“On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And expedience comes along and asks the question, is it political? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor popular, but one must … More Dr. King Quote Appropriate for the Hour We Find Ourselves in as a Nation
Wednesday is for Prayer “The world is a sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going around the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life.” —C.S. Lewis, from an essay, “Beyond Personality”, p. 7. “Lord, make us a people who are mesmerized by the rumor and … More The Rumor Going Around the Sculptor’s Shop (C.S. Lewis)
Tuesday is for Reflection For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt … More Godly Grief? When Tears are the Way Forward
Monday is for Discussion Read a fascinating article today forecasting violence between generations over the debt currently being passed on the as yet unborn generation to come. Here’s just one of the quotes: Children living in poverty because their parents experienced a tragedy or war, can live with their circumstances, understanding the calamity that led … More The Coming Violence Between Generations in America
Saturday Musings Did some more thinking on an overview message for the book of 1 Thessalonians. My objective was to give both a flyover view at the “10,000 foot level” and then zoom in for a closer look at chapter 1:1-2. I also wanted to leave plenty of time to weave this into the meditation … More “Without ceasing”: A call to family solidarity
Weekend Links Ambassadors of a Beaten Down Church: Pastors and their Preaching (Paul Tripp — good advice from a trusted source.) How Demons are Like the NSA (Fascinating bit of analysis that plays out both theologically and politically.) Six Ways Small Churches Can Love Their Communities (And for some practical examples and stories of people … More Beaten Pastors; Demons and the NSA; Small Churches; Clutter and the Mind
Friday is for Heart Songs Read Psalm 4 (ESV) 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. “Friday Night” Party Night They were having a party They were lubed They were sloshed They were inebriated They were laughing and … More “Friday Night” Party Night
Thursday is for Discipleship New believers come into the faith out of a swamp of misinformation, myths, lies and accusations about Christians, the gospels and the Bible in general. For some, part of helping them grow is giving them good information that shows the Bible to be reliable and the critics to be in error … More Myth: Differing Accounts in the Gospels Discredit the Historicity of the Bible
Wednesday is for Prayer Understanding the plight, the desperation, the urgency of the need for gospel proclamation to the unevangelized peoples of the earth is one of the greatest needs of every believer in every age. Here’s how the “father of modern missions” sought to develop such a vision in the believers of his generation. … More William Carey’s Parting Story to His Church
Pain in life is inevitable. Relational pain is inevitable. Sin stinks and its effects devastate. To deny that life is hard, that happiness is sometimes a struggle, that joy is a battle, is to forget that we live this side of heaven. And yet, as I preached last week in the final message from the … More What if my spouse leaves me?
