Recent Posts
God? Who Needs Him?May 31, 2013
Self-sufficient humanism. Paul saw it coming – “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Imago Dei
September 12, 2012
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Why Can't I Pray?
August 18, 2012
The bible gives us several reasons, but according to Jeremy Taylor, a deceitful heart is at the root of prayerlessness.
It's Not Rocket Science
July 23, 2012
To keep in step with the Spirit should be our daily quest. And if we are successful at that, all of life falls into place.
Theological Steak
April 10, 2012
These words by P. T. Forsythe on the magnificence of Christ's work are to theology what Ruth's Chris is to a good steak.
Describing the Indescribable
February 11, 2012
What we have in Christ will take all eternity to describe. But for one segment of one sermon, a great preacher made a mighty attempt.
Making Sense Of It All
January 30, 2012
Where are things headed? Is there rhyme and reason to the endless cycle of summer, fall, winter and spring? Is there a plan in place, or is randomness the explanation?
George Herbert on Prayer Meetings
January 21, 2012
Prayer Meetings are a thing of the past. Or so it seems. What has been lost? Maybe more than we realize.George Herbert is Christianity's greatest poet (you can argue with me on that if you like!). Writing and pastoring in a small country parish in the early part of the 17th century, his CHURCH PORCH is a concise portrayal of what it means to be a Christian, and the way a believer ought to live out his life in sober and deliberate faithfulness as one bought with the blood of Christ.
The following lines from THE CHURCH PORCH (397-402) distinguish between private and public prayer, and lift up the latter as more profound for the believer's welfare. Given that public prayer meeings are are all but a thing of the past in today's church, we could use a revival of this perspective.
Though private prayer be a brave design,
Yet public hath more promises, more love:
And love’s a weight to hearts, to eyes a sign.
We all are but cold suitors; let us move
Where it is warmest. Leave thy six and seven;
Pray with the most: for where most pray, is heaven.
Don't know about you, but I could use a little more of heaven while here on earth. And if a prayer meeting is where heaven can be found, count me in!
Running To Win The Prize
September 16, 2010
The race of faith is a marathon. Some compete, some excell, some just plan on finishing, and others drop out. It is commendable to set the bar high, to finish well.Brett McCracken notes that concern over "twenty-somethings" leaving churchgoing behind has elevated "relevancy" to be the ultimate consideration. He writes....
Increasingly, the "plan" has taken the form of a total image overhaul, where efforts are made to rebrand Christianity as hip, countercultural, relevant. As a result, in the early 2000s, we got something called "the emerging church"—a sort of postmodern stab at an evangelical reform movement. Perhaps because it was too "let's rethink everything" radical, it fizzled quickly. But the impulse behind it—to rehabilitate Christianity's image and make it "cool"—remains.
From the Orange County Register dated September 14, 2010....
ANAHEIM – Apparently holding services in a punk rock nightclub every weekend wasn't quite cool enough for City Church. So, to mark its first birthday, the budding Anaheim congregation Sunday proposed following its regular rock 'n' roll revival with a "radical commitment" – tattoos of various versions of the church logo.
Ouch....
C. H. Spurgeon asked his congregation this question 135 years ago....
Where are the saints now? We have a superabundance of professors (those who claim to follow Christ) but where are the truly eminent Christians?
I believe that the strength of the church lies in that inner circle of champions which is composed of the thoroughly consecrated, the men who are favored of the Lord.
Holy Bernard was the light of his age, and passing on from age to age we see men who blazed with the light of God; but we ought each one of us to seek to be saints in the highest sense of the word.
We must aim at being the holiest of men and women. Let it be ours to be like the mountain-tops that catch the first beams of the raising sun, and reflect the light upon the lowlands.
"YES SIR!! RIGHT AWAY SIR!!"
May 18, 2010
There are no "reserve soldiers" in the Kingdom of God. We are all on the front lines, battle ready, armed to the teeth with the armor of God.
One Big Happy Family
February 23, 2009
Jesus refers to us as "brothers?" What in the world did he start back there all those years ago with Abraham? And just how amazing is this family of his?
History In The Making
January 28, 2009
“Prayer is a grand cement, and lack of prayer is like withdrawing the force of gravitation from a mass of matter, and scattering it into so many separate atoms.” C. H. Spurgeon
Praying For The Wrong Reason
January 5, 2009
Just why did Jesus promote praying in seclusion, with the door closed? Our tendency to pray horizontally and not vertically must be avoided at all costs. We naturally posture and pose, and suddenly what is beautiful turns ugly, both to man and to God.
Feeling Our Way Through Life
November 24, 2008
Feelings have become the new end all, the criteria that governs our actions. At the same time, self-discipline is frowned upon as inauthentic and artificial. Worship often loses out, when it is our means to health and wholeness.
A Prophet For Our Times
November 9, 2008
Certain men and women hear from God at key times, and see with eyes that are unimpeded by the smog of culture. David Wells is one such person worth listening to.
Speaking Of Saints....
October 8, 2008
The book of Hebrews lets us know that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. And that very fact should spur us on to greater faith and perseverance. What can be learned from those who ran well? How much time do you have?
Every Wind of Doctrine
October 1, 2008
Ever since the Fall, purity must be on the lookout for potential impurities. What we believe to be true about God is vulnerable to strong and destructive forces. It's no wonder that Paul warned Timothy to "watch your life and doctrine closely."
The Church - Young and Old Together
September 30, 2008
They all joined together....(Acts 1:14) Going against the current trend, J. I. Packer argues persuasively for "one size fits all" church.
From The Mouth of St. Francis Of Assissi
September 26, 2008
Psalm 119 is a prayer, yes, but it is also a work of art. Occasionally, God anoints his servants to take us higher. Such is the following prayer of that great saint, Francis of Assissi.
Why Pray?
September 26, 2008
"Prayer," says Vinet, "is like the air of certain ocean isles, which is so pure that there vermin cannot live. We should surround ourselves with this atmosphere, as the diver shuts himself into his bell ere he descends into the deep."
