Sermon Texts for August 2010 (updated)
Mon, Aug 9 2010 05:07 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
The first posting was completely wrong! Here's an updated version:August 1 Psalm 118 -- We speak to God in worship: We Pronounce Our Thanksgiving to GodAugust 8 Psalm 4 -- We speak to God in worship: We Declare Our Petitions to GodAugust 15 Acts 1:1-11 -- Marching OrdersAugust 22 Acts 1:12-26 -- The Apostolic AppointmentAugust 29 Acts 2:1-13-- Spirit Anointing
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Sermon Texts for July 2010
Wed, Jun 30 2010 09:27 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
July 4 Genesis 10 -- The Table of Nations July 11 Genesis 11 -- Babel, Babble, and BibleJuly 18 Acts 1:1-11 -- Marching OrdersJuly 25 Acts 1:12-26 -- The Apostolic Appointment
Letting others grow
Wed, Jun 9 2010 02:44 PM
| Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
Early in my marriage, I interviewed for a ministry position that I didn't get offered. There were a lot of reasons why I wasn't offered to position (the main one being that I was immature and a jerk), but things started badly because the Senior Pastor knew a good friend of mine in seminary.My friend (I'll call him Steve) had, at one point in his life, been militantly dogmatic and so wholly-unloving
Sermon texts for June 2010
Mon, May 31 2010 04:30 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
June 6 Genesis 7:1-24 -- Through one man’s obedience (theme: June 13 Genesis 8:1-22 -- New order establishedJune 20 Genesis 9:1-17 -- Promise and preservationJune 27 Genesis 9:18-29 -- The curse of Canaan
Sermon texts for May 2010
Fri, Apr 30 2010 04:25 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
May 2 God speaks to us in worship, part 4: God Assures Us of Pardon (Psalm 130)May 9 God speaks to us in worship, part 5: God Nourishes Us through Word and Sacrament (Psalm 23)May 16 God speaks to us in worship, part 6: God Sends Us into the World (Psalm 20)May 23 Genesis 6:1-8 -- Good grief (Pentecost Sunday) (Theme: Grief over sin)May 30 Genesis 6:8-22 -- But Noah... (Theme: Righteous obedience)
Sermon texts for April 2010 (updated)
Tue, Apr 13 2010 03:26 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
April 4 God speaks to us in worship, part 1: God Calls Us to Worship (Psalm 100)April 11 Philippians 1:27-2:11 -- The Makings of a Worthy Life (Guest Preacher Doug Kothe)April 18 God speaks to us in worship, part 2: God Displays His Glory (Psalm 24)April 25 God speaks to us in worship, part 3: God Reveals Our Sin to Us (Psalm 32)
Worship 6: What is Maundy Thursday?
Thu, Apr 1 2010 09:54 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Today, as many of you (hopefully all who attend Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church!) is "Maundy Thursday"-- about which, some might ask, "What is that?""Maundy" Thursday gets its name from the latin phrase mandatum novum, which means "new command." On Maundy Thursday, we commemorate the day of Holy Week when Jesus gave his disciples "a new command"-- that we love one another (John 13:34). On that day,
Calvinist or "Hyper-Calvinist"? Or, the more careful use of labels...
Sat, Mar 20 2010 03:12 PM
| Theology, Church Life
| Permalink
Not long ago, someone dropped by my study who was dropping something off for an event. While there, she said, "I have a question for you: are you a Calvinist or a Hyper-Calvinist?"I realized this was a loaded question; usually people don't speak with that sort of language of comparison unless they have a particular pre-disposition about both. It's sort of like the label "TR" which can be used pejoratively,
Sermon texts for March 2010
Sat, Feb 27 2010 04:18 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
March 7 Genesis 3:8-24 -- Deliver us from evil... (worship theme: redemption)March 14 Genesis 4:1-16 -- A brother’s keeper (theme: accountability)March 21 Genesis 4:17-26 -- Civilization as we know it... (theme: cultural redemption)March 28 Genesis 5 -- The curse (theme: death)
Worship 5: Setting our priorities according to Scripture
Fri, Feb 26 2010 11:05 AM
| Theology, Bible, Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
As we've studied the first couple of chapters of Genesis in these last weeks, I was reminded of a stark comparison: God devotes two chapters of His Word describing how the entire universe was created. Later, in the book of Exodus, He devotes 12 chapters of His Word to describing how the Tabernacle (basically the house of worship for the desert-wandering Israelites) is to be built.If God views these
Worship 4: The Benefit of a Consistent Liturgy
Thu, Feb 18 2010 10:12 AM
| Worship, Liturgy, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
I posted before about what liturgy is; today I want to discuss why liturgy is helpful.Liturgy helps us get comfortable in worship; it lets us break free of the form and structure, or rather, break past them, and to worship more freely and without distraction. I think of it this way: if you've ever prepared a meal in someone else's kitchen, you know how it can be hard to focus on the job. The act of
Worship 3: What is a "liturgy"?
