Martin Luther observed, "The pastor must be soft and hard at the same time—a rare combination." Picture a pastor on Sunday morning, knowing that in the third row sits a man whose drinking is destroying his family, while two rows back, a grieving widow struggles with doubt after losing her husband. They both need to be shepherded, but in different ways. One calls for a firm confrontation, while the other calls for a gentle presence. How can a shepherd handle this conflict without allowing the destructive to flourish or crushing the weak?

God gives us joy, which is a direct path to the eternity He has promised. But when it comes up, a lot of us automatically dismiss it. We distrust it because we believe we don't deserve it or that it will eventually disappear. This causes us to ruin our relationships, peace, and prosperity before they deteriorate on their own.

It's admirable that you young Christian men are passionate about cultural conflicts, but before God can give you spiritual authority, you must be clean. There are many examples of fallen leaders in the modern church who bravely battled against outside forces but harbored hidden sins that ultimately destroyed their ministries and harmed the gospel message. The warrior who enters combat with a compromised character is more dangerous than the one who chooses not to fight.

Happiness and holiness get framed as opposites, like you must pick one and ditch the other. That's a false choice, a trap that leaves us either spiritually empty or burdened with unnecessary guilt. God doesn't set it up that way. Scripture connects them: holiness is the path to true happiness, the kind that lasts, not the end of joy. Christ didn't come to keep us dour or briefly amused. He came to bring us into His joy, the sort that stands forever. We miss it because we are afraid of feeling good or because we cling to false definitions.

The Word Became Flesh—Not Less Than God

Recently, I was having a conversation with some ladies when it came up that I’m not a fan of a certain popular teacher. One of them asked me why, and we talked through some of the concerning doctrines this teacher has promoted—particularly one claim that stood out: that Jesus stopped being God when He became man. I’m not going to share the exact quote, because the point of this article is not to name names or stir controversy. It’s to gently and firmly shepherd God’s people away from a serious theological error. The focus here is on the teaching, not the teacher.

So let’s ask the question plainly: Did Jesus stop being God when He became man? And more importantly, what does Scripture say?

Infertility represents a unique manifestation of creation's fallenness, a painful tension between divine command and physical limitation. Through biblical examples, practical ministry guidance, and the redemptive hope that sustains us, we can extend grace in this season of profound disappointment.