How, in my preaching schedule and in my preaching, am I ensuring I’m not simply preaching my thoughts and bouncing off some text that will work to preach my thoughts? How do I anchor myself to Scripture such that people are hearing the whole counsel of God, and on the other hand, be aware of... Continue Reading

Belonging to a particular church is vital to the Christian. In the New Testament there is no such person as a Christian who is not a church member. Conversion was described as ‘the Lord adding to the church’ (Acts 2:47). There was no spiritual drifting. Those who came to know Christ were committed at once to the... Continue Reading

I hope for the sake of the abused that they find peace and solace in the church, so long as they remember that making the church #woke or prophetic is only to bring the “conflicts of the world” back into the place where souls are looking for comfort.   Could the Pretty Good Awokening nurture... Continue Reading

In previous days at least two letters were released to that congregation (and circulated around the world) from their under-shepherds. One was written by an elder shortly before he was arrested titled “How the Church Should Face Persecution.” The other, is from the pastor and is titled “My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience.” Both of these... Continue Reading

The term “pro-life” brings to mind two things for most folks today: Abortion and politics. But being pro-life goes far beyond mobile sonogram clinics and Capitol Hill. It’s about being pro-life like God is pro-life.   I first saw the movie The Fugitive in 1993. It’s a story about Dr. Richard Kimball (Harrison Ford), who is framed... Continue Reading

It is easy to impress upon people the value of prayers in the home that pertain most directly to the needs of a particular individual or family.  Every Christian knows this is true from his or her own experience.  But what is the value of prayer within the setting of the local church as it... Continue Reading

At Christmas we celebrate birth but always the celebrations entwine with death. Christmas is the dying of the year. Christmas is the celebration of a baby in a manger, and a prelude to the man on a cross. Christmas is itself a testimony that we need not fear death – one year dies, another will... Continue Reading

It’s true that our motivation matters. A shepherd with an empty pantry praying for miracle provision so his sheep don’t starve is different than the guy who is praying for abundance so his neighbor can envy his sheep pen. But I’ll admit that far too often self-interest is what motivates my midnight pleas for assistance.... Continue Reading

You’d hear it in every church: “Take out your hymnal and turn to hymn 154…” And then hymnals went the way of the dodo and we began to look instead to words projected on a screen. Here is some of what we lost along the way.   I don’t think we should go back to using... Continue Reading

“A penny wise and a pound foolish” is a cliché used to describe the practice of caring about minute costs while ignoring the more substantial ones. Being obsessed with the “total costs” of a new hire while not being obsessed with getting the “right person” is being “penny wise and pound foolish.”   All hires... Continue Reading