“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”Matthew 4:19 Proposal: Encourage every SBC in America to commit one-eight-hour day a month by one of its pastors for the next 4 years to praying about, learning about, and planning for the planting of at least one church in the year 2028. Result: The … More A Church Planting Strategy for the SBC
Yesterday, I had the opportunity for a 30-minute conversation with a neighbor about spiritual things. It impressed me again with the importance of crafting words well. Please pray for a neighbor who has not grasped the radical claims of Christ in the New Testament. He has a religious zeal that is not according to knowledge … More Choose Your Words Well
Found this in one of my old preaching files from my brief five-year career as one of the preaching professors at a seminary in California, before my career for 12 years as the church planting prof at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. So, if you appreciate this anonymous parable, you can thank my student, Ben Yosief, … More Four Neighborhood Friends
Forgive me. I am thinking out loud again. I am trying to figure out what I think about a concept and have to either talk about it or write about it to get any clarity. And I need help. I need someone to hear me think so that I can imagine what they would say … More Sitting in Panera and Finding Wisdom, I Think
A little boy had a part in the school play. It was but one line, “It is I, be not afraid.” Unfortunately, when it came time for his big moment, the boy burst out to the stage from the side curtain, and said in a tremulous voice: “It’s me and I’m scared!” But Jesus has … More Fear is a Heart Killer
I am still culling through old files. Today, I found a copy of a handout I created to help my students distinguish between what they need to do in their studies and what they need to do in their pulpits. Thanks to Dr. Walt Kaiser and Dr. Haddon Robinson, for their books, Toward an Exegetical … More Exegetical vs. Homiletical Big Ideas
Once upon a time, I was a full-time instructor at a seminary in California. I am very thankful for that period, but I was way over my head. I happened to be at the right place and time to fill a need, and God gave me an opportunity beyond my age and training. I was … More Once Upon a Time in Another Life
Churches all around the country are working through the “Four Songs of Christmas” on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas this year. For many, this week’s text was Zechariah’s prophecy on the day his son, the future “John the Baptist,” was born (Luke 1:67-79). The backstory of this prophecy is in Luke 1:5-25, 36-66. … More Zechariah’s “Song” of Wonder
I read my first Carl Henry book around 1975. I remember where I was and that Carl Henry’s words were both challenging and precise. The year was 1975. I was at my parent’s house at 4200 Spruce Street and stole away into my Dad’s office for a quiet place to read. The book was a … More A Christmas Homily from Carl Henry
C.S. Lewis was a democrat (small “d”). He wasn’t a part of a political party. He was speaking of the concept of citizen participation in government as opposed to monarchy or dictatorships. It strikes me as not only true but also as a very good argument for small government. What do you think? “I am … More C.S. Lewis, on Why He Was a democrat
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