Wed, Feb 3 2010 03:41 PM
| Worship, Liturgy, Church Life
| Permalink
These days many people think of the word "liturgy" and (if they know the word at all) immediately think of a "high church" or very formally-organized worship service. You will sometimes hear people refer to a church's worship style as "liturgical" which means (to them) that an order of worship was followed closely, probably that there was a fair amount of responsive portions from the congregation,
Sermon texts for February 2010 (updated)
Wed, Feb 3 2010 12:11 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
We haven't even started February sermons, but already a change in schedule! (Due to cancellation last weekend...)February 7 Genesis 2:1-3 -- The blessing of holinessFebruary 14 Genesis 2:4-17 -- Into EdenFebruary 21 Genesis 2:18-25 -- A suitable helper (Lent 1)February 28 Genesis 3:1-7 -- Into temptation...
Sermon texts for January 2010
Tue, Jan 26 2010 09:16 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
Updated schedule on 1/26...January 3 John 4:19-26 -- Worship in Spirit & Truth, part 2January 10 Romans 8:28-30 (Guest Preacher Doug Barcroft)January 17 Genesis 1:1-2 -- From chaos to creationJanuary 24 Genesis 1:3-31 -- By His word...January 31 Genesis 2:1-3 -- The blessing of holiness
Book Review: The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister
Tue, Jan 26 2010 09:26 AM
| Reading, Books, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
I recently received a copy of The Liturgical Year: The spiraling adventure of the spiritual life by Joan Chittister, which is one of the latest titles in Thomas Nelson's series on "The Ancient Practices" of the church. (Disclaimer: I received this copy for free from Thomas Nelson, in exchange for my commitment to write this review.)I read another title in this series, Fasting by Scot McKnight, last
Obesity
Mon, Jan 25 2010 06:06 PM
| Health, Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
There was a news report on TV recently that said that the number of dangerously obese Americans climbed from 15% to 35% in the last 30 years. This is a shocking number, and is worth commenting on.First of all, I agree that more and more Americans (and it seems to be unique to our country's culture-- probably a confluence of a number of things, not the least of which is the sheer excess that defines
Worship 2: Helps for planning worship
Tue, Jan 19 2010 03:27 PM
| Worship, Reading, Church Life
| Permalink
I love writing liturgies every week. It is, for me, a many-fold act of my ministry and life: it prepares my heart for worship; it itself is an engagement of worship; it drives me into Scripture and theological thoughtfulness; it is a service that I render to the souls of my congregation.As I prepare for worship every week, I find a handful of resources (in addition to my Bible, of course) are always
The uniqueness of the PCA
Mon, Jan 18 2010 03:17 PM
| Theology, Church Life, PCA
| Permalink
Dr. Roy Taylor, who is the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which is the denomination I serve, recently published a paper entitled, "The Uniqueness of PCA Polity" which he presented at a meeting of all Stated Clerks in the PCA. By and large, I found Dr. Taylor's thoughts to be fair and accurate. I especially appreciated his section on the essence of presbyterian church government
Biggest changes in Christianity in the last decade...
Wed, Jan 6 2010 01:28 PM
| Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
Christianity Today Online recently compiled a bunch of answers to the question, "what was the most significant change to Christianity in the last decade?"There are some great take-aways from this collection. A few of my favorites are:"Evangelical angst about its current state and future prospects. Evangelicals are trying to figure out who they are and who they should be. We see that in the 'Evangelical
Christmas Cartoon: The 12 Days of Christmas
Sat, Dec 26 2009 11:15 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great church-related cartoons at Dave Walker's website, Cartoon Church.
Ideas for Celebrating Christmas
Wed, Dec 23 2009 03:11 PM
| Church Life, Christmas
| Permalink
Just as they did with Advent, the folks at the Reformed Church in America (RCA) are offering a lot of very good and helpful ideas for celebrating Christmas and Epiphany:Twelve Ideas for Celebrating the Twelve Days of ChristmasFamily Ideas for ChristmasCongregational Ideas for Advent, Christmas, and EpiphanyReclaiming EpiphanyFamily Ideas for EpiphanyThanks, RCA!
Advent Cartoon 10: Displaying Cards
Wed, Dec 23 2009 11:12 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 9: Tree Decorations
Mon, Dec 21 2009 11:11 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 8: Finding the end of the tape
Fri, Dec 18 2009 11:10 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
The Church is bigger...
