Because of my love for Russian novelists, I was recently asked why people think Dostoevsky is so great. So for what it’s worth, here’s my short answer. Because his character descriptions are densely textured and believable. Because his phycological understanding of humanity is complex and yet understandable. Because he deals with universal issues and questions. … More Why Dostoevsky is Worth Your Time
Matthew 21:28-32 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ … More Repentance is More Important than Disobedience
I hope the answer is yes. I hope you know the meaning of Jesus’s parables in Matthew 13, in particular the one we talked about last week and the one we will take up this week. (Come and visit if you can or go to our website on Monday for the audio, ManchesterCreek.org) There is … More Do You Believe in the Divine Conspiracy?
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) I was encouraged by these words today and thought I would pass them on without commentary and just this paragraph to set the context. As I begin my preparation for next week’s worship service I found these words from J.C. Ryle on … More The Father Delights to Give Us the Kingdom
All of us can identify with the power of encouraging word. Someone spoke into our lives at a particular moment and their encouragement was exactly what our thirsty spirit needed to carry on with a task or to hang on in a relationship, or finish a job that we had begun. But it also works in … More The Power of Discouragement
Monday is for Discussion “Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, button-down, moralistic … More The Impossibility of Evangelical Witness
Monday is for Discussion Questions and Suggestions. “Exegete” the video. What is the point? How does it relate to your church? What are you going to do about it? Update Tuesday: Link now reflects final edits. Update Wednesday: There was a farming accident in the community resulting in a death and we felt that the … More The Sickness of the American Church
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