True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.   Someone I know recently expressed an... Continue Reading

Pastors are pulled in countless directions. The demands and expectations are endless. But pastors, please don’t neglect your first ministry. Don’t neglect your family.   I love the community that has formed on this blog. There are several of you who are regular commenters; you have become a part of this blog family, and I... Continue Reading

 In my estimation, the primary theological problem in youth ministry is emphasizing law and neglecting grace. More specifically, grace appears when offering students eternal salvation but strangely disappears in discussions about holiness, sanctification, and the Christian life. In my experience as a teenager and a youth pastor, many of my peers in ministry faithfully proclaim... Continue Reading

Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte announces the appointment of Chaplain (COL) Mack Griffith as the director of the Chaplains Ministry Institute (CMI). The purpose of the CMI is to prepare students to serve as chaplains in military, hospital, and corporate settings.  As director of the CMI Chaplain Griffith will mentor those in the program, will... Continue Reading

Sadly, we pastors often lose sight of the power that works within us (Eph. 3:20) to accomplish the purposes of the Triune God through our ministries. We easily slip into complacent, comfortable sermon prep routines. I’ve often told my wife that I feel like “a sermon machine,” punching them out week after week. We can... Continue Reading

Our spies understand that churches have different worship styles, and they know to contextualize their assessment as much as possible. What we hear from them is that worship through music is often poorly done, regardless of style. Musicians have not practiced, lyrics are difficult to sing, and leaders lack passion.   Have you ever thought that... Continue Reading

Spread across the chest of the black shirt in large, red letters are the English words: “For,” “so,” and “the.” Underneath, to the right, is the reference in English and in a much smaller font “John 3:16.”  Between the English words in the main line are three Japanese characters, set in white against the black... Continue Reading

“We denounce as sinful and unbiblical his determined effort to accuse our brethren,” the council says of Detwiler, who blogs at BrentDetwiler.com. “Consequently, we urge our brothers and sisters in Christ to avoid giving audience to Brent Detwiler’s unbiblical speech until such a time that he repents of this ungodly pattern. Such harmful speech is ruinous... Continue Reading

Those without discipline are orphans. Parents who don’t discipline their children are emotionally and spiritually abusing their children, and are setting them on a path of self-destruction. Pastors who don’t discipline their people by preaching the unvarnished Word of God in season and out of season are not good shepherds but masked thieves.   The... Continue Reading

…when he gave something the first time, there was gratitude; and when he gave something a second time to that same community, there was anticipation; the third time, there was expectation; the fourth time, there was entitlement; and the fifth time, there was dependency. That is what we’ve all experienced when we’ve wanted to do... Continue Reading