When we say, “I hope so” we do not usually mean the same thing as the New Testament does. We may be hoping for a white Christmas, even though the weatherman is predicting “sunny and cold with occasional showers”. That is not hope but wishful thinking.... continue reading
The holiday season is a beautiful time to reflect on the year with friends and family. With all the noise of our modern age, how can we truly slow down, remove our focus from our own worries and extend love to those around us?... continue reading
Paul and the Philippian believers enjoyed a partnership grounded in the gospel. Theirs wasn’t a static fellowship based on a little bit of common belief. Rather, it was a deepening friendship that blossomed as they continued “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” and to “work out” their salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 1:27; 2:12).... continue reading
Do you want to cultivate good spiritual habits but avoid soul-crushing guilt and shame when it all comes crashing down five days into your new plan?
Me too!
... continue reading
The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom of sour self-sacrifice, long-faced long-suffering, or dour duty. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom where people do backwards things, things like giving up everything they have, and they do it out of pure, overflowing, unstoppable joy (Matthew 13:44)! Why? Because everything you have is nothing compared to the untold riches of heaven. Because giving everything in service to God and the bigger story he is writing is no loss if you’re already secure in your identity.... continue reading
Jesus came to save small people, because that’s the only size people come in. The fact that he came to the lowest and smallest of humanity is stunning, but not as stunning as the fact that he came to humanity in the first place. The biggest step down for Jesus was leaving heaven. After that giant leap, the steps between human social classes were tiny. The best of our palaces wouldn’t be that impressive to a man who is at home on heaven’s throne. Nothing we have on our tiny speck of dust in the stars could compare to where he came from.... continue reading
When Esther hesitated to speak to King Ahasuerus about Haman’s plot against the Jews, Mordecai’s response was, to quote Iain M. Duguid in Esther and Ruth, Reformed Expository Commentary, “grounded in the reality and necessity of God’s intervention.”... continue reading
For the first time in ministry, I was genuinely tempted to close up my heart. I told myself I would love the church, counsel the church, pray for the church, and preach the gospel to the church as best as I could, but I would no longer befriend the church. Friends would be found elsewhere.... continue reading
During an unusually tense time in our church, a small group of progressively-minded people began critiquing my sermons. I received passive-aggressive texts, lengthy, impassioned emails, and often heard “what so and so thought” about last Sunday’s message. Gossip is, perhaps, the most hurtful. It’s painful and awkward to know a person disapproves of you enough to talk about you to others, but is unwilling to talk with you in person to move towards resolution in Christ.... continue reading
Teaching your children to walk pales in comparison to teaching them to walk with wisdom in a world flooded with foolishness. Likewise, teaching your children to talk, and use proper grammar is child’s play compared to teaching them to be slow to speak, and to do so with grace and humility amidst the godless banter of modern media.... continue reading
