You are a Christian pastor. You have dedicated your life to preaching the gospel, giving men and women answers for their questions, comfort for their sorrows, hope for their fears, and wisdom for their doubts. You spend your days and years strengthening the faithful, restoring the fallen, and warning the foolish. You love the people…
Psalm 120 is first among 15 consecutive psalms titled, A Song of Ascents. Psalm 127 is in the middle of these psalms and is attributed to Solomon. There are seven psalms on either side of Psalm 127. The first side consists of Psalm 120 – Psalm 126. Five of these are written by unknown authors.…
Words cannot do justice to the tragedy and devastation our nation has experienced over the past month. Within the pressure-cooker of the Coronavirus pandemic we continue scraping at the festering wound of sinful racism. My heart breaks for my fellow black neighbors and for every police officer out there. Yes, the Christian heart pulses with…
Twenty years ago almost no reputable college, university, or seminary offered distance education. In fact, “distance ed” was one of the marks of a diploma mill. Nevertheless, the new computer technologies, and especially the internet, were about to provide platforms that could be used for widespread experimentation in distance education. An early adopter was Northland…
This is not a political article. There are no political answers to the mess in which we find ourselves. Isaiah 59 describes Judah in eerily similar circumstances to the ones our nation faces today. Please, take some time now to read the chapter (Isaiah 59:1-21). I would suggest reading in several different translations. It will…
Recently I watched an intriguing YouTube video by bass player and composer Adam Neely called “Learning to Like Contemporary Christian Music (the music I hate).” Adam takes us on a interesting journey as he studies the style and form of some of the big names in modern contemporary worship. I agree with much of what…
Armchair sociologists are already calling them “Generation C.” A recent article in The Atlantic, put it this way: “Generation C Has Nowhere to Turn: Recent history suggests young people could see their careers derailed, finances shattered, and social lives upended.”1 The article went on to describe the depressing consequences of COVID-19 crisis. Young people, especially…
Can you guess what my favorite television program was as a child? Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood! I appreciated how he spoke in a gentle, patient manner and focused on thoughtful, reassuring conversations. One of my favorite parts of the program was the occasional trip that he’d take to a factory or store to show how they…
By every indicator, historic, mainstream fundamentalism is a shrinking movement. Churches are shrinking. Fellowships are shrinking. Mission agencies are shrinking. Schools have closed and those that remain are scrambling for students. Furthermore, the churches are producing fewer young people who feel any sense of calling toward vocational ministry. From an educational perspective, not only is…
One of the noblest characters in scripture is Saul’s son Jonathan. He is an example of the spirit of self-sacrifice that we honor on Memorial Day. A brave soldier. The story of Jonathan attacking the Philistine encampment in 1 Samuel 14 is Medal of Honor type bravery. It demonstrates not only his selflessness but more…