A 2-year-old boy on life support, diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer, was given a second chance at life after his heart rate returned to normal despite being taken off life support. His miraculous recovery is attributed to divine intervention and the support of a charity that helped his family cope with medical bills and hospital stays during a difficult time.

Planets are aligning in the sky in curious ways, and people wonder if it's a sign from Revelation of the pending end. What does the Bible actually say about the stars?

What to Do When You Feel Distant From Your Spouse

Is the Christian sexual ethic universal? Is New Testament sexual morality designed only for Christians, or for all people? I suspect most readers will incline to say the Christian sexual ethic is universal. That answer would be correct—mostly. Is the New Testament’s sexual ethic the same as the Old Testament’s? Many readers will incline to answer that question in the affirmative too. That also would be correct—for the most part. New Testament teaching on sexuality does correspond to our human nature and thus to God’s original intentions for righteousness in this world. It also echoes Old Testament instruction on sexuality, especially as found in the Mosaic law. Yet crucial aspects of the New Testament’s teaching are inexplicable apart from the fact that Christ has come, established his new-covenant church, and granted believers an inheritance in his everlasting kingdom. Christians remain human beings but are also now human beings united to Christ and citizens of heaven. Both truths are crucial for understanding and practicing New Testament sexuality. Created Order The Christian tradition has long affirmed that sexual morality is grounded in the created order and thus expressed in natural law. At least five aspects of creation-order sexuality can be reasoned from Genesis 1–2. First, God made humans male and female in his image (1:27). Second, procreation was an important purpose of their creation as male and female. God called them to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (v. 28). The Noahic covenant reiterated this command for our fallen world (9:1, 7). Third, God ordained marriage as a one-flesh union between a man and a woman (2:24). This implies marriage is both an intimate relationship (because it’s sexual) and an enduring relationship (because it entails leaving one’s old family and holding fast to one’s spouse as a new family). Fourth, extramarital sexual relations contravene this creation-order morality. Extramarital relations are transient and nonexclusive, rather than enduring one-flesh unions. Fifth, pursuing marital relationships that aren’t between one man and one woman also contravenes the natural order. Homosexual relationships, for example, don’t join a man and a woman, and polygamous and polyandrous relationships don’t make a man and a woman one flesh, since other parties join the intimacy. As grounded in the natural order, this sexual morality corresponds to human nature. The implications are profound. To live in accord with creation-order sexuality fits the way God made us. God’s designs for sex are good for us, not arbitrary constraints keeping us from having fun. We do well to communicate this truth. Following natural-law sexuality doesn’t guarantee a fully satisfying sexual life, of course, any more than eating well and exercising guarantees good health. But as a good diet and exercise promote good health, given the way God made us, so also enjoying sex only within faithful marriages promotes stable family life and personal satisfaction in ways alternative relationships simply can’t. God’s designs for sex are good for us, not arbitrary constraints keeping us from having fun. We do well to communicate this truth. As the father instructs his son in the prologue of Proverbs, the adulterous woman is initially attractive (5:3) but in the end is bitter and sharp (v. 4), leading the young man to ruin (vv. 11, 14). The adulteress is seductive and smooth (7:14–21), but the one who falls for her is like an ox going to the slaughter or a bird in a snare (vv. 22–23). “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished” (6:27–29). Old Testament Sexual Ethics Although the Mosaic law permitted certain violations of natural-order sexuality (see Matt. 19:8), such as polygamy and easy divorce, its sexual ethics (and those of the rest of the Old Testament) generally reflect natural law. The Mosaic law prohibited adultery (Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18) and many other extramarital relationships, including incest (Lev. 18:6–18; Deut. 22:30; 27:20, 22–23), male homosexual conduct (Lev. 18:22), prostitution (19:29; Deut. 23:17–18), and bestiality (Ex. 22:19; Lev. 18:23; Deut. 27:21). It maintained gender distinctions as well (see Deut. 22:5). The fruitful-and-multiply theme is also important in the Old Testament after its initial appearances in Genesis 1 and 9. God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob