Author Archives: M. Scott Foster

Once upon a time (’06 – ’08), I played on a professional card-counting team (i.e. blackjack) called the Church Team because a lot of us were professing Christians. Someone made a documentary about it called Holy Rollers: The True Story of Christian Card-Counting. I appeared in this movie. You can read some of my thoughts on it here.

Yes. I realize this whole thing is ridiculous. I’m glad it is over. I’m glad they made a movie about it so I can’t escape dealing with the sin in my past. There was a lot deception. I brought reproach on the gospel. I probably lead others in sin. It was wrong. There was some good too but, all the same, I repent.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? The odds are good that you check your Facebook account if you are an American. Over half of the residents of the United States have a Facebook account. According to several recent studies, nearly half of all these users check their account before they do anything else in the morning. It would be naive to think that these percentages are much different in the Christian community. The church, just like the world, logs onto Facebook before they pour their coffee or orange juice.  Facebook’s rolling aggregate of status updates is aptly called the Newsfeed. This is where breakfast truly begins. Every morning, Christians wirelessly line up to a trough of narcissism and absurdity. We feed our self-loving egos with likes, shares, and comments. We are miles away from the heart of King David who wrote, “O God, you are my God; early will I seek you: my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Everyone hungers. God didn’t create mankind in such a way that he can sustain himself. We will die if we don’t routinely feed. This is true of our race both physically and spiritually. We see this reality clearly demonstrated in the Old Testament type of manna which finds it fulfillment in the true and better bread, Jesus Christ… Continue reading →

“Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden of poverty alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper.” Martin Luther, The Sermons of Martin Luther