Wed, Dec 16 2009 10:13 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
One of the common traits of a certain subset of Christians (and I can't quite put my finger on who these folks would be; emerging/emergents? Post-Evangelicals?) is that they have come to the realization (at some point in their journey of faith) that "the Church is bigger than ____ " (insert subtle jab at a/the local church). They then proceed to unpack how that realization has led them to the enlightened,
Advent Cartoon 7: Christmas Card Algorithm
Tue, Dec 15 2009 11:08 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 6: Wrapping
Sat, Dec 12 2009 11:06 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Prayer 14: general resources for learning to pray
Thu, Dec 10 2009 11:22 AM
| Prayer, Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
Many have e-mailed or just asked for more help in learning to pray. Since prayer has been our ministry focus for 2009, I have (needless to say) done a fair amount of reading about it. Here are some of the books that I have found to be highly-recommendable:The Heart of Prayer by Jerram Barrs: a wonderful teaching on prayer from one of the most godly men I know. It will open hearts to prayer as a welcoming
Advent Cartoon 5: Christmas Tree
Wed, Dec 9 2009 11:05 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 4: Lights
Mon, Dec 7 2009 11:04 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 3: Playlist
Fri, Dec 4 2009 11:02 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Advent Cartoon 2: Shopping
Wed, Dec 2 2009 12:01 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Prayer 13: Praying for those who preach
Tue, Dec 1 2009 03:01 PM
| Prayer, Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Justin Childers, pastor of Christ Baptist Church of Wilson, NC, posted on his blog about "praying for those who preach" in March 2008. His insights are invaluable, and his challenge is needed.He offers six suggestions for how one might pray for preachers:1. During the week, pray for God to reveal the burden of the text to him.2. During the week, pray that God would grip the preacher’s heart with
Sermon texts for December 2009
Mon, Nov 30 2009 10:28 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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December 6 Advent part 3: Leviticus 16 -- Do We Recognize Our Need for Forgiveness?December 13 Advent part 4: Zechariah 7 -- Should We Keep On as We Have?December 20 Advent part 5: Revelation 21:1-7 -- Do We Remember the First Love?December 24 Advent part 6: Revelation 21:1-8 -- Do We Long to Be Made New?December 27 Christmastide/Ministry Sunday: John 4:19-26 -- Worship in Spirit & Truth
Advent reflection 6: some Advent blogs
Mon, Nov 30 2009 12:17 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
Here are a couple of blogs I’ve come across that are offering some interesting ideas on Advent:Come to Bethlehem and see... a blog devoted to Advent that resurges every year, just for the season.Scot McKnight, Jesus Creed... has offered a good collection of ideas, prayers, and instructions for Advent.
Advent Cartoon 1: Looking Forward
Sun, Nov 29 2009 12:59 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Find this and other great Advent cartoons at Dave Walker's Cartoon Advent Calendar. Also be sure to check out Dave's other church-related cartoons at his website, Cartoon Church.
Prayer 12: What Prayer Does
Fri, Nov 27 2009 11:28 AM
| Prayer, Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
Last week, I wrapped up a short series on "What Prayer Does" in our Wednesday night Bible Study. In that series, I addressed the "myths" about prayer that are commonly believed today, and the realities about what prayer really does.This is a summary graphic that accompanied the lessons:
Advent reflection 5: family practices for Advent
Wed, Nov 25 2009 12:22 AM
| Family, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
Just as I did last year, I'll reflect a bit on the season of Advent during the season.If you missed them, be sure to check out Advent reflection 1 (Labor of Love), reflection 2 (The End of Advent), reflection 3 (What Means This?), and reflection 4 (Teaching Ourselves the Season) from last year.Here is a small collection of ideas on celebrating and observing Advent as a family:Internet Monk offers a
Prayer 11: resources for leaders
Fri, Nov 20 2009 11:21 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Not long ago, a friend asked for some book recommendations about prayer-- specifically, about the Lord’s Prayer.I thought I would offer a quick list of suggestions for leaders in the church who wish to lead better in a ministry of prayer-- both praying for others, and teaching others to pray.General:The Praying Church Sourcebook by Alvin J. Vander Griend with Edith Bajema-- what a great book
Book Review: Christianity in Crisis, 21st Century Edition by Hank Hanegraaff
Fri, Nov 6 2009 07:20 PM
| Books, Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
I was delighted to read Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century Edition by Hank Hanegraaff. [Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book by Thomas Nelson in exchange for my agreement to review it.]When I was in college, the first edition of this book came out. I was floored; I had always had a hunch that guys like Benny Hinn, Robert Schuler, and Kenneth Copeland were more snake-oil salesmen than
On "conversion"
Wed, Nov 4 2009 09:17 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
"Obviously, what Jesus promises is highly desirable. Blessedness, freedom, healing of internal sin, access to eternal life-- who does not gladly hear of such things? Who would not want to celebrate with the King? What hinders us, since he calls to each of us and demands nothing in return?"But this misconstrues the intent of the goodness whose goal is to lead us to conversion. It is not shown to us
Sermon texts for November 2009
Wed, Oct 28 2009 10:38 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Morning:November 1 Luke 22:54-23:25 -- Betrayal of the King (Guest Preacher Doug Barcroft)November 8 Luke 23:26-56 -- The wages of sin...November 15 Luke 24:1-12 -- He is not here...November 22 Luke 24:13-53 -- Eyes openedNovember 29 Advent part 1-- God as FatherEvening:November 15 Colossians 1 -- GnosticismNovember 29 Advent part 2-- God as Father
Responding to the fear-mongerers
Tue, Oct 27 2009 10:06 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
While Jerram Barrs was here over the weekend, I asked him (among many other things!): How should we respond to those who are trafficking in Gospel-denying fear about political matters?Part of his response was to point out how disrespectful talking about President Obama and others as some Christians do is-- not simply of our president, but of other Christians who have faced real threat and persecution.
