We use our Presbyterian polity to establish a process for nominating and electing people to serve the church, which is not an office but appears to be one. Substitute the title deacon for deaconess, substitute ordination for commissioning, and substitute the name diaconate for deacon team (or another name). Is this a distinction without a... Continue Reading

You thought it was going to be capitalism that would save the world through American business, but actually it’s this new spirituality that joins the East and the West, and joins all these different things that God set asunder–in particular, male and female. And this spirituality is involved in a process of mystical trance-like going... Continue Reading

Paul draws a sharp line through humanity, not by sex, culture, class, or race, but by the orientation of the heart. All of human life can be reduced to two ways of being: living in the flesh, or living in the Spirit. Two kinds of people. Two orientations. And which one we live from determines... Continue Reading

A world without war. A world without fear. A world where the broken are made whole. A world where paradise is restored once and for all. This is God’s answer to the problem of sin, suffering, and ultimately death: The world will not always be like this. A new world is coming.     In... Continue Reading

Blood was shed constantly at this mountain, precisely because this is where God’s holiness was most concentrated. Yet at the same time, the psalmists sang about Zion as a city that cannot be shaken, a place of refuge where God defeats his enemies and shelters his people. Judgment and salvation have always met on that... Continue Reading

Then some years later, you look back on that period. And you realize, in retrospect, just how much the Lord was doing in that time when He felt so unmoved and absent. He was keeping His promises, though He was doing so slowly. Gradually. Sometimes silently.     God keeps His promises. True enough, He... Continue Reading

After three days, Jesus stepped out of the grave in triumph, never to die again. He is the victor over death, evil, and the devil (Hebrews 2:14). He is Lord and King. And so declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Then comes the true and formal... Continue Reading

Instead of endlessly worrying over the unknown of the future, we rest in peace, having confidence that nothing is outside of God’s meticulous plan. We remember God’s works because they show us His heart, and knowing His heart of enduring love gives us hope for the present and future.     Does anything in our... Continue Reading

Not every worshiper will be thus privileged, but those who dwell there, as Simeon and Anna dwelt in the temple. So, there are some that abide in Christ, and His words abide in them. They live near God. They receive, therefore, choicer favors than those who only come and go. He who has learned to... Continue Reading

It’s hard, but we shouldn’t always wait until we have all the answers before we act. Sometimes, things will just have to be figured out as time goes on. I admit, this is hard for me to do. I like to control situations and not experience future surprises or complications.     Do you remember... Continue Reading