“What shall I cry? (Isaiah 40:6). That is the question which comes before every preacher’s mind as he prepares the sermons he is to deliver each Sunday. What am I supposed to talk about? How am I ever going to get a message together? Maybe you have heard about the pastor who never prepared his…
Last week, I wrote about the joys and challenges of small church, rural ministry. To be sure, these kinds of ministries come with a unique set of challenges. But they also come with many wonderful opportunities. I mentioned my first ministry among the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) in Manitoba. My family lived in a Métis community of…
Chuck Colson said, “Redeeming the culture is the never-ending mission of the church.” For most fundamentalists, redeeming the culture is an unfamiliar concept. We are content to be either people of high standards or alternately worldly and living in guilt. However, the move in greater evangelicalism to redeem the culture is running now at top…
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life. 1 John 1:1 John wrote: We have heard. John begins his epistle by appearing to our senses to support certain truths concerning Jesus…
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. During some seasons of life, the path ahead seems to disappear into a mist. The illusion of certainty that often calms our days falls away. Visibility reduces to a step-by-step distance. Longstanding questions remain unanswered. Our prayers seem unheard. Which way do I go? Why has this happened? When will the obstacles…
Recently, I had the joy of ministering to a church in a community in southern Minnesota whose posted population was 1322. The village is on a secondary road that runs north to south and is located about forty miles from the third largest city in Minnesota, Rochester. Rochester itself boasts a population of less than…
In May, the SBC commissioned and published a report on the denomination’s response to abuse. It was highly self-critical. Now the DOJ is launching an investigation into the SBC, which never settles well. Such investigations are concerning from several perspectives. The indications from the vast majority of leaders within SBC organizations and educational institutions are…
That’ s my impression from my stroll down the main drag of Gatlinburg, TN, recently. Few people smiling or laughing. Harsh words being spoken to others, especially to children and other family members. One woman hollering out foul language because she has pulled into a blocked street and folks would not “ part the Red…
Following Christ is a joyful life, but it is not an easy life. It requires personal discipline to study his word, learn his ways, and walk in them. The Lord challenged his audience on one occasion, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow…