Let me make this clear. I’m not your therapist and especially not your psychiatrist. I guess I’m just your (online) pastor. So in no way take my discussion of addiction to mean that if you are in need of any type of counseling or prescribed medication that you should alter anything without consulting a doctor … More Time to Rethink How the Church Addresses Addiction
Around 10 times in the bible God calls himself the Potter and us the clay. I think it’s a good illustration. It’s a pretty fitting description of our relationship to God. He originally formed mankind from the dust of the earth, so God is familiar with molding something boring into something incredible. It’s also a … More Human Clay (A study of Romans 9, not the 1999 Creed Album)
As a Christian, I felt like I was taught to always look on the bright side – to be positive. I think other Christians have been conditioned the same way. So when bad things happen we put on a smile and remember what our parents told us, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” (Or, … More Turning Lemons into Chicken Salad
School is about to start. As a kid, that meant waking up way too early, not getting to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it, and way too much school work. As a parent, it means that finally I can go to the bathroom in peace, I get to do … More So What the Heck Is “Quality” Family Time?
When it comes to marriage, both arguing and not arguing can be very destructive. You might argue a lot and have a great marriage. You might never argue and have a terrible one. And vice-versa. Arguing is more of an art than a science. Now this list is for 3 types of couples. And … More Rules for Allotta Arguing
VBS is kind of like giving birth. For months, the average churchgoer doesn’t even realize there’s a VBS coming. It’s not until you’re just a few days from the due date that anyone offers you help in any way whatsoever. Actually giving birth to a VBS takes way longer than you remember. You start on … More What VBS Teaches Your Church
I am 25% Jewish. My Grandmother was Jewish, so that makes my dad half-Jewish, which makes me a quarter-Jewish. Right? And you want to know something, I’ve never been invited to Rosh Hashanah or Passover or any of the other Jewish Festivals. Heck, being 1/4 Jewish you think my local Rabbi would have invited me … More Coming Soon: The 7 Jewish Feasts are Movie Trailers for JESUS: Vol I & II
I’m sure there are some reasons that Christian Camps are detrimental, but I’ll let someone else be Debbie Downer. I love camp. I love everything about camp. Teenagers are over-worked, over-stressed, and over-stimulated. The norm for a teenager is an inconsistent 65 hours of sleep meaning they get 5 hours some nights and 11 hours … More Why Christians Should Send Their Teens to Camp
I honestly don’t need to even know who you worship. Jesus is the best possible being in the universe. Why would I say something so inflammatory? So exclusivist? So judgmental? That’s why I threw the word “objectively” in there. This isn’t opinion. I am only commenting on what various religious figures claim about themselves. You’re … More Objectively, Jesus Is Better Than Your God
This is an intriguing question. There are some who would say that if you are truly saved you won’t sin. To me, this is ridiculous. Even the Apostle Paul called himself the greatest of all sinners. If Paul’s not saved, then none of us are saved. So obviously, Believers sin. So then there are those … More So If Jesus Saved Us From Our Sin, Why Do We Still Sin?
Joe Allotta 