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Famous and Forgotten
On the Plains of Shinar, according to Genesis 11, the people verbalized both their plan and the motivation driving it: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves..” (v. 4) It was a quest for fame that compelled them…
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Good News From the Front in the War on Christmas
With all the War on Christmas rhetoric that has seemingly spewed these past few years, LifeWay Research has some good news from the front lines. While I am not certain any full fledged war has actually existed, it seems there have certainly been a variety of insurgences erupting. Such things have probably almost always existed…
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Advent Conspiracy
Advent Conspiracy is designed to remind us of what really matters during this Christmas season. While there is nothing inherently wrong with our traditions of gift giving and celebration, consumeristic forces are constantly at work, eroding our connection with the reason we celebrate. What is helpful to remember is that Christ Jesus came into the…
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A Christmas Reflection: Allowing God to Work in Us
Consider Mary’s response to the angel. The angel has come to Mary and says: “Mary, you are going to give birth to the long-promised Messiah.” This was a unique promise, and unrepeatable. There is something totally unique here: the birth of the eternal second Person of the Trinity into this world. What was her response?…
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For All Life’s Moment
This touching video evokes bitter-sweet thoughts for me. As a cancer survivor, it gives me reason for great thankfulness. Yet it is a reminder of my personal frailty, and that I am not promised tomorrow. (Proverbs 27.1) I am reminded of how young my own sons were when I was diagnosed – my daughter even…
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Birdwatching: Medicine for My Soul
I love this perspective from Paul Tripp: “When you are struglling with anxiety, look at creation. Embedded in the physical world are constant reminders that God does not abandon the work of his hands.” Tripp appropriately spiritualizes something that I have experienced but had never really contemplated sufficiently. My tendency has long been to retreat…
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Seed of the Word in the Soil of the Heart
“Truly, the Bible as the Word of God has an inherent power, but it is not a coercive power. That is, the Bible does not work it’s effects mechanically. We don’t change just because we read it. Out minds may be engaged in the text, but something must happen in our hearts as well. In…
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Honest Answer to Honest Questions, and Open Dialogue Wherever Possible
Boyce College professor, Denny Burk, has posted an interesting warning about a common tactic employed by some with theological agendas – especially those with liberalizing theological agendas. His post is titled: Should Churches “Dialogue” About Sexuality? Having read through it a couple of times I find myself appreciating Burk’s concern. Burk notes that many a subtle debate…
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Grace & Peace: The Song
This song from Sovereign Grace Music, that shares the same title as this blog, is a three verse meditation on Romans 1.7: Verse 1 Grace and peace, oh how can this be / For lawbreakers and thieves / For the worthless, the least / You have said, that our judgment is death / For all eternity / Without hope, without…
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More Than Numbers
Here is a needed reminder: I’m not so sure God cares how big your church is. Seriously. If your numbers aren’t “growing,” so what? I’m also not sure that the sign of a vibrant healthy church is ever-increasing growth, significant growth. It seems to me that the sign of a vibrant, healthy fully alive church…
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Marriage According to the Bible
by Ray Ortland Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 It is not true that the Bible teaches multiple views of marriage, and therefore the Bible’s clarity is diminished on this question. The Bible does record, for example, that…
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Heaven is for Real… But What About Near-Death Experience Claims?
Debuting this weekend in theaters across the USA is a heart tugging film, Heaven is For Real. Based on the book of the same title, the story is about a young boy who ostensibly died and revived. In between his death and his resuscitation he made a brief stop-over in heaven. At least that’s the…
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Thoughts on Easter Giveaways
I was stunned the first time I read about the plan of a church in the area where we then lived to give away prizes at an Easter gathering. And they were not just going to give stuff away, they were planning to create a frenzy. A helicopter was leased, piloted by some guy in…
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Numbering the Sheep on the Ranch
Blogger Tim Challies is at the Together for the Gospel Conference, surrounded by other church leaders. No surprise then that he is hearing this common question all around him: “How many people go to your church?” And apparently Challies, whose primary vocation is writer not pastor, has some concerns about this question: I’d like to…
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Is Church Membership Really Required?
by Ricky Jones This month we will be inducting new members into the most honored body the world has ever known: the church of Jesus Christ. The initiation fee for this club is so high that no human could have ever paid it; God himself had to pick up the tab. The benefits of the…
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