Tuesday is for Preaching Years ago, when I taught preaching at a seminary in California, I loved to quote Alexander Whyte (1836-1921) on the preaching of Nathan the prophet. Here Whyte comments on Nathan’s message to David after David has committed adultery with Bathsheba. “Preaching is magnificent work if only we could get preachers like … More Preaching is Meddlesome Business.
Monday Discussion The year draws to a close. A new year approaches, peaking over the horizon this coming Friday. Who will hear the gospel from you this next year? How will they hear it? How will they see it? How will they experience it? There are some that God will place in your path this … More Some Good Questions for the New Year
Sunday Musings Protestants don’t venerate or pray to Mary. But sometimes, they dismiss Mary’s example and fail to see in her a great woman of faith. Christmas time is a good time to reevaluate our whole approach to the mother of Christ. Perhaps this brief article will help move us all in the right direction. … More Why the Mother of Jesus is a Model for All of Us
The challenge of Christmas is always to see a child, a lamb, and a lion in the manger. May all your joy this Christmas rest in the God made flesh, the flesh made a sacrifice, and the sacrifice, resurrected and returning as King. Merry Christmas
Thursday is for Discipleship My friend John Nunnikhoven quoted this passage (John 3:30) in his comment yesterday. It got me thinking …” (Thanks John) Taking the “back seat on the bus” is a sign of maturity when your superior is present. That’s why the civil-rights era saw the requirement for blacks to sit in the … More Taking the Back Seat on the Bus
Wednesday is for Prayer Part of living in a world where God intervenes in the affairs of humanity (what Christmas is all about) is being aware of what the Spirit of God is doing around the world. This is always a tricky business. There is a need to be humble and tentative because, after all, … More Less Personality Please, and More Jesus
Tuesday is for Preaching In the Spring of 1994, an article appeared in Leadership Magazine titled, “The Celebrity-Pastor Syndrome.” Reading it now is like reading a piece of prophecy. Author Bob Shank talks about the tendency in larger churches to create a climate where people “follow the star and not the Son. Some of you … More Following a Star Rather than the Son
Monday Discussion Coach John Wooden is viewed by many as the greatest college basketball coach of all time. His coaching, his players and his team were characterized by unrelenting high and clear standards. Some of his team rules had nothing to do with basketball. They just had to do with being a team. “Coach Wooden … More Unrelenting High and Clear Standards
Sunday Musings The Final Question to the Westminster Shorter Catechism is Question 107. What does the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? Answer: The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, For thine is the kingdom, and power, and the glory, forever. Amen, teaches us to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, … More Longing for the King and His Kingdom at Christmas
Read Psalm 90 Poems for Psalms (Another addition to “The Poetry Project”) Always good to read the Psalm first. (Updated) A day working in the garden doing all the physical things that my mostly sedentary lifestyle avoids is a great way to remind yourself of the finitude of life. The great law-giver, Moses, has one … More Taking Psalm 90 Personally