Spiritual Life Conference
Fri, Oct 23 2009 11:25 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
The Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church Spiritual Life Conference starts this evening. Our theme for the conference is: Ask, Seek, Knock-- Learning to Pray.If you're in the area-- or even remotely close-- you might seriously consider changing your plans to come be a part of this. Prof. Jerram Barrs will be our speaker, and events will include multiple lectures, a Q&A luncheon, a prayer service, and worship
Join the team
Wed, Oct 14 2009 10:59 PM
| Church Life
| Permalink
I've been discussing church membership a lot lately.The other day, I was interacting with someone about the importance of membership, and they offered the following argument:"Joining a church doesn't make someone a Christian, any more than attending a football game makes you a sports fan."Granted. But there's more that is telling about this analogy than just whether joining a church makes you a Christian.You
John Piper has it backward
Mon, Oct 12 2009 08:32 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
"Worship is first an identity before it's ever an activity."~Paul David TrippNot quite 15 years ago, I began hearing a buzz about this Baptist pastor from Minnesota who had begun to change the way that some people were thinking about the Christian life. In fact, he was challenging the way that people thought about the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism! (This was WAY before the "young,
A communion hymn
Fri, Oct 9 2009 02:56 PM
| Church Life
| Permalink
We'll be singing this hymn during the sacrament of Communion on the last Sunday of this month; until then, we'll be learning it on Wednesday nights.If you aren't familiar with this one, here are the lyrics and a video of it being sung. (HT: Adam) It is called "Behold the Lamb" and is written by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend.Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away,Slain for us – and
UnPresbyterian Dissent
Thu, Oct 1 2009 11:42 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
What's going on in Florida right now is a perfect illustration of how little "presbyterian" we often are in the PCA.Dr. D. James Kennedy was the founding pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, and was one of the most well-known names in the PCA (and elsewhere), and when he died just over two years ago, it was a loss for both the PCA and the Kingdom. Dr. Kennedy was a strong leader, and was well-known
Sermon texts for October 2009
Wed, Sep 30 2009 10:26 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Morning:October 4 Luke 22:7-23-- The FIRST SupperOctober 11 Luke 22:24-38 -- Service to the KingOctober 18 Luke 22:39-53 -- Handing himself overOctober 25 Guest Preacher Jerram Barrs (Spiritual Life Conference)Evening:October 4 The Life of FaithOctober 18 The “Tribulation”
Two kinds of Homeschoolers
Thu, Sep 17 2009 07:58 PM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
It's clear to me that there are two kinds of homeschoolers-- that is, two kinds of parents who homeschool their children.The first kind are primarily concerned about the education of their children. Because of circumstances, opportunities, and/or necessity, they have chosen to take on the education of their children at home. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't accept another opportunity (even public
Sermon texts for September 2009
Wed, Sep 2 2009 10:00 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Morning:September 6 Luke 20:27-21:4 -- Confusion about what is whatSeptember 13 Hebrews 12:1-3 -- 175th Anniversary SermonSeptember 20 Luke 21:5-36 -- Anticipating the ReturnSeptember 27 Luke 21:37-22:6 -- Delighted at betrayalEvening:September 20 Daniel 5 -- End-Times Events
Spiritual gifts-- some thoughts
Fri, Aug 28 2009 02:01 PM
| Church Life
| Permalink
I’ve had a few recent conversations on spiritual gifts, and I thought I would offer some thoughts.I don’t claim to represent the views of the PCA on this, although to the best of my knowledge my views are not out of accord with the PCA. (The predominant view of PCA pastors on spiritual gifts, especially on the apostolic or “sign” gifts, can be found in this Pastoral Letter,
Our Identity in Christ, part 2
Thu, Aug 27 2009 08:58 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
As I said in my last post on this subject, I’ve started a study with some people in our congregation about our identity in Christ.Read Part 1Here is part two of the study; as you can see, we’re moving through Scripture in order; we will skip ahead after a while-- the study isn’t going to go chapter by chapter through the whole Bible! (Though that would be a good, and quite thorough,
Our Identity in Christ, part 1
Fri, Aug 21 2009 08:44 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Last week, I started a study with a couple I’ve been meeting with. Among other things, we are discussing our identity in Christ, and how that identity is our dignity and confidence, our assurance and esteem.Lots of folks struggle with many different issues that, it seems to me, have their roots in a misunderstanding of this. So I’m starting this study of portions of Scripture with this
Prayer 11: A Prayer for today's worship
Sun, Aug 2 2009 08:30 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
Almighty God, we pray for your blessing on the church in this place. Here may the faithful find salvation, and the careless be awakened. Here may the doubting find faith, and the anxious be encouraged. Here may the tempted find help, and the sorrowful find comfort. Here may the weary find rest, and the strong be renewed. Here may the aged find consolation and the young be inspired; through Jesus Christ,
Sermon texts for August 2009
Wed, Jul 29 2009 04:38 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
August 2 Prayer series, part 1: Exodus 17:8-16 -- Learning Intercession from MosesAugust 9 Prayer series, part 2: Psalm 51 -- Learning Confession from DavidAugust 16 Prayer series, part 3: Colossians 1:3-14 -- Learning Petition from PaulAugust 16 (evening) Obadiah 1-21 -- PrideAugust 23 Prayer series, part 4: 1 Peter 1:3-9 -- Learning Praise from PeterAugust 30 Luke 20:1-26 -- By Whose Authority?
