This morning, I have been meditating on Psalm 57. It has been some rough sledding. Sometimes, a psalm screams at your soul and begs you to listen. Other times, wisdom has to be mined like diamonds from deep underground. So, after writing, thinking, and meditating for hours, I turned finally, to my shelves with more … More Diverted from Study by a Poet from 1930
Fishing pools, fishing trips, or fish catching or, mixing metaphors, fields, fruit, and harvest: are all different things. 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will … More Fishing Pools and Fishing Trips in the New Year
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
Found this in one of my old preaching files from my brief five-year career as one of the preaching professors at a seminary in California, before my career for 12 years as the church planting prof at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. So, if you appreciate this anonymous parable, you can thank my student, Ben Yosief, … More Four Neighborhood Friends
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
I read my first Carl Henry book around 1975. I remember where I was and that Carl Henry’s words were both challenging and precise. The year was 1975. I was at my parent’s house at 4200 Spruce Street and stole away into my Dad’s office for a quiet place to read. The book was a … More A Christmas Homily from Carl Henry
One hundred eighty-six years ago, a pastor was removed from his flock for a time due to declining health issues. His name was Robert Murray McCheyne. He was a Scottish pastor in the Scottish Covenanter’s tradition. A gifted and devoted expositor, McCheyne loved his church family at St. Peter’s and committed himself to writing a … More Why God Hurts Pastors
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”
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