

Michelle

Checking Out Celebration Church in Jacksonville Florida

Jay Brock — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:55:32 +0000

I love checking out creative church environments. And I’m a huge fan of high-influence churches. That’s why I was SO EXCITED last week when I got to attend Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Not only do they have 8 campuses in Florida, but they also have a campus in Georgia, Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, and are soon launching in Belfast and Athens!

In addition to all the physical campuses, you can watch LIVE online, or on TV across North America, Europe, and Australia!

(And here’s a great idea), they also run 90 (NINETY) “Extension Gatherings” at universities, prisons, military bases, drug & alcohol rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, and at-risk youth group homes. I love that- taking “church” to those who can’t attend in person!

So cool. I can’t even imagine how many people they’re reaching with the Gospel each week.

I love the passion of their Sr. Pastor, Stovall Weems. He’s the 2nd-most hyper pastor I’ve ever heard live. Think of Steven Furtick and then add 10 years!

I especially love Celebration Church’s mission statement: “Leading People to Experience a God-First Life.”

Does it get any better than this?!

As always, I hope a post like this one inspires some church leaders and future church planters. As Bill Hybels always says, “the church is the hope of the world.” I hope that we can be a generation that chooses to truly BE THE CHURCH to a world in need of Jesus.

Have you checked out any cool churches lately? Been following some leaders or moves of God that I should know about? Would love your comments below. And if you liked this post, you know what to do!

Tour a Church: Woodlands Church in Texas!

Jay Brock — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:57:24 +0000

When I travel, there are only about 6 things I LOVE to do: visit friends, chill in nature, read, try new restaurants, visit historical sites, and check out cool churches.

I first heard about Woodlands Church and pastor Kerry Shook from Catalyst, and it was WELL WORTH bussing 4839km to get there from Panama. (okay, it was only 45 minutes from where we were staying in Houston!)

Buuuut down to business.

Founded in 1993, today Woodlands hosts 17,000 people over 5 campuses and 18 services each weekend.

It’s a super creative church, and are using their influence to spread the gospel, including broadcasting the message on 5 different TV channels.

Michelle said it was the best sounding music she’s ever heard in church, and the message was awesome. The place is super beautiful and inviting, and I’ve included a few pics. I LOVE it when churches do stuff with excellence, even the bulletin!

This should get all ya’ll future church-planters drooling!

(Much to our Canadian chagrin) In the USA, there is NO seperation of church and state on Independence Day! They had full-out patriotic songs and a march and salute and other such…interestingness. To each his own I suppose!

The message was great, the music was awesome, the building was comfortable, and their “stewardship of influence” is incredible.

I love what my buddy James Kelly says, “I’m interested in how church is done, but I’m way more interested in how church is lived.”

Maybe next time I’ll get to experience both.

Moments That Mark Us For Eternity

Jay Brock — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:54:29 +0000

Today I celebrate my second year of marriage to by best friend, Michelle.

It’s sort of like a “second New Year.”

We take the time to write each other a letter, reviewing the previous year, and dreaming about the year to come. As many of you readers know, Michelle and I do not taking living lightly! As Thoreau said, we intend to “suck the marrow out of life.” As Scripture says, “to live life to the full.”

Today I want to share with you the highlights of this past year of marriage. For all you singles who think marriage is for old losers- I hope you’ll come to realize that some of us still know how to party We’ve been blessed to live an INSPIRED year.

There are moments in life that MARK us for eternity. They change the course of our lives, and more often than not, we don’t even seen them coming. A total of ZERO milestone events that occurred this year were planned by either of us. I hope this will inspire you to chase the goose.

On July 12th of last year, I saved Michelle from a shark. It’s a long story, of which I am very proud to embellish. We spent our anniversary in Houston Texas, of all places! We got to attend Ecclesia Church and see how “doing church humbly” can radically change a community.

In August we had to put my beloved puppy Toby. I hadn’t cried like that in years. It was a good reminder that I am, indeed, still human. It also gave me a deeper appreciate for what truly matters.

On a whim in September, armed only with a small grant and the gifts of friends, Michelle and I embarked on an 11,000 km road trip across Canada to film a documentary on sex trafficking. It was stressful, exhilarating, and adventurous, all wrapped up in one warp-speed bundle!

