Indisputable 21st Century Facts: Relationships in our neighborhoods with our neighbors are characterized by three things, They are not natural They are not normal They are not necessary The first two items are a product of the third. Because our relationships with our neighbors are not necessary to our lives or our neighbors, almost all … More Our Problem in Making a Difference for Christ
This is not a comprehensive or even a broad meditation. It couldn’t be, since I try to limit these blog posts to 500 words or less. I don’t know who it was who said it, but it seems completely on point when I think of the long history of mankind. “Before Christ came, no man … More After Christ: The Difference in the World
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
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
In 1984, John Piper, then the teaching pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, covered the text of Isaiah 6:1-8 in the morning service. On the third page of the transcript of that message, Piper made the following observation: “There is not a single head of state in all the world who will be there in fifty … More The Key to Life, “Say YES to Jesus”
It was 1839 and Robert Murray McCheyne was just under four years from his death when, because of bad health and a doctors orders to get to a warmer climate, he decided that if he must leave his church for a time, he would go to Israel for ministry and to pray on-site for the … More Self-care and the Pastorate
Three years He had invested in the disciples. Three years He had prayed with them, trained them, modeled for them, preached the gospel to them, and yet, shortly before His last trip to Jerusalem, He bluntly told them what was shortly to take place in the week of His crucifixion. Let’s eavesdrop on Jesus’s conversation … More Monday Morning Prayers
Perhaps this coming year is the year to explore the wonder of God’s word in the wonder of how God describes His own people. One of the best has to be from Psalm 16:3. We who believe are called both saints and “excellent ones”. Is that not a wonder? God, through David, calls us His … More אַדִּיר How Does God Describe the Faithful?
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