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The Sacrifice of The High Priest  A Poetic Meditation Contrasting the Type & the Substance Hear the heavy pound of hooves led to the slaughter. Heavier still, the weight of my sin. See a hand, once resting on matted fur, Raised to atone for my sin … again. Watch fingers of the high priest dripping blood; A pool formed at the base of the altar. Behold, this gruesome scene, wrought by me. My sins ever needing a substitute. Know the blood of bulls and rams will not do; For I am destitute of righteousness. Smell the stench; it’s egregious. Yet this is grace. I see my sin, once precious in my sight, As foul, costly, and resulting in death; its consequence. This ritual performed by the High Priest will be done again. Tonight another lamb. Tomorrow a bull, then more lambs again. Costly, continual; A picture of the pervasiveness of sin, Yet a promise of God’s grace toward us and His promised presence. Despite the state of our stubborn hearts and unclean camp, He is here, making provisi...

This article is part 1 of a 4 part series, where  we will look at the biblical worldview and how counseling practices are downstream from these important beliefs. In each part, we will answer the worldview question and then look at how the answer to that question helps shape the foundation of biblical counseling. We will also look at some common beliefs taught in secular counseling and how these come from incorrect answers to the worldview questions.  Part 1 Question: Who made us or how did we get here?  Part 2 Question: Who am I and what is my purpose? Part 3 Question: What is our problem?  Part 4 Question: What is the solution and how do I obtain it? Who made us or how did we get here?  It’s important that your counselor believe that God made us. Even though God created us (and everything else), he is not one of us. He is spirit, eternal, has no beginning and no end, and does not need anything. He is perfect in all his ways and is complete in his holiness, lov...

A Poetic Prayer on Beholding and Becoming Like Christ Jesus Father in heaven, Help me to still and slow before You as I meet You now in prayer, to unravel the knots between my head and heart from looking within and without. I meet You here asking You to use Your Word and Spirit to both inform me and form me more wholly to Your image. Your image is one of purity and beauty, of wholeness and holiness, and I’m in awe. I crave You, Your nature, and to image Your likeness. When I stand before the Word of God, it’s as if I stand captivated before a bust of fashioned marble and marvel at the intricacy, grandeur, splendor, and detail of Whom it points to. I am told that, behold, I am to bear this image. To image the reality and substance: Jesus Christ. To be an image of God, a representative resembling His likeness. Oh God! Looking within, I lament at the immense task for which I was created! Yet, innately I desire to assume it. Knowing my flesh and my sinful nature as a son of Adam, I fear th...

Think back to the last time you were introduced, or introduced yourself, to someone new at church. When you left the conversation did you know more about that person or did he or she know more about you? It’s very natural and easy to talk about ourselves. We are our favorite subject. Our own thoughts, opinions, and stories seem important and worth sharing. It takes self-discipline to not make a conversation all about us. This is human nature, and everyone can relate.  The good news is that once we become a Christian, God begins the work of sanctifying us. We have new hearts and new desires and a new purpose, which is to glorify Him. We are now slaves to righteousness instead of slaves to sin. Instead of looking to find approval from man, we now have our identity in Christ. Instead of seeing other people as need-meeters, we can sacrificially give of ourselves for the benefit of another person. Romans 15:5-7 reminds us that God will give us grant us the ability to encourage othe...

When the weight we allow to cling closely leaves us blind, endangered, and in desperate need of a trim, we can trust the Shepherd Who holds the shears. Photo by  Georgi Kalaydzhiev  on  Unsplash Introduction to “The Weight of Wool”   I’ve been reading a lot about sheep lately. Not on purpose, per se. I didn’t set out to learn more about sheep and shepherds, but in God’s providence, I ended up here. It began by desiring to read a quick leisure book. A welcomed break from the academic literature I’ve been reading for college. I perused through my stack of thrifted books that are more conversational in nature (not to mention, smaller in size). I eventually narrowed the choices down to three, finally settling on the smallest one, titled, “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” by Phillip Keller. I settled into a cozy spot and began reading. The following week themes of sheep and shepherds kept popping up as I went about my days. Feeling inspired to journal about what I was ponder...

Ecclesiastes asks the question that the rest of the Bible answers– “What is the meaning of life?” Whether people realize it or not, they wrestle with the same things that the author addresses. Do wisdom, work, pleasures, wealth, or honor bring deep and lasting satisfaction? Can we find our purpose in something here on this earth? Man-made religions seek to give meaning to life. Many do so through the teaching that a higher power will reward them if they do good while on earth. People who do not believe in a higher power will have to create their own meaning and purpose as a purely atheistic belief will result in a worldview that everything is meaningless. There are also many who live in the in-between– they don’t adhere to a certain religion and at the same time aren’t sure if there is a God or if that God is knowable.   I think that whether they like to admit it or not, unbelievers have to wrestle with some thoughts that make them feel uncomfortable. They might feel guilt or ...