Saturday Musings There is nothing like having a conversation with a seeker of truth who is confused over what the Bible teaches. They genuinely want to know what to believe and how they can trust what you tell them. I just finished having a two hour conversation with such a seeker whose first twenty years … More Equipping the Saints in the New Year
Can you name five barriers to being close enough, long enough for effective modeling to occur? Read the post before the question: Is This the Apostle Paul’s Discipleship Process?.
Wednesday is for Prayer “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sins, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. . . . The essence of grace, … More Bonhoeffer’s Cheap Grace: The Battle Still Needs to be Fought
Wednesday is for Thinking This is a remarkable text that makes a statement about the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem and the continuing ministry of the apostles after the resurrection that is stunning when you consider they had no signage, no speaker system, no flyers, and brochures, or leaflets or any other type of “advertising” … More What Will it Take to Fill Up Your Town with the Good News?
Thursday is for Discussion Updated 5/31/18 Mark 2:1–3 (ESV) 2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing … More Using Our Homes Like Jesus Used His
In a post sometime back I made the statement that American Christians are often more American than Christian. It seemed completely obvious and still does. American Christians are in love with their wealth and styles, often times, more than they are of Christ. We parrot American values rather than biblical values and we split churches … More American Christians are More American than Christian Revisited
Wednesday Musings “The full force of the gospel is that followers of Jesus are transformed in their spirits; they are reborn people set on their way by a new life. They are driven by the Spirit of God to make the world right. Those same people become Jesus to the world around them, feeding the … More The Gospel in Full Force
An excerpt: 2. Their lives would be more disrupted by taking away their cell phone (or ipod, ipad, or computer) than if you took away their Bible. 3. They more likely prayed more often and more fervently for the demise of Obamacare than they prayed for President Obama himself. 4. Like their non-Christian neighbors, they … More Ten Lines of Evidence that Christians Have Pickled Themselves in the American Dream
Sunday Afternoon Musings “You can only learn what obedience is by obeying. It’s no use asking questions; for it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth.” —Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 86. Bonhoeffer wrote these words in 1936 during the run up to the Second World War. Just as profound … More Obedience is Only Learned One Way – Bonhoeffer
Monday is for Discussion A pastor asks: “How can I help my church increase their membership? It’s a small country Presbyterian church with mostly older members. Looking for ideas…” First thing about this question: It’s the wrong question. Here’s a better one, “How can we make more disciples of Jesus?” That said, once you have … More What Counsel Do You Give When You are Asked the Wrong Question?
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