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Common Perils of the Professionally Holy
There are some peculiar perils prevalent among the professional holy – those in full time ministry or service for God. High on this list: We know a lot of stuff and we do a lot of good things. And it is easy to misconstrue either, or both, of these with being righteous. But neither of…
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Real Christians SHOULD Dance
I received this quote from my friends at Graced Again. The author, Bob Flayhart, is minister at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. A Gospel-centered life is the Christian Waltz. A waltz is a dance made up of three steps. Christians need to consider the Christian three step when it comes to growth. In the…
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Maundy Thursday Matters
Today is Maundy Thursday. It is a special day on the Christian calendar. But many Christians don’t know what maundy means. I imagine for some this day could easily fall just after Manic Monday, Ruby Tuesday… You get the idea. So if the term Maundy Thursday sounds foreign to you, relax, you are far from alone. The term…
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Worldliness in Prespective
I recently finished reading the short book Worldliness, edited by C.J. Mahaney. Each chapter is written by different men from the Sovereign Grace family. I found it very insightful and practical. I appreciate that the writers did not merely resort to the worn out separatist “Us vs. The World” rhetoric. Instead they wrestled intelligently, theologically,…
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Mere Marketing Misses the Mark
This had to be one of the more irritating telemarketing calls I can recall. Some guy cold-called me at my church office yesterday and wanted me to give him a blow-by-blow of our Outreach strategy. He had a service to sell that would “enhance” our attractiveness to the community. To listen to him it sounded like a can’t…
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When Sinners Say “I Do”
Had I had my way today my wife and I would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the date of our engagement. My thought then was simple and – in my opinion – romantic: If I proposed on a date that I could easily remember, then we would be more likley to celebrate it in the future.…
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Recharging a Spiritual Battery
Unfortunately I’m going to miss it. Our church is hosting a seminar tomorrow. After scheduling the seminar I received notice that a committee I am on that serves our whole denomination meets the same day. So I am sitting here writing from my hotel room in Atlanta. I would not have even considered missing the…
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Natural Born Skeptics
To doubt the good will of God is an inborn suspicion of God with all of us. Besides, the devil…goes about seeking to devour us by roaring: ‘God is angry at you and is going to destroy you forever.’ In all these difficulties we have only one support, the Gospel of Christ. To hold on…
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Calvinist When Calvinism Wasn’t Cool
To paraphrase Barbara Mandrell, “I was a Calvinst when Calvinism wasn’t cool.” Historically Calvinism had a long day of being cool. Then it was cool no more. Now from all appearances it is cool once again. This resurgence of Reformed Spirituality is not new news. Christianity Today, among others, has been talking about it for several…
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Did you know that Patrick of Ireland was, in fact, what we would today call an Evangelical? Despite the tradition that links him to the Roman Catholic Church, Patrick was not part of the church of Rome. Long after his death Patrick was “adopted” by the Roman church. Instead, Patrick was…
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Cats & Dogs and God’s Global Glory
First among the Core Values at Walnut Hill Church is God’s Global Glory. This is the recognition that we do not exist, as a church or as individuals, primarily for ourselves, but for God and for his glory. Expressing this as a platitude is one thing. Getting newcomers to agree with this premise is something else. And getting people to…
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Faith in America: Not What it Used to Be?
I appreciate the perspective of this editorial from the March 12, 2009 Kingsport Times-News. The editor integrates both history and contemporary polling data. It eschews any alarmist inclinations and refutes any distorted notions that America was a distinctively Christian country upon it’s founding. I think this perspective is helpful. I am especially hopeful that it will help in preventing Christians from mistaking…
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Our Brief B&B Binge
Just back from a weekend in the Smokies. Carolyn & I appreciate the generosity of our church, who provided this get-a-way as a gift to us. Here’s where we stayed, Richmont Inn: Making it all the more nostalgic, Carolyn & I had our first date just around the corner from this Inn. We were, at one…
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Natural Evangelism
My old friend, and one-time-mentor, Doug Pollock is releasing a new book, expected to be on the bookstore shelves in June. Doug has travelled the world sharing his faith, and has studied evangelism for the better part of two decades now. He’s also penned a number of articles and co-authored other helpful books about evangelism.…
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Looking at Lent With a New Lense
My friend Nathan Lewis has published a post that I think would be beneficial for some who do not come from a church background that observes the litugical calendar. One of the primary emphases of the Season of Lent is repentace. On the ecclesiastical calendar it is a time when Christians are encouraged to fast, sacrifice, and to recognize…
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