First, many of the books of the Bible are stories. They are meant to be read as stories, and you understand them better if you read them that way. Others, such as Paul’s letters, are not stories, but if you read one of them in one sitting, you get a good sense of the overall... Continue Reading

The longer I travel the marital road, the more I agree with John Eldredge, who in his book Love and War writes that we are foolish if we do not understand that we are engaged in fierce spiritual warfare when it comes to our marriages. Someone, apparently, doesn’t want our marriages to survive. Guess who... Continue Reading

Mel: “She is now in Heaven. I’m sorry for this horrible news. She fell yesterday and her artificial knee twisted and cut a vein. She simply lost too much blood to recover. Please pray for me, three kids and two grand kids and a huge extended family.”   Cindie Pike, serving with her husband Teaching... Continue Reading

It has been said, time and time again, that suicide is the only sin God can’t forgive, that if you are dead you can’t ask forgiveness, but now I know my Lord and Savior is bigger than that. There are so many things we will never quite understand but, in heaven, we will finally know.... Continue Reading

Again this year we are featuring a summary of the top 50 stories. We are breaking the list into 5 parts, 10 a day; starting from the bottom and going up with 10 through 1 Number 10 Seven PCA Ministers from Metro New York Presbytery Transfer to the EPC Ministry views more in accord with... Continue Reading

Here is what I am preaching to myself, and to you too, if you want to listen in: Long, effective ministries and lives can end very badly. Don’t let it happen. Finish in faith. Treat this year-end like the end of your life. Then be ecstatic that you get to start a new life tomorrow.... Continue Reading

I enjoy praise and worship. I really do. And I appreciate the enormous effort and the talent that goes into excellent worship leadership. I hesitate to admit the following, because it seems like someone with a theology doctorate ought to be motivated by more cerebral concerns, but a significant (major but not main) part of... Continue Reading

One of my seminary professors used to tell the student body, “Pastors have a bull’s eye on their back and footprints up their chest.” This is quite an appropriate description of the hardships that God’s servants are called to endure for the sake of the gospel. The flaming arrows of the evil one are persistently... Continue Reading

We live in tension between the already and the not yet. The believer is already justified, and yet we are not yet glorified. Finally, we have a desire for our holy God, and yet we still do daily battle with the sin of the flesh. Our default is to pull on our own bootstraps and... Continue Reading

There’s a corner near our home where people put cars for sale from time to time. It was late on Monday afternoon when Allan begged me to stop to look at the black pickup truck that was sitting there with a red bow on it. I said, “Come on, Allan, you’ll never be able to... Continue Reading