Weddings, worship, and celebration
Fri, Jul 24 2009 10:02 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
I think weddings are awesome. Having been married now for more than 11 years, I think marriage is one of the greatest things in life. I have low tolerance for those who belittle it, especially in the context of a wedding-- ball and chain jokes, her dragging him down the isle, etc. (Mostly, it’s men who do this-- women have a better appreciation for marriage.)And weddings are worship. They are
Sermon texts for July 2009
Mon, Jul 13 2009 08:55 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
UPDATE: I changed the last week’s text, making it longer (including the next section).July 5 Luke 18:35-42 -- What the blind man sawJuly 12 Luke 19:1-10 -- A wee little faithJuly 19 Luke 19:11-27 -- Faithful stewardshipJuly 19 (evening) Romans 8:31-39 -- AssuranceJuly 26 Luke 19:28-20:26 -- The King has come
Happy Birthday...
Fri, Jul 10 2009 07:15 AM
| Theology, Church Life
| Permalink
...to John Calvin, who was born 500 years ago today!There are TONS of blogs, websites, and other resources that are devoting huge amounts of attention to Calvin’s 500th birthday. There is even a celebration trip/tour going on right now in Geneva, where most of the Reformed preachers I’ve ever heard of are teaching, preaching, and reflecting on Calvin’s life, ministry, and contribution
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, July 6, 2009
Mon, Jul 6 2009 01:34 PM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
Here’s good advice on improving your devotional life from a friend and fellow Covenant Presbytery Teaching Elder.Check out these photos that are real, but look like they are “Photoshopped”.A good article on the current state of marriage in the U.S.In related news, don’t miss this one on “The Scandal of the Public Evangelical.”Very clever-- 15 odd (but useful) inventions.This
Redemption
Mon, Jun 29 2009 01:09 PM
| Church Life
| Permalink
Here’s a great and amazing video. It offers a redemptive view of a tragic circumstance. What I love about this short account is that these believers aren’t pie-in-the-sky about their faith or passé about their situation. They are simply grateful for what God has given them, and for the hope that He has redeemed, is redeeming, and will redeem this broken world.I’m undone.(HT:
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, end of June 2009
Fri, Jun 26 2009 11:15 AM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
Probably the best take I’ve seen on Gov. Mark Sanford’s “thing.”Too funny-- Duncanesses in the PCA...The end of a photography era.A great take on the Oprah phenomenon.Here’s a good piece from Ed Stetzer on small churches (good comments, too).Unsurprisingly, the NY Times has done a great job of covering Michael Jackson’s death (and Farrah’s and Ed’s, too)
Prayer 10: resources for learning to pray the Scriptures
Mon, Jun 22 2009 07:14 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
I was challenged in college, and again in seminary (sometimes I’m hard-headed) to learn to pray the Scriptures. I’ve since found this a valuable and rich way to pray.When we pray the Scriptures, we know that God approves of our prayers-- after all, we are praying His words back to Him! It can take some getting used to, however, to learn to do this. Also, we actually have to KNOW the Scriptures
Prayer 9: what should we pray for?
Mon, Jun 8 2009 08:03 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
John Piper wrote a piece way back in ’95 that covers this question by looking at what the early church prayed for. Piper identified 35 different topics, which included:They called on God to exalt His name in the world.They called on God for boldness in proclamationThey called on God for the healing of unbelieversThey called on God for unity and harmony in the ranksThey called on God for forgiveness
"Christ-Follower"
Thu, Jun 4 2009 09:21 AM
| Church Life
| Permalink
I’ve noticed, actually for several years now, that many believers have eschewed the label “Christian” in favor of “Christ-Follower”.Now, there are some valid reasons for wanting to distance oneself from a label that has taken on too much baggage. In the earlier half of the 20th century, those who wished to define themselves as faithful to Scripture as the inerrant, inspired
Truly Pro-Life... or just Anti-Abortion?
