Radically Happy

  • LEAD! B.12 From Shame to Glory

    Ultimately, we will never fully live out these virtues here on earth. We can try to hide our shame through licentiousness or legalism. Or, we can embrace Christ’s work in destroying our shame on the cross. From there we can live the virtues for His glory, not our own –…

  • LEAD! B.11 From Gluttony to Self-Control

    Learning to control our appetites is essential for spiritual as well as physical health, as it teaches our flesh its proper place in God’s created order.

  • LEAD! B.10 From Lust to Purity

    Understanding why our desires are often at war with God, and how they must be cleansed and harnessed for His purposes — before they destroy us.

  • LEAD! B.9 From Sloth to Fruitfulness

    The dangers of laziness, and the rewards of perseverance.

  • LEAD! Part C: Skills for Service

    As mentioned earlier, the LEAD! Bible Study is a tripod, built on three legs: theological education character formation skill development We are over half-way through, so Part B will be ending soon — and Part C starts a week or two after that, so I need to get ready! Here…

  • LEAD! B.8 From Anger to Reconciliation

    Few things destroy the church more rapidly than anger and unforgiveness. To carry our cross means extending forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it, as Jesus did to us.

  • LEAD! B.7 From Envy to Submission

    Envy is wishing we were in the place of another, experiencing their rewards or privileges. The opposite is submitting to our circumstances and position, trusting in God’s ultimate sovereignty.

  • LEAD! B.6 From Greed to Generosity

    If we truly understood God’s claim of ownership over everything we have or desire, we would realize the best way to “possess” wealth is to use it in accordance with His commands.

  • LEAD! B.5 From Pride to Humility

    Pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins, and the one we tend to least recognize in ourselves. Embracing godly humility is a foundation for all the other virtues.

  • LEAD! B.4 From Folly to Love

    Folly is a cycle of self-punishment disguised as the pursuit of pleasure. The only way out is to receive God’s love, to the point where we love Him more than the false gods to which we’ve enslaved ourselves.

  • LEAD! B.3 From Mockery to Hope

    The mockers must have the pride crushed out of them through suffering, to realize the limits of their earthly wisdom. To endure, their souls need to hope in God’s goodness.

  • LEAD! B.2 From Simplicity to Faith

    The simple need faith to trust that wisdom is possible, even though it is unseen, and pursue it with their whole mind.

  • LEAD! B.1 From Humanism to Wisdom

    The humanity of the Simple, Mocker, and Fool versus the fear of God’s Wisdom. Defines wisdom as the ability to live out God’s name, and virtue as the different facets of wise character.

  • LEAD! Part A – Feedback Form

    Even though I’ve started work on Part B, “class 0” is still finishing up Part A. Here’s a few questions I’d like to ask them (and any of you who’ve been following along online 🙂 to help guide future revisions.

  • LEAD! Part B: Christian Character

    As mentioned earlier, the LEAD! Bible Study is a tripod, built on three legs: theological education character formation skill development Having finished writing the lessons for Part A, we now turn out attention to the second trimester (which the class will start in January). This blog post is for the…

  • LEAD! A.12 Christ’s Return

    In Which Christ Comes Back to Judge and Remake the Earth, and We Receive Our Reward The End. Christ’s Return is the completion of our theology. Faith will be made sight, all nations will bow before Him, and we will dwell in the fulness of the Father’s eternal presence as…

  • LEAD! A.11 Christ’s Body

    In Which We Become the Church, As We Grow Into Christ Our Head Via His Gifts Continuing the theme of Sanctification, we explore how we are discipled into the name of Christ through His body — the Father’s principle vehicle for forming His Kingdom, by His Spirit. Specifically, we see…

  • LEAD! A.10 Soul’s Sanctification

    In Which We Are Set Apart For Obedience to Jesus, And Suffer For It — Becoming Holy in The Process This week we round out our discussion on salvation and conviction by focusing on sanctification, or holiness, words that include being both “set apart” and “made righteous.” The overall idea…

  • LEAD! A.9 Spirit’s Conviction

    In Which Jesus Sends the Comforter, and We Are Convicted By Him This week we move from the Father and the Son to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This also continues our theme of God restoring His Image by saving us from our rebellion. And as…

  • LEAD! A.8 Christ’s Salvation

    In Which We Receive the Gospel, And Are Saved By It Our series so far — indeed, the first half of human history — is but a prelude to the coming of Jesus Christ. In Christ we have the word of God made flesh, the perfect revelation of God’s character,…