Category Archives: Preaching

A Proper Pastor

I received a few cards today from some of the young people in my church. I love the “Open” arrow guiding me to the sealed part of the envelope. Very helpful! I’m just over here trying to be a proper … Continue reading

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My Preaching Partner

Had the opportunity to share the stage recently with Joshua, who is interning with us this summer. It’s been such a joy to watch him grow in his ability and to see him sharing his heart so effectively with our … Continue reading

Posted in Another Man, Church, Discipleship, Faith, Family, Kids, Preaching | Leave a comment

The Parable of the Ugly Christmas Ornament

In the Bybee family, we have a tradition of decorating for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. The boys and I get in the attic and bring down all of the Christmas boxes and while Sunny puts out all of … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Devotional, Faith, Family, Gospel, Hope, Jesus, Love of Christ, Missiology, Preaching, Scripture, Sunny | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Boundaries in Families, Part 3

Within our families, we are trying to balance being connected with standing separately. Psychologists refer to this as self-differentiation. This is when I can voice my own thoughts or views, even if they’re different than yours. And yet, while doing … Continue reading

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Boundaries in Families, Part 2

That leads us to a helpful metaphor for this series: walls vs. fences. Walls are barriers. They don’t allow access. A wall keeps the bad things out and protects that which is good. A wall is the most rigid boundary … Continue reading

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Boundaries in Families, Part 1

Family is where we learn about the importance of boundaries. Your Mom and Dad taught you about “Yes” and “No,” about how to behave and — just as importantly — how NOT to behave. Family is where we learn about … Continue reading

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Developing Healthy Boundaries: The Principle of Respect, Part 4

The boundary problem of control Loving people well means respecting their boundaries. To disregard someone’s boundaries is to attempt to exert control over them. As we noted in yesterday’s post, compliant people have a hard time saying no. And controlling … Continue reading

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Developing Healthy Boundaries: The Principle of Respect, Part 3

The boundary problem of compliance Compliance is when we don’t respect ourselves enough to maintain healthy boundaries. Compliant people have “fuzzy” boundaries. Their “yes” and their “no” doesn’t really mean anything. An example of this is the person who claims … Continue reading

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Developing Healthy Boundaries: The Principle of Respect, Part 2

It is a fundamental biblical teaching that every human being is deserving of a modicum of respect. Here are some of the key reasons for this: Everyone is deserving of a baseline level of respect because every human being is … Continue reading

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Developing Healthy Boundaries: The Principle of Respect, Part 1

In our Boundaries series, we have identified three biblical principles for developing healthy boundaries: Today we turn our attention to the third of these principles: the principle of respect. Healthy relationships are founded upon mutual respect. When someone shows that … Continue reading

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