Dear Lord Jesus, we abandon ourselves to you—we come running with our tears and our fears, our anger and our anguish, our lament and our longings. We collapse in your presence, with the assurance of your welcome, needing the mercies of your heart.   Some stories are just too much for us to absorb; some... Continue Reading

Free speech is under attack on all fronts and incidents like the hoax call to the hospital in London can be leveraged to set bad legal precedents and even pass bad laws. They certainly give insight into the gravitational pull of wider society on such matters as freedom of speech.   The apparent suicide of... Continue Reading

You could, if you are willing, find a fitting balance, as I try to do, between sympathy and normalcy. That is, don’t be surprised that I’m a little more sad, a little more shy, a little more distracted than normal. But don’t treat me like a Faberge egg, like someone too fragile to laugh at... Continue Reading

Despite, perhaps, the alarming title, my plea is to see Reformed and Presbyterian Churches whole-heartedly embrace outreach. I know many denominations are great about foreign missions, but what about local? Our neighbors need the gospel, too!

The hypocrite is not the Christian who struggles against sin, fights against temptation, and keeps doing what is right even on his worst feeling days. That’s a hero. The hypocrite is the Christian who uses the veneer of public virtue to cover the rot of private vice

This is a question that should be on the minds of every pastor. It is certainly on mine. Every pastor’s family is at risk at becoming disenchanted, even hostile to that church and ministry that so often takes their father away. How can a pastor help, not hinder his children to grow in love for the church?

Note carefully. Such an upbeat vision is predicated upon the end of the Christian world. This new birth must eliminate from human society the first line of the ancient Christian creed: “I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” This is the great obstacle holding back the dawning of the Age... Continue Reading

Frankly, if everything you knew about Christmas came from tree ornaments, house decorations and Christmas movies, you might not have a clue the holiday ever had anything to do with the birth of Christ. The fact that people think of Christmas trees as religious symbols proves Christians have not made their message clear.    ... Continue Reading

By God’s grace we can do good works of Christian service to others which ALSO please God as sweet-smelling sacrifices

I doubt many Christians, including those who oppose Christmas, give Chinese take-out a second thought. But in consistency, this may have pagan associations that are current rather than historical. Not a dead religion, but a living religion-albeit false. Real idolatry.   Every year, as the Christmas season approaches, some folks object to the celebration of... Continue Reading