I lift weights. I don’t do crossfit, I don’t bodybuild, I don’t run marathons. I get funny looks in the gym because plates clang together and chains are loud. I like to lift heavy weights and I like getting stronger. As a result, I am a student of weight-lifting and power-lifting. I read and study …
Occasionally, I read something and think, “wow, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking, but didn’t know how to say” (it happened in this book recently on evangelism and discipleship). This morning I read a quote in a blog article that said exactly what I’ve been thinking, but couldn’t really put into words. The article/post was …
I once read that humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking about yourself less. I find that the times in my life when I struggle most with pride are not the times when I’m confident and satisfied in my accomplishments (thinking of myself) but rather when I’m focused on me, on what I …
Every year our church sponsors a fall festival on October 31st. Normally we have a few people inside and outside of our church question us on our decision, not to host a fall festival geared toward outreach and evangelism, but rather on our choice to host this event on Halloween. Some are concerned with the …
One of the great benefits of my education has been the training to think critically and engage others the same way. Of course, this critical thinking must be constrained so as to avoid being overly critical or simply judgmental (fortunately, I have a great wife who keeps me straight). In the church at large, I …
I am fond of computers and technology. Technology does much to enhance our lives and can make us more productive (Though, it can actually work in the reverse). The rise of the computer and high speed internet brought about a brand new world for pornography. This issue is front and center for the church. In …
Culture Creep. Tim Challies linked to this and I had to as well. This is a sickening look at the way that paedophilia is creeping into the mainstream. Take Your Kids With You. Travis Agnew shares an important parenting tip. When you go somewhere, take your kids with you…even if it isn’t easy. Most Unmarried …
There is a tendency for people to use the Bible as a book of spells, incantations, or magic words. In fact, even believers can often be guilty of doing this very thing. There is the belief by many that simply reciting the right words in the right order will yield results. In his classic monster …
Although we feel always joy in the declaration of God’s Word, yet we have known what it is to totter on the pulpit steps, under a sense that the chief of sinners should scarcely be allowed to preach to others. Ah! beloved, I do not think he will be very successful as a minister who …
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul speaks to the church at Corinth once more about the divisions that are raging within the church. Some of the people are evidently not very pleased with his style of preaching, perhaps they weren’t “getting fed” and wanted more “meat” to their sermons. Paul defends his preaching, however, by pointing …