Tue, Jun 2 2009 02:07 PM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
The murder of Dr. George Tiller over the weekend was an act of sin and a tragedy. Regardless of Dr. Tiller’s choices and actions-- regardless of his sins-- a single individual taking his life was the laying of claim to something that individual had no right to claim. In that lone act, the murderer completely undermined the very cause he is believed to have acted on behalf of (or at least attempted
Sermon texts for June 2009
Mon, Jun 1 2009 09:28 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
June 7 Luke 17:1-19 -- Standing firm in the faithJune 14 Luke 17:20-37 -- Your Kingdom come...June 21 Luke 18:1-17 -- Prayerful faith, faithful prayers (Guest Preacher: Doug Barcroft)June 28 Luke 18:18-34 -- Learning to Repent
Spiritual Life Conference
Fri, May 29 2009 02:11 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
We’ve just started actively promoting our Spiritual LIfe Conference for 2009. The dates will be October 23-25, and the topic is Prayer. Our speaker will be Jerram Barrs, professor of Covenant Seminary and Scholar in residence of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute.The conference will include several lectures from Jerram, a Question & Answer Luncheon with him on Saturday, and he will preach during
Prayer 8: Praying for your pastor
Wed, May 13 2009 04:02 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Here’s a good piece from Ligon Duncan, a PCA pastor in Jackson, MS, on how to pray for your pastor. Duncan has put together a list of 17 specific ways you can pray for your pastor.And here’s another good one, this time from Thom Rainer (an author and church leader) on the same. Rainer doesn’t offer a list, but instead a testimony of how vital to ministry is a member (and a congregation)
Hank Hill on choosing churches
Tue, May 5 2009 11:08 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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One of my favorite clips from King of the Hill, which happens to be a show that I think offers some of the most poignant cultural critique today:Courtesy of ChristianClips.com
Sermon texts for May 2009
Wed, Apr 29 2009 08:48 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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May 3 Luke 14:25-35 -- Discipleship re-definedMay 10 Luke 15 -- To seek and save that which was lost...May 17 Luke 16:1-15 -- How much have you been entrusted with?May 24 Luke 16:16-18 -- The difficulty of the lawMay 31 Luke 16:19-31 -- We have enough!
Culture War problems...
Fri, Apr 24 2009 10:14 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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These are such helpful quotes from David Gordon on the “Culture War”-- i.e., the attempt by Christians to get the world around them to conform to biblical principles:The culture warrior refuses to acknowledge that true and significant cultural change can happen only when the individual members of the culture have forsaken their own self-centeredness, and have revolted against their revolt
Sermon texts for April 2009
Wed, Apr 22 2009 12:56 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Update: I accommodated my changes for the last two weeks.April 5 Luke 23:34 -- Jesus prayed for our forgiveness (Palm Sunday)April 12 Mark 15:34 -- Jesus suffered for our suffering (Easter-- sunrise service)April 12 Luke 23:46 -- Jesus died our death to gain our resurrection (Easter-- 11am service)April 19 Luke 13:17-35 -- Who will be in the Kingdom?April 26 Luke 14:1-24 -- A banquet for
Two things I like about the PCA
Tue, Apr 21 2009 10:56 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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There are lots of things I like about the PCA. Two things that have come to mind recently, both of which seem to be on the rise, and both of which make me quite content to minister in the PCA, are these. We could do a much better job at both, and there is plenty of room for growth. Still, I love these:Striving to be inclusive when we don’t have to be exclusive. There is a certain required exclusivity
Suspicion on the basis of difference
Sat, Apr 11 2009 02:31 PM
| Theology, Ministry, Church Life
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Not long ago, I was talking with an acquaintance about the liturgy at Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church. I specifically mentioned that we were beginning to make use of the liturgical calendar more intentionally. He wrinkled his nose, furrowed his brow, and replied, “I don’t know... that’s sort of like the Roman Catholic and orthodox churches.”I said, “Sort of.”He
Irony? Or hypocrisy?
Thu, Apr 9 2009 05:58 AM
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The sectarian slough of despond
Fri, Mar 27 2009 08:41 AM
| Church Life
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One thing that we in the PCA-- and in the broader church-- must be careful of is the difficulty of sectarianism. Frankly, it is something that we have been far too careless about, and that must change for the church to move forward in this century in the United States.When I say sectarianism, this is what I mean: when we are quick to dismiss, divide from, or decry because of a disagreement over ANY
Prayer 7: a primer on fasting
Fri, Mar 20 2009 09:05 AM
| Church Life
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Our Session has determined that we will have a congregational day of fasting for all who feel led to participate, on March 28th. I wanted to take an opportunity to answer some questions and offer some guidance about this.Why do we fast? This basic question occurs to all of us at some point. A writer named Scot McKnight defines fasting as, “a whole-body response to a grievous sacred moment.”
