Only those who have truly trusted in Jesus as their Savior and submitted to His lordship will experience God’s eternal blessing. Obedience brings blessing, not because it merits salvation but because it demonstrates the reality of our faith in the One who blesses His people.   Although it is rarely noted, the concept of blessing... Continue Reading

The Abide Project began, not as an attempt to chart a new direction, but precisely to avoid it.  The only unprecedented developments have been the deliberate attempts to protest and defy the decisions of Synod, and the subsequent failure of classes to keep such congregations accountable.   Recent Synods of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC)... Continue Reading

“Respect” for tradition is not enough when cultural hurricanes threaten to blow Anglicans off the narrow pilgrim way. Just as “respect” for God is a far cry from the “trembling at My word” that God seeks (Isa. 66:2), and just as the Ethiopian eunuch asked how he could understand Isaiah without someone guiding his interpretation... Continue Reading

Wherever King Jesus is readily acknowledged, his reign in rule is more firmly felt and entrenched in our lives and in our world, and so mainly that will exist in the church. There we have his kingdom coming. What more important things could we pray about in our day?   We think about the petitions... Continue Reading

Calvin said there are two tests to determine the purity of a man’s aspirations. First, is the man already doing what the office requires?…Second, if he goes unnoticed in his service (let us say he does not get nominated this go-around), does he keep serving?    I have noticed an interesting difference between the description of... Continue Reading

I am not a prophet, but I suspect (and cannot know) that we will become or already are a non-literary society. And that a sub-group (pastors, classical school kids, educators, etc.) will continue to value the life of the mind.   I think we are seeing the end of reading as a societal activity. Most... Continue Reading

Ironically, the modern academic world, as secular as it has become, has its roots in an intellectually inclined monastic culture where humble monks, priests, and spiritual seekers searched for God and deep knowledge in harmony with faith, love, hope, and charity.    It is seldom noted today, but both [experimental science and modern mathematics] were... Continue Reading

Considering the foundation means pausing and asking yourself the difficult question of “why.” Sure, being intentional in the beginning isn’t nearly as glamorous as slapping on a coat of paint at the end, but it’s infinitely more valuable. After all, that paint’s not going to look very good on a house that’s crumbled to the... Continue Reading

Our false views of a domesticated God made in our image have fallen like the Gods of Egypt. As CS Lewis said of God, “He is not safe, but he is good.”    We have an infinite God who is beyond our control, but because that feels unsafe, we often remake him in our own... Continue Reading

“Sing to one another” is the clearest musical command that the church has been given. It is also profoundly simple. It compels us to make our song choices and musical techniques expertly crafted to serve that end: congregations singing well together.    At the forefront of a creation that praises its Creator (Psalm 148) stands... Continue Reading