A government study shows more than half of Americans are pushed out of a job, one way or another, after age 50. Of those given the heave-ho, only 1 out of 10 regain the annual income they had. That can really mess up those 401(k) calculations, can it not?   I got fired, canned, dismissed,... Continue Reading

On a heart level, we question if God will actually do what he promises. We doubt his goodness; unbelief creeps in, and fear paralyzes us as we grapple for control of our lives. Life presses in on all of us! How is life pressing in on you today?    Have you felt maxed out beyond your capacity... Continue Reading

A great reason to praise God aloud is the privilege of being chosen in love. Why did God choose us? Because he loved us. Paul describes God’s loving election of us in terms of giving God great praise. Ephesians 1: 3-5… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be... Continue Reading

Joy and sorrow are so closely related that they both produce tears. And in God’s great story, the deepest losses produce for us the prospect of the deepest joy and contentment. This makes no sense in the world’s eyes, but this is the nature of the gospel.   To be grateful is to be appreciative... Continue Reading

So if this is the way we received Christ Jesus the Lord, Paul’s reasoning is that this is the way we continue in him. And that’s why we must abound in thanksgiving. Any growing, any maturing, any deepening, is all a work of grace and not owing to any special ability or spiritual level I... Continue Reading

Laura has been God’s second-greatest gift to me. So, on this anniversary day, November 16, 2019, If I were not a Calvinist, I guess I would say, “I’m a lucky man.” However, since I am one who believes God decrees whatsoever comes to pass, I suppose I need to give glory and honor to my Heavenly... Continue Reading

I retired from the local church pastorate this year. That has required a mental adjustment. On the one hand, I no longer have the early hours and long days of pastoral care and planning. On the other hand, I am still called to be a steward of my time and servant of my Lord Jesus,... Continue Reading

Our churches, seminaries, and other institutions should do all they can to enable young men like Dan to accomplish their goals, to step into those places in academia where these intellectual battles are taking place. J. Gresham Machen spoke about this more than 100 years ago: “The church is waiting for men of another type. Men... Continue Reading

Like the picture of Dorian Grey, our souls would decay in the sugary sweetness of earthly delights, while the world would look on in wonder at our picture perfect life. At first, our choice for pleasure would be accompanied by our claim that we desire to magnify the goodness of the Lord, but as our... Continue Reading

We’re so desperate to be a part of the inner ring that when they approach and ask you to bend a rule, look the other way for just a moment, or participate in their well-intentioned but off-the-books plan, you’ll compromise your principles as the price of admission. The problem, Lewis explains, only compounds itself as... Continue Reading