Prayer 6: Carson on pettitionary prayer
Fri, Mar 6 2009 09:55 AM
| Church Life
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If a boy asks his father for several things, all within the father’s power to give, the father may give him one of them right away, delay giving him another, decline to give him a third, set up a condition for a fourth. The child is not assured of receiving something because he has used the right incantation: that would be magic. The father may decline to give something because he knows it is
Losing our view of "office"
Tue, Mar 3 2009 01:35 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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An acquaintance recently pointed out that she has noticed the tendency for the news anchors to refer to our President as “President Obama.” This wouldn’t be that peculiar, except, as she noted, they preferred to call President Bush simply, “Mr. Bush”-- though they were thick with “President Clinton” before then. She noted this as possible evidence of media
Sermon texts for March 2009
Mon, Mar 2 2009 04:15 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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March 1 No services due to snowMarch 8 Guest preacher Doug Barcroft -- Prayers of lamentMarch 15 Luke 12:13-34 -- What do you treasure?March 22 Luke 12:35-53 -- Ready to finish...March 29 Luke 12:54-13:17-- Being set free
Lent in the Bible |||amp; early church
Mon, Mar 2 2009 02:38 PM
| Church Life
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A friend and I began something of a debate (via e-mail) over the weekend about Lent. He wondered, where do you find Lent in the Bible? Here are my thoughts on this important question.There is no doubt in my mind that Christ observed the feast days of the Old Testament (Mark 14:12; Luke 2:42; 22:1; John 2:23; 7:8, 14), and that he expected His disciples to do so, too (John 7:8). And, of course, the
Ash Wednesday
Wed, Feb 25 2009 08:40 AM
| Church Life
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Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the liturgical season called Lent. If you have friends who are Roman Catholics, they will likely attend a Mass today and have ashes smeared onto their foreheads in the shape of a cross. This is done as a reminder of death and mortality-- ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as we say at funerals. When people leave the Mass and walk around in public with ashen
Prayer 5: Yancey on prayer and honest vulnerability
Mon, Feb 16 2009 03:14 PM
| Church Life
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The Japanese, famous for their inscrutability, have two words that hint at the divided self. There is the tatemae (pronounced tah-teh-mah-eh), the part of myself I let people see on the outside, and the hon ne (pronounced hon[g] neh) what takes place on the inside where no one can see. Perhaps we need three words: one for the image of ourselves that we project to colleagues at work, clerks at the
Penn Jillete on evangelism and proselytizing
Sat, Feb 7 2009 09:58 AM
| Church Life
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Christian Cultural Identity, part one
Fri, Feb 6 2009 08:24 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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Rachel Gardner is a literary agent whose blog I read regularly. This morning, she posted about an e-mail she recently received, where someone who had come across her blog asked why she self-identified as a “Christian” on her blog about being a literary agent. She responded, but also invited others to comment. I’d like to offer my thoughts here.The question-- and the answer(s)-- are
Prayer 4: getting what we ask for
Mon, Feb 2 2009 09:51 AM
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All last week, Jack had been asking me if he can have some of the soup I bought for Marcie. He asked if he could have it for supper Wednesday night instead of the steaks I was grilling. When I said no, he asked if he could have it Thursday night instead of whatever we were going to have (which happens to be home-made pizza). I told him I would fix it for him for lunch on Thursday.Marcie loves this
Video Bits |||amp; Tidbits, end of January
Sat, Jan 31 2009 02:50 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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Paul Washer has a lot of insightful and worthwhile comments. His video is a little lengthy, but worth the time:(HT: Dane)Michael Wittmer has a good point about where things are and/or are headed in terms of the need for emphasis. Take a look at this short clip:(HT: Koinonia)Designing (or redesigning) a website? Here’s all you need to know about it:(HT: Jon)Should the evangelical (and Reformed)
Prayer 3: Ministry Focus
Fri, Jan 30 2009 09:35 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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I mentioned a while back that I would talk about our “Ministry Focus” soon, so I’d better do it!Our Session (the body of the Ruling and Teaching Elders, gathered to lead the church) has decided that we will establish a “Ministry Focus” for each church year, where we will focus on one aspect of spiritual life and formation and order the ministries of our church around it.
