When God Sings About You
When God prays and intercedes for us, He also exults over us with singing — loudly!
“God is honored by singing. God is honored by shouting. God loves to see his people rejoicing and exulting with all their heart. And how does he respond to the harmonic adoration of his people? He too joins in with songs of love and affection, and the focus of his love songs are his radiant... Continue Reading
Jesus Isn’t Going To Take My Zoloft
The fact that my depression and anxiety didn’t go away when Jesus “came into my heart” and the reality that I had to be medicated to live a normal life made me feel like a second-class Christian.
“I was told that if I would just cast my anxieties at the “foot of the cross” then I would be released from the burdens that weighed so heavily on me. I so desperately wanted the formula that I had been taught to work- read my Bible, pray everyday, and go to church and all... Continue Reading
What’s the Difference Between the Ontological and the Economic Trinity?
If I said, “Describe for me the difference between the ontological Trinity and the economic Trinity,” would you be able to do it?
“Ontology is the study of being. When we talk about the ontological Trinity, we are referring to the fact that God is three in one. There are three persons in the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who together are one being. The ontological structure of the Trinity is a unity. When we speak... Continue Reading
Refusing To Call Evil “Evil”
There are times when our pluralistic sensibilities are overcome by an unambiguous display of evil
“No one is served when we bury our heads in the ground and pretend that ISIS is anything less than one of the most morally repugnant regimes on the face of the planet. Maybe our statesmen will disagree on the best way to address this threat. But can’t we all agree on what they are.... Continue Reading
A New Beginning As “New Life” For Virginia Congregation
The wait to become part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) is over for a Virginia congregation
“New Hope Presbyterian Church’s dismissal to the EPC from the Presbyterian Church (USA) by Presbytery of the Peaks came to a ceremonial conclusion on July 20. The congregation had been granted its departure during a May 8 presbytery meeting. The presbytery’s policy calls for a 90-day waiting period after dismissal, so while Presbytery of the... Continue Reading
Effectual Calling And Trinitarian Balance
How does a call that is planned in by God in heaven before time began translate into our personal experience in life?
“In the first place, we need to be clear that the Spirit does not do his work in isolation, not merely from the Father, but equally of the Son. It is the call of God in the voice of Jesus that the Spirit uses to call his chosen ones to new birth, faith and repentance.... Continue Reading
7 Reasons Why the Current Marriage Debate Is Nothing Like the Debate on Interracial Marriage
Is opposition to same-sex marriage the same as opposition to interracial marriage?
Even cultures that embraced same-sex relationships did not treat them as marriages. Far from having been devised as a pretext for excluding same-sex relationships—as some now charge—marriage as the union of husband and wife arose in many places over several centuries entirely independent of, and well before any debates about, same-sex relationships. Indeed, it arose in... Continue Reading
The 10 Greatest Hymns of All-Time
The best hymns are those that are universal and timeless, speaking to all Christians in all times, places, and situations.
As English-speaking Christians, we have a vast array of hymns available to us, and we each have our list of favorites. In my assessment, the best hymns are those that are universal and timeless, speaking to all Christians in all times, places, and situations. They are firmly grounded in Scripture and drawn out of, or... Continue Reading
Three Gospels for Anxiety
In Matthew 6, Christ says, “Do not be anxious about your life” and provides us with 3 gospels to help us combat our daily anxiety.
Unlike the pagan Gentiles, Christians have a heavenly Father who willingly, faithfully, and eternally takes on the burden of our provision. It makes sense that pagans worry, because they don’t have the assurance of divine provision, but Christians shouldn’t be anxious. We have a Father who knows exactly what we need and is in the... Continue Reading
I Forgive You, But Please Don’t Call it ‘Giving Grace’
Ultimately, I'm afraid that by using the wrong biblical word for the right biblical response we may be misunderstanding both.
What should I do when my husband forgets to buy milk on the way home from work? When my kids leave their new bikes out in the rain? When fellow church members are curt or critical on Sunday mornings? Increasingly, I hear the godly action in these scenarios described as “giving grace.” And, while I... Continue Reading