My lingering trial, like any other trial we go through, has created some soul searching questions. Questions can be a good thing because asking the right questions, hopefully, leads us to right responses. Some questions, though, have no easy answer. Some are gut wrenching to dare asking. Like this one, “Did God take away my…
Following his bold testimony at the Diet of Worms, in order to protect him, friends had Martin Luther imprisoned in Wartburg Castle. Initially, he did not know who had captured him or where he was confined. While the drama of the Reformation raged on in the world outside, Luther remained in seclusion for nearly a…
Sometimes we use phrases in ways that differ from their original meaning. For instance, you’ve heard the phrase, “Blood is thicker than water.” You probably think it means something like, “Family relationships are stronger than other relationships.” Indeed, that is how people commonly use the phrase today. You might be surprised to know that this…
The news just hit that another fabulously popular megapastor has been fired, apparently because of a long-standing, toxic culture of absolute power. I’m not very old, but I’ve already watched three cycles of this—a pastor who becomes THE guy to listen to, builds up a huge following, and then disintegrates in a blaze of glory.…
The documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone (2 hours 19 minutes) produced by Brandon Kimber is a defense of the gospel from the perspective of the conservative evangelical movement. It features repeated interviews and clips from John Piper, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Paul Washer, and many more. The documentary does not hold back on…
A friend of mine recently entered a new ministry. I don’t know the details of his move, or the history of the church, but the news sparked some thinking about churches and new pastors. My own ministry will face that prospect within the next decade, most likely. Sometimes churches and pastors struggle with the transition.…
In 2 Corinthians 4:1 the apostle Paul declared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” The overall ministry of Paul was one of reconciliation. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto…
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; WHAT IS MAN, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visits him? Psalm 8:3-4 I wrote a devotional piece recently on the WILL OF GOD. It is a very important…
For more than two-thousand years, churches have gathered on Sunday. This happens in Russia and the US, China and Brazil, Israel and Uganda, Iceland and Australia. It happens in cities and farmlands, deserts and jungles, and mountains and valleys. It happens this way all around the world. But why? Why do Christians worship the Lord…
One remarkable characteristic of humanity is that we WANT to feel guilty about something—especially when we enjoy success. On the other hand, when we suffer, or perceive ourselves be unsuccessful, we would prefer to be victims. Thus we end up with the guilt culture in which we find ourselves today. We are told we…