God uses your prayers to fulfill His sovereign plans. He also uses prayer as a means of growing us by grace. So pray! Pray for your staff. Pray with your staff. Have your elders pray regularly for your staff. Make prayer a central part of your staff meetings. Pray that God would be glorified through the ministries led by... Continue Reading

Many pundits have rightly observed the impact of culture on the church, where church is, at best, just another activity. We have also addressed the issue of increasing choices. Many church members and attendees have so many opportunities to do other activities, and they can often afford them like never before.   There has been... Continue Reading

Racism is sin. It is a declaration that seems unambiguous enough on the surface and, dare I say, is one with which hardly anyone today – Christian or not – would disagree. Nevertheless, there is a broader context in which the aforementioned attestation should be understood. Which is to say, it does not suffice merely... Continue Reading

Like many other words in European languages, the French word nöel traces back to Latin and the word natalis, which means “birthday” or “relating to birth.” It’s also the root of English words like neonatal and postnatal.   Virtually every other language has a word for Christmas. Spanish-speakers celebrate Navidad. The Italians have Natale and the Dutch look forward to Kerstmis.... Continue Reading

This strategic relationship between the pastor (shepherd) and the sheep is explicitly stated in Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” The Gospel writers refer to this very passage in the narrative of Christ’s betrayal and arrest on the Mount of Olives: “Then Jesus said to them: ‘You will all fall away... Continue Reading

My initial recommendation would be a stiff serving of eggnog, taken in the nearest easy chair, carefully imbibed through the whiskers of the most resplendent Santa beard you can find. That being accomplished, begin planning your Christmas menu, taking care to include a nice prime rib.   It’s that time of year again! When articles... Continue Reading

The Old Testament gets short shrift. And it is not just from those who say outrageous things like the Christian faith ought to be unhitched from the Old Testament or “when people struggle to believe, the Old Testament is usually the culprit.”[1] It is also manifest in how infrequently the Old Testament is preached in a... Continue Reading

What is “bioethics”? It’s best understood if we break down the word. Ethics is the practical discipline of decision-making, informed by philosophy and theology. Bio- is a prefix we attach to words that are associated with life. So bioethics is the study of the ways in which we should make decisions about what do in regard to issues of... Continue Reading

It’s not surprising Christians feel they should read the Bible more. We believe it is the Word of God. It reveals the story of redemption. It contains wisdom from God that, pressed deep into our hearts, helps us to live in ways that bring glory to Him. We see Jesus in this book, and through... Continue Reading

The Bible makes it clear that God is building a diverse church. It is God’s plan that a church begun in one place with one people would soon spread across the earth to become a church in every place and of every people. We see the ultimate result beautifully and vividly described in passages like... Continue Reading