“How bad was the living nightmare? I could not fall asleep for two weeks straight. Even sleeping pills could not calm the adrenaline and knock me out, which only made things worse. At night I was terrified of the quiet, knowing I was in for another all-night battle with insomnia that I was likely to... Continue Reading

“Humankind’s stewardship began in the Garden of Eden, where God gave Adam and Eve full dominion over the entire creation. Adam and Eve were not given ownership of the world; rather, they were given the responsibility of managing it. They were to insure that the garden was tilled and cultivated, and not abused or exploited,... Continue Reading

“The unofficial motto of the PCA is “we’re a grassroots denomination.” That may at one time have been true. But we need to stop lying to ourselves. The PCA is run by the denomination’s program committees and the large and influential churches and presbyteries. The only hope for a real grassroots PCA is the move... Continue Reading

“There are three interpretations of the Marrow controversy. Some argue that it was an internecine dispute of two sides that both held to the Westminster Standards. Those who condemned the Marrow quoted the Westminster standards against the Marrow men, which creates a certain plausibility for this view. This view is wrong in Duncan’s mind, though.”... Continue Reading

“Calvin uses the phrases free justification, the mercy of God, and gratuitous acceptance to point to the same thing: that the primary cause of everything pertaining to salvation flows from God’s sovereign grace and mercy as freely offered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That which secures a man’s salvation is ultimately not dependent upon... Continue Reading

To “wriggle out of coming directly to God” in prayer, then, is a serious, gospel-denying matter. It is a squirming which we as adults are frankly more prone to than our children, having a more cultivated, even if proper, sense of all the reasons why God shouldn’t receive us into His presence when we seek... Continue Reading

Christians, you need to be aware of this strategy. False teachers typically won’t show up to your church wearing a sandwich board saying, “I am a false teacher.” Instead, they will appeal to your piety. They will try to make you feel that humility requires you to hold the teachings of Jesus and the apostles... Continue Reading

The desire to be the next _________ (fill in the blank with your favorite Bible teacher) has become the secret driving force of the young pastor. The pure first calling to just be a faithful preacher of the Word wherever God calls, even if it’s in a small rural church with little influence has been... Continue Reading

Mega-churches are not conducive to shepherding people.  The pastors must juggle innumerable projects while caring for thousands of people, many of whom live far from the church.  The congregations of these churches are always transient, with a huge percentage of turnover each year.  Many people who attend these churches eventually leave the congregation and fall... Continue Reading

Author Greg Mckeown says that like all abilities, saying “No” is difficult at first but we can grow more skillful at it with practice. He helpfully lists a “Repertoire of No’s” we can pick from and eventually master so that “we can handle almost any request from almost anybody with grace and dignity.”   How... Continue Reading