-
What We Celebrate At Christmas Is Why We Go to Church
As Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, church leaders across the country are making decisions about whether their respective congregation will hold services or forgo them. As one who holds a firm resolve about the prudency, even the appropriateness, of arbitrarily canceling services on any Sunday, no matter how noble-sounding the reasoning, I…
-
O Come All Ye Faithful: When Christmas Falls On Sunday
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year. It happens every several years. Across the country churches are cancelling Sunday service; or, harkening back to the pandemic, some are pre-recording elements of a worship service to be consumed via streaming at the convenience of those who take the time to watch. (Is “watching” actually worshipping?…
-
The One Maxim That Comforts My Soul in the Midst of Social & Political Storms
On this Election Day, wearied by the rancor that too much permeates our culture – and that has infested the Church – these words from slave-trader-turned-pastor/poet John Newton are at the forefront of my mind: I meddle not with the disputes of party, nor concern myself with any political maxims, but such as are laid…
-
5 Simple Ways to Teach Anyone About Jesus
Writing a post for SeeJesus ministries, Jill Miller explores practical ways to share the love of Jesus with even those who may seem the most challenged to understand – young children, peoples with disabilities, etc. Jill begins with this conviction: I believe all of us can learn. We are made in the image of God,…
-
The 10 Commandments in American Culture
While reading through The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers, by David Hansen, (a book recently recommended to me that I find myself wishing I had read years ago,) I came across this convicting assessment of American culture – an indictment that sadly is also widely applicable to a wide swath of American…
-
Formula for Wisdom: Discerning Right From Wrong
Jerry Bridges, in his contemporary classic book, The Pursuit of Holiness, writes about a time when a friend shared some words of wisdom, a “formula” that helps discern right from wrong: “Years ago a friend gave me what he called his ‘Formula: How to Know Right from Wrong.’ The formula asks four questions based on…
-
Creeds & Confessions of the Christian Faith
The wisdom of Solomon instructs us, in Proverbs 22.28: Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. The thinking behind this applies not only to property boundaries, but also to principles and and doctrines of Faith. We forfeit a wealth of wisdom if we ignore the insights of those who have gone before us.…
-
How the Early Church Leaders Died
The Early Church Father, Tertullian, notably quipped: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The author of the Book of Hebrews urges us to consider such leaders, and their way of life, as encouragement to us to persevere in the faith in the face of our own particular difficulties, trials, and…
-
Winning By Losing
Here are two great quotes from Robert Farrar Capon‘s The Parables of Grace: “Jesus came to save a lost and losing world by his own lostness and defeat; but in this wide world of losers, everyone except Jesus remains firmly, if hopelessly, committed to salvation by winning… it would be funny if it were not…
-
Some Sources of Spiritual Erosion
Earlier this Summer news outlets around the world reported two beach houses from the same village on the Outer Banks of coastal North Carolina crashed into the sea – within hours of each other. (WAVY) Fortunately no one was injured in either instance. But the cause in both cases? The constant pounding of the Atlantic…
-
Pastors and Their Friends
At the risk of being self-serving, I want to commend an article recently posted by ByFaith magazine, written by Walter Henegar, titled Your Pastor Needs Pastor Friends. I recommend it not only for those who are part of the congregation I serve, but also to all who regularly read this blog, as well as to…
-
Shaped Through Suffering
“The suffering that comes to us is not random. It is not just the flow of chance events that careen along without a plan. It is not crazy coincidence. It is not haphazard and undirected. It is easy for us to see suffering as blind chance, or bad luck, or what others are doing to…
-
4 Questions Worth Exploring
In this short video (8 minutes), Tim Keller offers four questions he would like to see his denomination (which is also my denomination) – the Presbyterian Church in America – explore in the coming years. The four questions are: How do we create a culture in which pastors pray like they should? How do we…
-
The Mystery of the Trinity (Satirically) Explained
Author Ray Pritchard offers these startling words with regard to the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity: All Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this – that is, if you have come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true – you are not…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