repeated the theme multiple times, but with an interesting development. With only one exception (35:11), God promised they’d be fruitful and multiply, rather than merely commanding them to multiply (17:6; 28:3; 48:4). And God said they’d fill not the earth but the promised land of Canaan. These developments reflected God’s promise to bring salvation through the seed of the woman (3:15) and of Abraham (15:5). When God was about to bring Israel into Canaan, he again promised to make them fruitful and to multiply them (Lev. 26:9). Getting married and having children was thus the norm for Israel. The Old Testament never mentions remaining single. Having children was a blessing of the covenant. But this also meant the Israelites experienced barrenness as a curse, which the anguish of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Samson’s mother, and Hannah demonstrated. God had promised Abraham a seed and a holy land. To have children was to participate in this project. Each family had a plot of ground as an inheritance in the promised land, and it passed along from one generation to another. Failing to procreate meant losing this divine inheritance (see Num. 27:1–11; 36) and being alienated from the redemptive project by which God would bring the Messiah from Abraham’s line. Promised Seed Has Come Like the Old Testament, the New Testament affirms natural-order sexual morality. It honors marriage and family, prohibits adultery and various extramarital relations, and advises most Christians to marry (see 1 Tim. 5:14). Jesus appeals to the creation order to defend the norm of lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual marriage (Matt. 19:4–9), and Paul appeals to the natural law when speaking against homosexual conduct (Rom. 1:18–27). But the New Testament also speaks about sex and marriage both in ways the created order can’t account for and in ways that differ from the Old Testament. The Seed promised to Eve and Abraham has come (Gal. 3:16; Rev. 12), made atonement, entered the new creation, and made his people citizens of heaven and heirs of an unshakable kingdom (Phil. 3:20; Rom. 8:17; Heb. 12:28). Without changing the basics of sexual morality, these great events put marriage and family in a new light. Three issues briefly illustrate. 1. Christ calls new-covenant Christians to deprioritize their natural families in relation to his kingdom, and even to be willing to give them up for his sake (Matt. 10:34–37; Luke 14:26). As the new-covenant church spreads throughout the unbelieving world, conflict between family and Christ is now common. Yet for those who seek first the kingdom (Mark 10:29–30; cf. Matt. 19:29; Luke 18:29–30), Christ mercifully provides a new and more important family, that is, fellow Christians (see Mark 3:31–34). Christians are brothers, and the church is God’s “household” (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15). 2. Remaining unmarried is valid and can even be a preferential option for some Christians (1 Cor. 7:6–9, 28–40). Marriage, after all, is only for “this age” (Luke 20:34–35; see Matt. 22:29–32). Since all marriages end at death (Rom. 7:2) and no one marries in heaven, Christians will be unmarried in glory. Therefore, serving Christ now with undivided devotion as an unmarried citizen of heaven foreshadows the age to come (1 Cor. 7:32–35). 3. The New Testament never considers barrenness a curse for new-covenant believers. Yes, Elizabeth regarded her barrenness as a curse (Luke 1:25), but she was still living under the old covenant. Because the promised Seed has come and secured the inheritance of God’s people, barren women no longer experience alienation from God’s redemptive project. The fruitful-and-multiply theme drops out of the New Testament altogether, except as it applies to God’s Word and the Christian’s sanctified life (Col. 1:5–6, 10). The disappearance of this theme is now our blessing. It signals that Christ’s work is complete. While Christians should honor marriage and family, we must remember that Jesus considered loyalty to family as one of the greatest stumbling blocks to discipleship. The implications are numerous. While Christians should honor marriage and family, we must remember that Jesus considered loyalty to family as one of the greatest stumbling blocks to discipleship. Countless people still forsake their commitment to Christ for the sake of marrying an attractive unbeliever, retaining parental approval, or appeasing children. Furthermore, contrary to the practice of some “family-friendly” churches, churches should honor rather than marginalize their unmarried members and encourage them in their Christian service. And while Christians are still grateful for their children, we must never consider infertility a sign of God’s curse under the new covenant. Christians live in the overlap of the ages. As we await Christ’s return, may we live upright lives under this present creation order but never forget we’re already citizens of a new-creation kingdom.

