How much attention do you pay to the superscriptions in the book of Psalms? There are 150 psalms in the psalter, and 117 of them have a superscription note before the actual psalm. They have always fascinated me. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are inspired. It doesn’t mean that they are important. But their presence … More Psalm 48: Preparing Worship Leaders to Lead Worship
Sunday Afternoon Musings Are We Selling a Product or Heralding a King? (part 1) A few years ago, I was having coffee with a church planter who was both exhausted and discouraged. His launch team had spent six months fine-tuning their branding, dialing in their sound system, and designing direct-mail flyers that looked like they … More the Difference Between a Salesman and a Herald
Sunday Afternoon Musing I was listening to one of my favorite preachers on the way to church this morning. Colin Smith was speaking, and he referred to the life of John Bunyan and the heartache of knowing that his stand for the truth of the gospel and subsequent imprisonment cost him twelve years of life, … More God Turning Mourning Into Dancing
Lessons from Isaiah Yesterday, I went to the doctor’s office for my annual checkup. They took blood and urine samples; they looked at all my “numbers,” asked a few questions, looked at my past history; and pronounced me good to go. I’m sleeping better, going to the bathroom less and getting more exercise, and beginning … More Ugly Unthankfulness
Actually, what we really need is a return to the model of Jesus, which will feel completely new. The church in America is not lacking for resources. We have conferences. We have curricula. We have podcasts, platforms, and personality-driven programs that can fill a calendar twelve months of the year. We have more tools for … More We Need a New Approach to Making Disciples
Sunday Afternoon Musing Wayne Cordeiro writes in his book, The Divine Mentor, “My best friends are in the Bible.” Today, I am rereading the book and being re-inspired by it. Think about what Wayne wrote. Ask yourself the question, . . . How do I become best friends with people of the Bible? Let me … More “My best friends are in the Bible.”
Sunday Afternoon Musing Never saw it before. There is a three-Psalm sequence in Book 4 of the Psalter (Ps. 90-106) that could be the primary texts for a missions conference concerning the reasons, needs, and motivations to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Psalm 96-98 are the ones I have in mind. … More The Missionary God
Sunday Afternoon Musings Last night, I was reading 1 Thessalonians and was struck again by the fact that Paul wrote this letter to a group of baby Christians, and yet in every chapter he talks about the second coming of Christ. Apparently, for the apostle Paul, the doctrine of the Second Coming is considered prime … More Sunday Meditation
Three Excerpts from My Forthcoming Book: Praying the Scripture: Learning to Pray the Psalms from Chapter 15: Psalm 88: The Prayer God Kept I want to stay with Psalm 88 a little longer, because I think it is one of the most important psalms in the book for anyone who has ever felt that prayer … More God Interprets Tears Fluently
INTRODUCTIONWhen Prayer Becomes Breath I was driving home from helping my daughter move sheep when the thought hit me. It wasn’t profound at first. Just a whisper. A nudge. One of those quiet moments when the Spirit seems to lean in and say, “Pay attention.” Missouri has given us many gifts, but being close enough … More Tinkering Before I Give it Over to an Editor
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