Later in September, we joined up with Iain Pitman and Karyn Makins for a quick trip to Montreal for an anti-trafficking rally. It was an amazing intimate and spiritual time together, and to the day I die, I will NEVER forget our hostel horror story!!!

In October, we took a group of 13 friends down to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One profound experience was visiting the inspiring Billy Graham Library. The sense of mission and purpose on his united team impacted millions of lives and changed the world. I hope God sees fit to do a work like this with us in our generation! We also got to visit the uber-cool Elevation Church and witness the revival taking place in Charlotte.

Later in October, I traveled with three of my greatest friends to Chicago for Ben Arment’s Story Conference. What a trip! Donald Miller and Dave Gibbons were definitely the highlight for me- reminders to tell His story, and to define church metrics as helping people, not butts in seats.

In November, Michelle and I started a 40-day fast. No solid foods. It was terrible. Time stood still. We withered away. We felt purposeless. If not for sponsoring a kid through Compassion, we would have felt even worse!

BUT… in December we completed the fast, having been given a clear vision for the next few steps. We called it our “Open Hand God Plan“. Michelle got a job and we immediately starting saving.

On boxing day, we attended a very unique wedding- it’s not every day that you get to have dinner with 3 former Greek Orthodox monks! It was truly a “marking moment”… it igniting in me a desire for deep brotherhood and community living.

In February we quit our jobs, packed our 88 things, gave away our furniture, launched our film on sex trafficking, and hopped on a plane headed for Central America.

In March we detoxed and learned to live simply in a tiny riverside casita in Puriscal, Costa Rica.

In April we lived near the Arenal Volcano (still in Costa Rica) and met some AMAZING new friends.

In May we traveled north, roasting marshmallows on a volcano, chilling in Guatemala with new friends, relaxing on a random Caribbean Island we’d never heard of, and working at an eco village in the chilly mountains of Mexico.

In June we settled into the tiny town of Zirahuen, Mexico, for a month of hard work and hustling online. Dreams become realities! Michelle’s vision for Hope for the Sold gets white hot, and I start work on a project for the late fall.

In July we visited our dear Strength Nomad friends in great country of Texas, then took some AWFUL buses from there to here, Lantana Florida, where we will celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

Another thing that MARKED me this year was that in the past 4 months I was blessed with having the time to read 30 new books. What an education!

And this week, we’re grateful to announce that the next step on the journey is now official confirmed… God willing, we’re moving to Vancouver Island in the fall to do a church planting internship at New Life Community Church!

So that’s our year in review. In all, we’ve visited 15 new countries and lived (what seems like) about 5 new lives.

Have you ever read the Bible verse “I have plans to prosper you…plans to give you a hope and a future”? I believe it. And I can’t believe there’s more. God is too good. Honestly, I’m grateful to say that I am one of the RICHEST men in the entire world. And, as always, I’m excited for what’s next.

This coming year is going to be filled with dreams and hopes and wins and failures and troubles and miracles and laughter and tears and sadness and joy. I hope that you’ll pray for us- that’ll we’ll know and do His will for our lives. And I hope that you’ll join us in doing the same. Who knows how God might use us TOGETHER this year?!

Thanks for your committed readership. I wouldn’t be doing this without you!

His Love,

Jay

Maniac, Corpse, Lovenest, Nude

James Kelly — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:25:10 +0000

Have you ever seen the movie Newsies? It’s based on the true story in the early 20^th century when the Newsies (boys that sold newspapers on the streets) of New York went on strike when the price of newspapers jumped.

When the lead character Jack Kelly was asked the question: “What makes the headlines good?” He answered in his thick New York Accent, “Aw, you know, catchy woids like…maniac, corpse…let’s see…lovenest, nude…”

What caused you to click on this post? Did the word nude attract you? Why?

Why do words like sex, nude and naked draw people into read? If you’re a dude, is it because you (we) think you will see a picture that reflects the title? If you’re a woman, is it because you think you will read a romantic fantasy that doesn’t reflect real life? What is it?

What I do know is that it draws us in and I highly doubt it is because we think the story will give us great biblical lessons on how not to commit adultery or stay pure for our future spouse.

I think we read it because we are sinners and our world makes money off our sin. I think we read it because we like the excitement of rebellion. I think we read it because perhaps, just perhaps, lust has become more important to us than Jesus.

I can’t help but ask myself the question: how much can we blame on our society and how much of the responsibility should we put on ourselves?

For Jesus’ fame,
JK