“If $1,500 per teenager has to be raised so that a youth group can go on a short-term mission trip we need to make sure that it was worth the investment! A sure way of doing this is to make sure that, in addition to whatever humanitarian projects are being done, the lost are being... Continue Reading

My favorite book from 2016 wasn’t published this year. In fact, it wasn’t originally published this century. However, it felt extremely relevant in a year that seemed to display (and celebrate) every variety of sin. It faithfully reminded me that rather than look at the sin “out there” I must continually look at the sin “in here.”   My stocking was... Continue Reading

“The pastor of Izmir Resurrection Church on the west coast of Turkey was imprisoned based on allegations of ties to the Gülen movement, whose followers are blamed by the Turkish government of attempting a coup on July 15.”   Christian advocates in the United States have launched a global campaign to release Andrew Brunson, an... Continue Reading

As we have said, our union to Christ and to one another is His gift, not our achievement. But the manifestation of our union is both a calling and an achievement. As Calvin taught us, what is true of us in Christ must be “ratified amongst us by reciprocal harmony and brotherly love.”   All believers... Continue Reading

“Somewhere along her Christian path, some teacher or mentor had told this woman that God is good because He does what seems right to us. She had been taught that we are to name what we want and claim it territorially, as if we can instruct God on the best way to do things.”  ... Continue Reading

“My primary interest in biblical theology has always been not for its own sake but for the relationship and interface between it and systematic theology, as the former serves to provide the latter with its life-blood: sound exegesis, and for that, attention to the text within its context in the unfolding history of special revelation... Continue Reading

“Paul does not mince his words. He condemns them as ‘men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain’ (1TI 6.5). The life of these ministers had become a charade. Their ‘ministry’ was nothing more than a thinly veiled mask to cover... Continue Reading

“It’s sometimes said that Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good—and in view of the truncated gospel many of us have believed, the labeling is sometimes justified. But there’s no reason this should be the case.”   When I was growing up, I wanted—at various points—to be an astronaut, a comic artist, a... Continue Reading

“Today, Silent Night is perhaps the most famous Christmas carol in history. It has been translated into most languages, and the Bing Crosby version is the third-bestselling single in history. A rebuilt Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf is now a cultural landmark (a replica can be found in Frankenmuth, Michigan).”   This year, my home has been warmed by... Continue Reading

“If you often feel Sunday-morning letdown, consider the expectations you have for your church. What do you expect from the environment? Do you expect it to be well-furnished and ornate with well-executed and culturally relevant music? Beware of ways that our consumer mindset pollutes our attitudes at church.”   Some of my favorite memories are... Continue Reading