At another blog there is a post up about a church that is hurting. And let me preface everything else to come by saying: a hurting church anywhere is a cause for all of us to weep. This church is in pain because of the specter of disunity and division. We should take the words of our Lord to heart from John 17:23, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” If we truly believe what Jesus says, then we truly believe that disunity and factions in church are ultimately a hindrance to the spread … [Read more...] about A Plea for Sanity…and Unity
Depression, Joy, and “Preaching the Gospel to Myself”
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away! ~ Isaiah 51:11 A bit of a warning: I think this post is as much me trying to work through things as it is try and edify others. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately—emailed Dave and told him I was taking a break from writing blog posts and commenting. Didn’t think I’d be back this soon, but lo-and-behold, I get caught up in a comment stream…so I figured I might as well write. I have a calendar with … [Read more...] about Depression, Joy, and “Preaching the Gospel to Myself”
How Should We Feel When We Sin?
guilt shame doubt disapproval self-loathing apathy unconcern happiness acceptance From early on in our lives, we all have a sense of a need for approval and a feeling of disapproval when we mess up. Sometimes the feeling of disapproval is verbalized to us, “I am disappointed in you.” Other times it is given as a direct attack against our personality, “You’re a failure who can’t do anything right.” In the face of this ingrained sense of disapproval, some look at their faults with acceptance and approval. “That’s just who I am.” or “God [or whoever—fill in the … [Read more...] about How Should We Feel When We Sin?
Christianity and Atheism in an Age of Science
I and some other men have been talking to a young man who joins our church gatherings. Recently, he said, “I want to believe but I don’t know if I can. As I see it right now, I have a 50/50 chance that either atheism or Christianity is true, and I’m just not sure which side to believe.” He later asked if one day he decided that Christianity is wrong and atheism is right, would he still be welcomed at our church? “Of course…” We also have another young man who faces the same dilemma, though he seems closer to belief. If he rejected Christianity he would likely choose deism as opposed to … [Read more...] about Christianity and Atheism in an Age of Science
The Anatomy of a Sermon
“So what was the fallen condition focus of your sermon?”—yes, I actually had a church member ask me at lunch this past Sunday. Maybe it’s my fault for giving him a copy of Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching. Of course, this is a man who believes God has called him to be a pastor, and I have been mentoring him in various things including building a sermon. One day, he came into my office and was looking at my book shelf. Counting Chapell’s book, I have twelve about preaching. He asked me which one was the best…I gave him a blank stare for a moment. “You know, I don’t really … [Read more...] about The Anatomy of a Sermon
The Lord’s Prayer, part 3: The Requests Concerning Us and Conclusion
This is part three of a study on prayer I wrote for my church. You can read part one here, and part two at this other here. Part Three :: The Requests Concerning Us (6:11-15) As with all things in life, prayer is primarily about God. Yet, prayer also has benefit for us. After establishing the first set of three requests concerning God, his name, kingdom, and will; Jesus gave a second set of requests concerning God’s work in our lives. In these requests we do not merely ask for things to happen or go well in vague and general terms, rather we ask God to work in our lives in particular … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 3: The Requests Concerning Us and Conclusion
The Lord’s Prayer, part 2: The Requests Concerning God
This is part two of a study on prayer I wrote for my church. You can read part one here. Part Two :: The Requests Concerning God (6:9-10) This first section of three requests begins with a direct address to God, specifically God “our Father in heaven.” This is significant in three main ways: Prayer is personal. Prayer is reverent. Prayer is corporate. First, prayer is personal. The Bible fills our minds with great and glorious thoughts about God. He created all things; he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere-present; he is awesome and fearful; he is holy; his ways are … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 2: The Requests Concerning God
The Lord’s Prayer, part 1: Introduction and Commandments about Prayer
Recently, I put together a study for my church covering the Lord’s Prayer. It is something we will we doing this spring at Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study. I figure if we’re going to have prayer meeting, it is probably good to talk about prayer! This is the introduction and part one… Introduction In Scripture, we have two accounts of Jesus teaching what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” The first, and most well-known, we find in Matthew 6 where Jesus taught on prayer during the Sermon on the Mount. The second, Luke recorded in 11:1-4 of his Gospel. Luke tells us Jesus was … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 1: Introduction and Commandments about Prayer
Forget Calvinism and name changes… let’s talk about something really important!
In case you have missed a part of the social media bandwagon, pictures of brooms standing on end have been appearing all over the place. Even saw a Christian message board go nuts at the phenomena—it must be a sign of something. Popular explanation—Jupiter, Venus, and Earth are all in some sort of crazy gravitational alignment. My church custodian and I would like to see your broom, and raise you four brooms, a dust mop, and a dustpan: Is it nary but a sign of the closing of the age? Brooms standing on end, dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria! With this harbinger, I have … [Read more...] about Forget Calvinism and name changes… let’s talk about something really important!
Why I have a more exclusive wedding policy…
One of the practical, and usually fun, outworkings of pastoral ministry is performing marriages. Yet as pastors, we are faced with a bit of a dilemma—we live in a culture of diverse peoples, backgrounds, and beliefs, yet the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us which marriages we can oversee and which we cannot. In fact, the Bible doesn’t even tell us that as pastors we have to oversee wedding ceremonies, but it does tell us to obey the law of the land, and the law basically states that you either have to be a justice of the peace or some kind of recognized clergy-ish official to perform … [Read more...] about Why I have a more exclusive wedding policy…