“Many of us look at our money, possessions, and talents as our own to do with as we please. We can have an attitude of ownership and pride. Deuteronomy 8:17–18 warns us against this attitude and reminds us God gives the power to obtain wealth. Psalm 24:1 tells us the earth and everything in it... Continue Reading

N. T. Wright, an advocate of the NPP, would say, “Jesus’ actions make sense within his Jewish context, and within the socio-cultural world of Galilee in particular…” Now, there is a sense in which the cultural context of a passage can be hermeneutically helpful.  However, that is not what Wright is saying.   Who is... Continue Reading

“I was dismayed that the beautiful lyrics that had made knowledge about God accessible to the masses had been traded in for cheap slogans. Conduct that once demonstrated reverence was replaced with behavior that could fit in at Coachella.”   The first thing I noticed about the church service was the complete darkness of the... Continue Reading

“The faithful minister understands not only the authority and character of the Bible, but also grasps the message of the Bible in all its breadth and depth. The Scriptures certainly present a simple gospel. But the Scriptures also teach profound doctrine, instruct on worship that pleases God, show the way in which the church is... Continue Reading

“Those who listened and believed will have my everlasting gratitude and love. The first person I shared with was not a minister, but a friend who by the grace of God had walked this journey before. I didn’t realize that at the time because I didn’t actually know what was happening to me. I just... Continue Reading

“I do believe that some people will be healed immediately – even today – for the glory of God and as an overflow of his compassion upon the needs of people. God hasn’t changed. He still sees and he still cares. But I also believe that waiting is sanctifying and showing.”   I spent the... Continue Reading

A pastor friend of mine often reminds me that at the core of the gospel is the often-missed truth that Jesus died so that we could pray. The author of the letter to the Hebrews assures us that we may “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and... Continue Reading

“Someone has also said the devil has another pair of glasses he places on us after we sin. These glasses make sin appear so large that it cannot be forgiven.  If you are reading this today, have fallen into sin, and are despairing in this way, consider one last illustration. Though this post is not about the... Continue Reading

“Even when we are committed to something that has always traditionally been considered immoral, we can’t just do what we want anyway.  We insist that it is moral.  We change the paradigms and definitions so that it appears to be moral.”   “Virtue signaling” is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “the action or... Continue Reading

“If I could calculate the hours that I spend in a car each and every week, I am sure that it would come out to somewhere between 15-20 hours/wk. This means that I need to be purposeful about utilizing the time in commute to feed my own soul and the souls of my children–not simply... Continue Reading