“There are countless scenarios in which fellow Christians are blessed and we struggle to rejoice. Sure, we may attend the celebrations, sign the birthday or anniversary cards, or smile at their good news. But inside, in the depths of our heart, we shout, It’s not fair!”   Welcoming smiles. Homemade desserts. Fresh flowers. Laughter. Don’t you just love... Continue Reading

“But a funny thing happened. After about eight years, I gradually awoke. I realized the simple biological truth: I was still a man, had always been a man, and always would be a man. In terms of The Matrix, I took the red pill.”   In the 1999 sci-fi movie The Matrix, the hero, Neo, is... Continue Reading

“The discipline of the Christian faith and life means all God’s people work out their salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God who is at work in his people both to will and work for his good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). It means that those who claim to have new life in Christ will... Continue Reading

The calling of the pastor is inextricably tied to the biblical metaphor of a shepherd tending to his flock of sheep. Alexander Strauch says, “If we want to understand Christian elders and their work, we must understand the biblical imagery of shepherding. As keepers of sheep, New Testament elders are to protect, feed, lead, and... Continue Reading

“It’s critical that as church leaders we both understand and address the tensions we’re facing. In the same way that diagnosing that pain under your kneecap when you’re trying to run a race is helpful, diagnosing what you sense in the congregation can be critical to taking your next step forward.”   If you lead... Continue Reading

Most workplaces these days don’t exactly encourage quiet reflection, but they should if they want to get the most out of their employees. Kaufman and Gregoire offered some tips for managers to help their teams “reclaim solitude and improve their ability to think creatively—without diminishing collaboration.”   Artists have always understood that solitude—boredom, even—is essential... Continue Reading

The doctrine of justification doesn’t rest simply on a verb here or there. It is the whole teaching of the Scriptures that God will provide the sacrificial skins to cover our nakedness (Gen. 3:21). The whole sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointed forward to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of... Continue Reading

“In his second letter to the Corinthians included in the canon of Scripture, Paul revisits many of the same problems he addressed in his first letter. Only this time, he brings another consideration to bear, that of enemy opposition and spiritual combat.”   The children’s Sunday School class could no longer use the room. The... Continue Reading

The only way the church truly submits to the Bible’s doctrinal and moral teaching is by submitting to the full scope of the Bible’s doctrinal and moral teaching. Failure to attend to the whole counsel of God “leads to one-sidedness and error in theology and pathology in the religious life” (Herman Bavinck).   1. Systematic... Continue Reading

“You no longer seek mentors. Mentors challenge us, stretch us, push us, mold us. Leaders who don’t have mentors often have little accountability for growth—and thus less reason to grow.”   Leaders who stop growing lose their edge as a leader. They become stale, even if others may not readily recognize it. See if your... Continue Reading