Chris Tomlinson's Blog: Crave Something More, page 9

Board Games Make Me Sin

This past weekend was my wife's birthday.  Her favorite kind of birthday party is one in which she hosts her friends, so that's what we did on Saturday.  We held the party at my brother's house, and Anna cooked her amazing enchiladas, and many of our friends, mostly married couples, came over to celebrate.

Christian, married couples play games; I think that's part of being married.  I think these games must be social lubricant for a bunch of couples that don't go out and party anymore.  We...

Something For Nothing

What shall I do to inherit eternal life?

This is the kind of question that is a primary question.  We have many questions in life, but only a few are primary.  This is one of those questions.

If our lives are but vapors, and if the choices we make in this life—the primary kind of choices related to the primary kinds of questions—have eternal consequences, then above all else, we need to be firmly settled in what we believe, and how we relate, to these kinds of questions.

You may be like me, and ...

What Advice Would You Give To New Parents?

I am a father, but I have yet to meet my child. I almost wrote "I am going to be a father," because that is how I tend to think about my wife's pregnancy.  My wife, Anna, is 12 weeks along, and we've just announced this great news to our friends and family.  You are part of that extended network, so I wanted you to know as well and to ask for your help.

When I say I tend to think about my wife's pregnancy a certain way, I mean to say that I find it hard to put my mind around this miracle...

7 Reasons To Love Tax Week

This is a week which has loomed large each year since 1955, when Congress moved the filing deadline for tax returns to its current date.  April 15 holds a prominent place on our calendars, but this day is not always the highlight of our year.  The conscientious among us filed their taxes months ago and think nothing of this week.  But for the procrastinators in our midst, this week promises late nights, scores of Google searches, and more than a few "can you believe…" questions to our...

Now What?

Good Friday and Easter combine to create an emotional roller coaster of faith packed into a single weekend. Reflection upon Good Friday can bring darkness, conviction, grief, introspection, gratitude, and worship. And reflection upon Easter can bring wonder, fear, faith, hope, exhilaration, trembling, and deep joy. These days are two sides of a single coin of faith, one rooted in belief in a God who holds power over sin and death, for our sake and His glory.

But the depths and heights of...

I Am A Thief

A meditation in poem on Good Friday (Matthew 27, Luke 23).

The morning came before sleep,

My eyes held open in hazy fear,

Body tense, and spirit quenched,

Fists holding tightly to nothing,

As if time could be restrained in the palm of my hand.

Death was in the air, and coming for me.

My sentence ringing in my ears,

As the bell of my fate chimed clear within,

The loneliness that filled my heart surpassed only by

The anger I felt for my lot in life.

"You are a thief," came a voice from inside,

God Spoke To Me This Very Morning

Do you believe God can speak to you today—actually speak directly to you? I have a lot of questions for God, and I've been waiting to hear from Him for a while now, so I have had my doubts.  There's even some deeper theology in this question in whether or not the canon of Scripture, which is closed, sufficiently speaks for God today.

You may have had a similar experience of wanting to hear from God, or wanting to know God's will for your life in a certain situations, all the while...

10 Questions About Love

My wife and I are part of this great community group in Nova through our church.  Tomorrow night, we'll be facilitating the group's study and discussion of 1 Corinthians 13–the famous love chapter in the Bible.  I've posed the following questions to the group.  But then I remembered this whole online thing is about community in a different way, so I thought I'd pose these to you as well.

If you will, pick a question, ask God for guidance, and give us your best answer!

What is a Biblical...

What Is Sanctification?

Words without definitions are not worth much.  Perhaps they might have some artistic value in form, but they fail to convey any meaningful information unless we actually know what the words mean.  Words with definitions, however, hold great potential.  They can be the means to change our thoughts which in turn can change our actions.  Words forming ideas can be means to change the world—or even the destiny of a man's soul.

One word I've heard many times is the word sanctification.  And I...

The Devotion of Devotions

I just realized the reason we call our devotions devotions is because we're expressing devotion to God when we do our devotions.  This is the kind of brilliance you should come to expect here at Crave Something More.

This all makes sense.  Setting aside a part of our day to focus on our relationship with God, to read His word, to hear from Him, to confess to Him, to share with Him, are all expressions of a loyal, affectionate commitment to God.  We're telling Him:  You are important to me...