My Gen-Alpha daughters love it when young adults from church come to visit. Young adults are a bridge, connecting many different ages in the church. Kids revere them because of their freedom and style; parents appreciate their fresh takes on life and faith (as well as their babysitting help); ministry leaders see grand potential for serving in the church and participating in international missions. The church thrives with healthy, growing Christian young adults. Yet that’s not as common as we’d hope. The statistics are alarming: 73 percent of young adults feel alone. We can’t ignore the problem. That’s why in Why We’re Feeling Lonely (and What We Can Do About It), Shelby Abbott, campus minister with Cru, offers both a helpful diagnosis and practical solutions to encourage Gen Z to plug into church. Many churches have accepted the opportunity to help Gen Z feel less lonely by inviting them into the life of the congregation. Yet those invitations sometimes go unheeded as young people mollify their loneliness with technologies and habits that lead to greater seclusion. Abbott exhorts young adults to break the mold and get involved in the body of Christ. Lonely Generation Once loneliness takes root, it can be self-perpetuating. As Abbott notes, “Loneliness is attempting to destroy our ability to connect with God and others in a way that helps us to thrive” (18). That’s probably always been true, but our culture makes loneliness particularly hard for Gen Z to overcome. Loneliness is a form of suffering. We all want to escape suffering as quickly as possible, so we grab for whatever is quick and comfortable to find a reprieve. For Gen Z, the culture serves up several unhelpful solutions to loneliness: an emphasis on digital identities, widespread pornography use and casual sex, political polarization, and comfort in depression and anxiety. Each alternative deepens the suffering of loneliness over time. The paradox of our culture is that the things promising connection often isolate us. Someone’s social media posts might imply she has a vivid social life, but she’s strategically posting to feign self-importance. Pornography and casual sex turn individuals into something expendable. Polarization breeds anger, shutting out differing perspectives. Our therapeutic culture’s embrace of depression and anxiety as identities tempts the sufferer to act like no one understands, so he or she sinks deeper into isolation. All these counterfeits promise to dull the ache of longing for something greater, but they ultimately drive individuals to adopt loneliness as a lifestyle. The paradox of our culture is that the things promising connection often isolate us. Abbott engages these counterfeits head-on. For example, he writes, “Your carefully curated digital identity will never appease your desire for genuine connection because that connection can only be met in a relationship with God through his Son” (34). The good news is that the gospel is still powerful, even in a digital culture. That’s why, despite dire statistics about their mental health, we’re seeing signs of a Gen-Z revival. God’s Solution to Loneliness As humans made in the image of God, our deepest need is to commune with him. Augustine wrote in the opening prayer of Confessions, “Because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.” The gospel has always been the answer for feelings of alienation from God. Because of Jesus, we can now join the perfect union of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the gospel is also the answer to our felt loneliness in the world. The gospel calls us to fellowship with God’s people in the local church. “We can’t function properly as a Christian outside of those relationships with fellow believers,” Abbott observes, “because following Jesus isn’t about only the two of us” (59). Gen-Z Christians need the local church, where they can join other believers for friendship and accountability. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially for a generation affected by COVID-19. As Abbott admits of his own experience, “The hard part is actually pushing through the loneliness and entering into the work God wants me to engage in so I can then experience genuine healing and true connection with him and with others” (124). God will need to change hearts through the gospel to draw this generation of young people out of isolation and into God’s rich community of Christians. No Easy Applications Our high-velocity culture expects shortcuts and quick results. There simply are no “life hacks” to fast-track the deep relationships God designed us for. Abbott doesn’t promise easy answers, but he does offer encouragement. He reminds readers that Jesus didn’t leave us alone in this world. Just before his ascension, Jesus told his disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). We may feel lonely, but a Christian is never really alone. Like all Christians, Gen-Z believers must remember Jesus’s promise to be with us. The gospel calls us to fellowship with God’s people in the local church. Abbott also exhorts young people to get involved in other Christians’ lives. This can take the shape of a formal small group organized by the church or approaching two to three other believers to regularly gather for prayer, fellowship, and laughter. We have two young adults in our small group, and the seasoned adults are consistently energized by their perspective and vibrancy, while the young believers benefit from the stability our family life provides. Most significantly, Abbott coaches his readers to imitate Jesus by looking out for other people before ourselves. He observes, “Putting others first and dying to yourself is the bread and butter of what it means to follow Christ” (131). It may seem obvious, but in a culture that highly values self-care, we have to be reminded to care for others first. The church has a responsibility to welcome young adults into community life. This book addresses the other side of the equation by encouraging young people not to sit on the sidelines. Why We’re Feeling Lonely can help Gen Z find their place in the local church even as it helps older generations understand what might be holding young adults back.