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Re-Gridding the Christian Life
Not long ago, while a friend of mine was preaching in my place at Walnut HIll Church, I had somewhat of an epiphany. I understood something that had been nagging at me for a long, long time, but that I had never before been able to express – even to myself. I realized: We have…
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Grace Will…
I was blown away as I thought about the paradoxes of the Gospel as it was described by Paul Tripp in his book, Broken-Down House. Don’t just read through quickly. Stop and consider the contrasts: Grace is a story and grace is a gift. It is God’s character and it is your hope. Grace is…
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A Time for Work, A Time for Worship
A woman walked into our church building during the service this past Sunday morning. I did not see her, but reportedly she was rather rough looking, even intimidating. She was seeking financial assistance, and she was clear and determined in her objective. The lady from our congregation who got up to greet her would not ordinarily…
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Salt & Light
“The true Christian cannot be hid, he cannot escape notice. A man truly living and functioning as a Christian will stand out. He will be like salt; he will be like a city set on a hill, a candle set upon a candlestick. But we can also add this further word: The true Christian does…
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But You Are Not Invited
There is a scene in the film Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella gently argues with Ray Liotta’s Shoeless Joe Jackson. Shoeless Joe had just invited the writer, Terrance Mann (played by James Earl Jones), to follow him into the corn, which in the film is the symbol of heaven. Ray (Kinsella,…
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Navigating the Narrow Path Between the Gospel and Politics
It is a constant tension for me. How do I juggle my personal political views with my responsibility to remain faithful to the Gospel? How do I strive to keep the Gospel message pure and not pollute my teaching with political biases interjected? It is a difficult dilemma. Many political issues have moral roots, and can be informed by…
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Contemporary Evangelical Creed
The following is a spoof on the substance of much of contemporary Evangelicalism. It is taken from a past edition of Modern Reformation, probably Jan/Feb 1997, but I am not sure of the original publication date. I know I may be stepping into a hornets nest here, but I post it because I find it…
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3 Responses to Sin
“When we as Christians sin, we can react in one of three ways: 1) We can become hardened to our sin. 2) We can sink into utter despair and say, ‘Its all over.’ I’ve known Christians who have spent twenty years despairing over one sin…. [T]he only right course of action for us as Christians…
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Slow Like Oak
In a culture conditioned to instant everything, perhaps we would do well to pause and consider these words from John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace: “A Christian is not of hasty growth, like a mushroom, but rather like the oak, the progress of which is hardly perceptible, but in time becomes a great…
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Crazy Love
I don’t know Francis Chan, but I think I like him. I know I like what I see so far. A friend, who is also an Elder in our church, introduced me to Chan a few months ago. He had just finished reading Chan’s book, Crazy Love, and said that Chan was teaching the same…
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3 Short Books I Wish Everyone in My Church Would Read
I read a fair amount. I have been accused, and probably rightly so, of unrealistically pushing books and other reading materials on people who don’t read quite as much; who don’t have the time to read as much; who don’t get “paid” to read as much (as I, in part, am). But there are ideas…
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Characteristics of a Missional Church
As our church begins to explore what it means to be a missional church, it might be helpful to hear the insights of one of the most effective practitioners and proponents of the missional approach to ministry. In the above video Tim Keller, of Redeemer Church in Manhattan, explains some of the key characteristics of…
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Death of Michael Jackson: Reconsidered
The sudden death of music icon Michael Jackson has certainly been the news of the weekend. Peoples’ emotions have run from crying to curious to cynical. I confess, my own attitude has probably been a little closer to snide. My mental response to news updates declaring “Latest Details” is to think, sometimes outloud, “Is his status going to…
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