tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67578491137300863722011-08-05T12:39:06.288-07:00Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.comBlogger141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-61575022379818782242010-04-01T06:10:00.001-07:002010-04-01T06:10:44.987-07:00

A new article at the Harvest USA website on pornography and marriage.

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-78199566178243448342010-03-22T13:31:00.000-07:002010-03-22T13:31:39.496-07:00

There was a time when interpersonal confession was a central part of the Christian faith. Confessing to your priest continues to be an important aspect in Roman Catholicism. Sadly, in most quarters of Protestantism, the centrality of formal confession has been jettisoned, replaced with a “just between me and Jesus” approach. Now, I understand the Protestant reaction against the distortions in

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-17680926706272424512010-03-12T11:55:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:55:18.028-08:00

If you didn't get a chance to hear the sermons which concluded Tenth's Urban Ministry Conference or you want to listen again: So You Want to Be Pure, Dr. Paul D. Tripp Sex and the Allegiance of Your Heart, Rev. David White

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-27702687158537180632010-03-09T13:32:00.000-08:002010-03-09T13:35:26.441-08:00

There is probably nothing more painful in marriage than the revelation of your spouse’s sexual sin. It’s like having your heart ripped out and thrown into oncoming traffic. You are confronted with a life and relationship that was, in many respects, a mirage. You suddenly realize you’re married to someone you don’t really know. It is no surprise that when spouses are confronted with sexual sin in

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-34935933739370903862010-03-02T13:15:00.000-08:002010-03-02T13:15:25.039-08:00

This past Sunday (2/28) Dr. Ryken preached a sermon on the mortification of sin from Romans 8:12-13.  It seemed pertinent to our discussion on this blog, so we have posted an excerpt below.  You can access the text of the entire sermon here or the audio and video here. The doctrine of the mortification of sin enters Romans 8 as the conclusion to everything the apostle Paul has been saying about

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-52309698269892090262010-03-01T11:25:00.001-08:002010-03-01T11:25:51.504-08:00

One the most comforting things about the biblical diagnostic; sin and the Gospel cure; the cross of Jesus Christ, is that together they level the playing field.  We are all diagnosed with the very same spiritual disease and we are find hope in the very same cure.  Because of this, none of us can look at another as being more of a sinner than we are and none of can pride ourselves in having a cure

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-18151192854779398032010-02-24T06:21:00.000-08:002010-02-24T06:21:33.827-08:00

When it comes to emotionally charged issues in our culture, homosexuality may top the list. So the first thing we need to acknowledge is our temptation to approach this issue driven by our feelings, experiences and sociology rather than through careful biblical reflection. If we don’t personally experience same-sex attraction (though countless brothers and sisters in the Church do), nearly all of

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-71965865474318597012010-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:002010-02-22T08:22:50.854-08:00

MODERN psychology tells us, and indeed, our entire culture seeks to convince us, that it's not good to repress or deny our sexual urges and desires. They're seen by many as simple biological needs that demand expression; it's seen as unhealthy not to seek that expression. Now that might be true, were it not for the fact that sex really is never about "us." It's about the other person. Ideally

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-1742831380419886292010-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:002010-02-15T07:58:14.801-08:00

Is it helpful to live together before getting married? I can think of several main reasons why couples might want to live together before getting married. First, there is the obvious reason, which is to enjoy sexual intercourse.  This is reinforced by a social reason: “everyone’s doing it.” Then there is what might be termed the practical reason: it is more cost-effective and convenient to

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-4535059687255471642010-02-11T06:35:00.000-08:002010-02-11T06:35:09.348-08:00

Yeah yeah…singleness and the chastity thing. Blah blah blah right?!  We know, we know…hand’s OFF and clothes ON till we get married. We know already. Wellll…maybe a few more thoughts could be added. What follows has helpful for me as a 40-something, unmarried woman, who is desiring to live a chaste lifestyle as an overflow of a pure heart. Doing the thing perfectly? No, but by God’s grace I am

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-13056594266800568862010-02-08T16:49:00.000-08:002010-02-08T16:49:22.389-08:00

Who struggles with sexual sin? Well, I do. Ever since adolescence, I cannot think of a time that I have not struggled with sexual temptation and knowing the appropriate attitude and behavior to have. I suspect just about every man has similar struggle and even most women, though in different ways. One can, after all, be out of balanced both in obsessive behavior and in negative reaction against.

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-3989007543271146452010-02-03T08:08:00.000-08:002010-02-03T08:10:46.838-08:00

God designed sexuality with a deeply theological context and a heart-shaping purpose. When sex goes wrong it loses the power and poignancy of God’s created intent, becoming instead a futile pursuit for satisfaction that constantly eludes and can become enslaving. To understand it’s brokenness we need to examine the design.First, heterosexual marriage is the context for sexuality in order to

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-79814872813734832882010-02-01T10:39:00.000-08:002010-02-01T10:40:56.029-08:00

If you want to know what topics we will be discussing on this blog, you can check out the schedule here.

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757849113730086372.post-35994085192579104472010-01-29T11:22:00.001-08:002010-01-29T12:02:51.589-08:00

There is no word in the English language more in need of a complete rehab than the word “sex.” Speak the word on any corner in America and it won’t be heard with connotations of God-ward purity and pleasure. No, the word has been dented, damaged and debased by sin. It has been stained with connotations of junior high locker room giggles and middle-age auto-erotic late-night porn. It is

Robert Polenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18016914655436680943noreply@blogger.com5