Sinner, Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, Son, Church Planter, Professor, Writer, Speaker, Mentor and Coach, and did I say Sinner?
Since at least 2003, this term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” has been around as an apt description of the thing that most in our culture would call Christianity but that the Jesus and the Apostles wouldn’t recognize. “Sociologist Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton examined the relgious and spiritual lives of American teenagers from a wide variety of … More Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
I have been home in bed for two days trying to conserve my strength as I battle the flu. It has given me much time to read, between nodding off from exhaustion. One of the books occupying my time is Wayne Cordeiro’s The Divine Mentor (Bethany House, 2007). I have known Pastor Cordeiro’s ministry story … More A Divine Mentor
This sound clip from BreakPoint.org is worth your ear (Link here). We who are Christians don’t worship Christ because He is good for us (though He is!) but because we believe the evidence that He rose from the dead. At the same time, it is interesting to hear what even secular studies reveal about religious … More Religion is Good for You
UPDATE: Terry Ivy is a cancer survivor, a husband, a father, a pastor a lover of Christ, an early “BLOG Friend”, and one who has become a dear friend and prayer warrior to me. Though we have only been together in person twice, we have been companions in heart and he is holds a cherished … More Sometimes People Hear the Gospel by Accident
Just heard the news that Paul Washer, evangelist and founder of Heart Cry Ministry, had a heart attack. He is apparently in critical condition and has been taken into surgery. If you are unfamiliar with his ministry, here is a video of the message that launched his ministry into a larger worldwide impact. The message was … More Pray for Paul Washer
Rereading Classic Books Last night, while re-reading for the fourth time, John Piper’s Desiring God, I was reminded why I am a “Christian Hedonist.” Buy the book and read it slowly. Back in college when I first came to trust in Christ, when I first starting reading the Bible regularly (hours a day at times), … More Desiring God
Saturday Afternoon Musings I heard a marvelous message from Psalm 32 from my friend John Crooker, serving as the Interim Pastor at Trinity Church about a month or two ago when I visit Trinity Church. It is always a joy to hear the word of God poured through a godly man’s heart, with a love … More Goodbye Illinois
One year ago I posted this around Easter time. It is still challenging my heart with the greatness of grace. Source: How “Costly Grace” is Cheapened
I suppose every pastor has a certain number of “fear-dominated” parishioners. I’m thankful that in my current church there seems to be very few but I know the malady can be debilitating and destructive to gospel living. Christians ought not to be dominated by fear but by hope–an overwhelming hope, no matter what is or … More When Fear Threatens to Undo
“Our culture is fast-moving toward a pre-Constantinian status. That is, in the foreseeable future, it will take ‘great conviction and courage to stand for Christ.’” mps Yesterday I read a quote by John Howard Yoder, that prior to the conversion of Constantine and the Roman Empire, “it took great conviction to stand for Christ. After Constantine (A.D. … More The Constantinian Problem and Opportunity
