“The pastor loves his flock well when he preaches Christ to them and constantly, prayerfully, and tirelessly points them away from themselves and this world to Christ Jesus, the Lord. No Christian should ever underestimate the divine power that attends the faithful heralding of the Word of God.”   The measure of a pastor’s love... Continue Reading

Commission chairman David Blumberg said the two commissioners who ruled on the case told him one reason they denied Cook parole was that she “took no responsibility” and “showed no remorse” for her actions during the 90-minute hearing.   Heather Cook, the former Episcopal bishop who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for a drunk-driving... Continue Reading

It’s not because we don’t want or need the help. It’s that we’ve grown weary of hearing advice that’s offered with the best intentions, but is more hurtful than helpful. If you’re in a position to speak, write or counsel small church pastors, here are 5 things small church pastors regularly hear that you should... Continue Reading

As good as translated hymns may be, they’re often not in the “voice” of the people. For example, I’ve traveled several times to Brazil and had conversations with missionaries and native speakers about this problem. Brazilian churches have many hymns that were translated from English to Portuguese. These have provided a good repertory of Christian... Continue Reading

Much of the beauty of Reformed worship is in its simplicity and ordinariness. It is simple (not simplistic) and ordinary because it aims to do simply what God has commanded and ordained—nothing more, nothing less. It values divine receptivity (what God says) over human creativity (what man conceives). John Calvin rightly and repeatedly warned believers... Continue Reading

Fighting rather than going and doing. A church without unity is a church headed for decline and death. We have plenty of critics, second-guessers, and bullies in many of our churches. But we have few believers who are excited to talk about Jesus (Acts 4:20). This danger reveals itself when the former outweighs, outlasts, and overshadows... Continue Reading

Hatmaker did more than break ranks with evangelicals (what does “evangelical” even mean anymore?). And certainly, I could care less if you call yourself an Evangelical or an Underwater Basket Weaver. I don’t know who the “powers-that-be” are, either, although Merritt makes much of some highfalutin aristocracy that presumably controls all of us (is this... Continue Reading

Adults who grow up with undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder learn how to blend in as a matter of survival. In my early adult years, I did this successfully. I learned how to mimic the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of others so that I could have a shot at being “normal.”   On Monday, December 22,... Continue Reading

Sometimes I fear in the semantics debate over discipleship or mentoring, or the strong opinions promoted on how it should be done, we’ve become too prescriptive, and haven’t left room for different ways God might choose to use others in our lives.  I’m going to share with you four pictures of discipleship that I’ve experienced... Continue Reading

Whom were these guys accountable to? Eli wasn’t doing anything about it. The people couldn’t seem to do anything. As a result, the tyrannical reign of these men raged on, suppressing the people with a suffocating authority. Sadly, this type of thing still happens in churches today. Rather than seeing their authority as derived and... Continue Reading