Category: Spiritual Formation
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Mundane is Glorious
Mark Altrogge is a name some may recognize as the author of such worship songs as I Stand in Awe and I’m Forever Grateful. Most probably won’t recognize the name or the songs. Mark is also a pastor in Western Pennsylvania, affiliated with the Sovereign Grace Ministries network. Mark has written a recent post, Mundane is…
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Prayer: A Way to Take Your Spiritual Pulse
We may judge the state of our hearts by the earnestness of our prayers. You cannot make a rich man beg like a poor man; you cannot make a man that is full cry for food like one that is hungry. No more will a man who has a good opinion of himself cry for…
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Respectable Sins
One of the books on my bedside table is Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges. The subtitle of the book is: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. The theme becomes self explanatory. In his preface Bridges explains the motive behind the book: “The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative…
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The Gospel in 6 Minutes
What is the Gospel? While in many ways this should be a simple question to answer, experience has taught me that many people are confused about what the Gsopel is. Most agree that the Gospel is something good. But they are confused about what particularly defines the Gospel. Some see the Gospel as merely that…
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Counseling 101
As a kid I watched Bob Newhart nearly every Saturday night. In fact, because of him I briefly thought it might be cool to become a psychologist, and do counseling for a living. But that idea soon faded. After further thought I wondered if it would be something I was particularly suited to do. So…
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Thoughts About the Resurrection
That the resurrection is an essential aspect of Christianity seems to me to be a ‘no brainer’. But recently I had a dialogue with an individual who does not share this view. As I have thought about that dialogue I have come to realize that this person is not entirely wrong, though still, I think, confused. Let me…
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Hard Grace
“Even though we are now in faith, the heart is always ready to boast itself before God and say: ‘After all, I have preached the law, and lived so well and done so much that surely He will take this into account ‘. We even want to haggle with God to make Him regard our…
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Wisdom Wanted
I’ve been reading – and re-reading – through Proverbs the past several days. I have no specific aim in doing this. I have just sensed I am lacking wisdom and perspective. Billy Graham has said that, in addition to whatever else he was reading at the time, it was his pattern to read five Psalms…
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Some Thoughts of Worship
Worship is an oft-misunderstood term. Many Christians think of worship as entertainment which is meant to please them. But worship is meant to focus on God, not on us. If we examine closely the practice of worship in the Old & New Testaments we find that worship is first of all an offering of…
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The Gospel & Parental Sin
Last week I became rightfully angry at one of my children. (I won’t say which one.) But in my anger I sinned against him. (Okay, the ‘him’ narrows it down some.) I had neglected the counsel of King David, who wrote: “In your anger do not sin.” (Psalm 4:4) In my reprimand I was way too…
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Making a World of Difference
“What will it take to change the world – to really change it for the better?” Ron Sider asks that question in the Introduction to his book, Living Like Jesus. And his question resonates with me. It has for a long time – long before I heard Sider aksing it. I grow bored and frustrated…
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Prayer is…
Prayer…is a confessing of impotence and need, an acknowledging of helplessness and dependence, and an invoking of the mighty power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves… God means us… to recognize and confess our impotence, and to tell Him that we rely on Him alone, and to plead…
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Following Jesus in Different Directions?
I’ve been pondering the following assertion from Ron Sider‘s Living Like Jesus: “Still, the modern church prefers to accept only half of Jesus. They willingly accept him either as model or as mediator – but not both. Some urge us to follow his example of love and social concern, but they forget about the cross. Others…
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I Want to Walk Free, But I Still Hear the Chains Rattling
As a pastor I frequently encourage people to embrace the Gospel. It is not just to unbelievers that I present that challenge, but to believers as well – even to some who have been Christians for decades. We all need to grow in grace, and live by grace day by day. But as easy as it…
