The blessings of ministry far outweigh the realities below; however, ministry is definitely not easy. Don’t waste your time and money going to seminary or college for pastoral training if you are not prepared for the negative aspects of ministry mentioned below. Furthermore, always remember that God has called you to love His church, not merely His mature church, but His immature church as... Continue Reading

Some people think the biblical doctrine of election is unloving. They suggest that because God has not chosen everyone for salvation, only some, then He is not loving. Yet, the very opposite is true. Because God loves, He chooses. Love by nature must be particular, specifically designed for a beloved. To love all the same... Continue Reading

Women don’t like getting older. And, if they are like I used to be, they squirm when they read Titus 2:3, 4. Older Christian women are to teach the younger women. I deflected those verses by asking, “At what age do I become older?” In addition I thought, “I am not yet perfect in applying Scripture to... Continue Reading

Briscoe is just one of 200 business owners, religious companies, social service organizations, and colleges suing the federal government over the contraceptive mandate. According to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, one of the legal groups representing several cases, 29 of the 32 for-profit organizations that have filed suit against the government secured temporary relief... Continue Reading

The wide ranging assault on religious freedom occurring in America under the Obama Administration, and mirrored throughout the western world,currently focuses on the HHS contraceptive/abortifacient mandate, requiring religious institutions that are not houses of worship and businesses owned by objecting religious proprietors to supply goods that violate their consciences. But another area of assault, which... Continue Reading

I tried summoning up some words of wisdom, or even something profound to say. It’s not like this moment caught me (an admittedly slow learner) by surprise. “This is it,” I thought, heaving a weary sigh instead of taking a deep manly breath. “Better make this count.”   It finally happened. Last week, standing beside... Continue Reading

The reason he’s issuing this challenge, he says, is that most of his reviewers have insisted that he’s mistaken without supplying anything like persuasive evidence. Since I found many of those reviews quite persuasive in their criticisms, I turned with interest to his essay-length response to his critics.    Since I took a passing swipe at his work in my... Continue Reading

The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, “The Weeping Prophet.” It was the malady that so afflicted... Continue Reading

A sovereign God doesn’t need us, of course, to help unfold world events. He is quite capable of keeping the Middle East from total conflagration, or softening the cruelty of human traffickers in big American cities, or comforting the Chinese families of two teenage girls killed in an airliner crash in San Francisco. He is... Continue Reading

Mr. Van Grinsven says the efforts have paid off: The number of interns meeting the company’s benchmark for success in sales has risen more than 40% since 2007, a productivity improvement that he attributes in part to more parental support.   Paul From was used to meeting the spouses and children of employees at company... Continue Reading