Sermon texts for February 2009
Tue, Jan 27 2009 02:37 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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February 1 Luke 11:14-36 -- Hearing and sight, darkness and lightFebruary 8 Guest preacher Doug Barcroft --- Prayers of thanksgivingFebruary 15 Luke 11:37-54 -- The dangers of legalismFebruary 22 Luke 12:1-12 -- Confidence in the face of opposition
Bible knowledge test
Wed, Jan 21 2009 02:12 PM
| Theology, Church Life
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How well do you know your Bible?It’s always difficult to measure, and no measure is completely fair or accurate. Still, the folks at Christianity Today put together this Bible knowledge test (based on the book What Every Christian Should Know by Jo. H. Lewis and Gordon A. Palmer). A few sample questions (I won’t reproduce the whole thing out of respect for copyright):Common Bible SayingsAm
Prayer 2: How to pray for the President
Tue, Jan 20 2009 06:41 AM
| Church Life
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I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ~1 Timothy 2:1-4Scripture clearly portrays the faithful follower
MLK
Mon, Jan 19 2009 10:24 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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One of my former co-workers once said to me, “I don’t get this whole Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.”I said, “Have you ever read, listened to, or watched his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech?”“No,” he replied.That explained it all to me. This year, MLK Day has peculiar significance, as you know. If YOU don’t “get” it, then let me offer the
Sproul on the frequency of the Lord's Supper
Wed, Jan 14 2009 10:28 AM
| Church Life
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Here’s R.C. Sproul discussing how frequently a church should celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper-- or, I should say, outlining some of the arguments on both sides, more frequently and less frequently. I think Dr. Sproul does a good job of introducing most of the major categories of discussion points on this issue. What do you think?var addthis_pub = "hickorywithepc";
Prayer 1: Prayer and ministry from Stuart Briscoe
Sat, Jan 10 2009 11:55 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Our “Ministry Focus” for 2009 is prayer-- which I’ll give more details about soon.As a part of that, I’m going to incorporate thoughts, reflections, quotes, and resources about prayer into my blogging for this year. Here is the first, from Pastor Stuart Briscoe, about how vital prayer is for ministry (of all types-- including vocational ministry, but also the ministry of the
Sermon texts for January 2009
Fri, Jan 2 2009 09:05 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Here are the sermon texts for January. Hickory Withe PC members: if you aren’t doing so already, may I encourage you to read each week’s text (and all the other months as well!) before you come to church on Sunday? Perhaps you could close out the day on Saturday with them, or read them with your family after supper on Saturday.January 4 Luke 11:1-13 -- Learning to Pray, part 2January 11 Luke
Blogs I read (and blogs I don't)
Sat, Dec 20 2008 10:50 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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I read a lot of blogs. Some of you know this, and have asked about it-- specifically, why do I read so many blogs, and what sort of blogs do I read?First, the “why”-- I consider most of my blog-reading to fit into the category of “personal development,” in the same way that someone might read a newspaper or a trade journal. Maybe a dozen of the blogs I read are written by friends
Church marketing
Thu, Dec 18 2008 11:33 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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"Filling the gap the government left"
Tue, Dec 16 2008 01:11 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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The title came from a description that a pastor gave about what his church was doing by offering refuge to folks fleeing the path of Hurricane Gustav. This ironic statement echoes exactly what my friend Craig and I recently dialogued about on his blog. What’s wrong with this picture?This quote demonstrates how thoroughly the ideas of “postmodernism” have influenced even the church.
Advent reflection 4: teaching ourselves the season
Mon, Dec 15 2008 07:42 AM
| Church Life
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My fellow pastor Jeff Myers of Providence Reformed PCA in St. Louis recently offered this catechism, introducing the basics of what the season of Advent means:The Church YearQ 1. Why do we have different seasons of the year?A. God created the seasons for man’s use and enjoyment.Q 2. What do Fall and Winter remind us of?A. Fall and Winter remind us of sin and death because it is dark and cold.Q
Why churches are big or small, part two
Fri, Dec 12 2008 11:28 AM
| Church Life
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Not long ago, I discussed a key psychological and social factor that often keeps churches smaller. Today, let’s talk about what it takes for a church to become bigger.If the factors I mentioned are at play, it is easy to see why churches remain small. To refresh, there appears to be an inherent limit to the number of relationships we can actively “manage” in our heads, and that number
Advent reflection 3: What means this?
Mon, Dec 8 2008 11:10 AM
| Church Life
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I had a foreign-language teacher in college who was not a native U.S. citizen; thus, her speech patterns sometimes didn’t fit our conventions. For example, when she would encounter a word or concept she didn’t know, she would ask, “What means this?”I think many of us look at “Advent” and, internally, we ask, “What means this?” Sure, a lot of us go around
Advent reflection 2: The End of Advent
Fri, Dec 5 2008 11:23 AM
| Church Life
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There have been some very good questions coming my way about Advent, and why we (the church) do things the way we do. I want to reflect on the important season of Advent over the course of the next few weeks, and I actually began these reflections a couple of days ago.This time, I want to encourage you toward an article that appeared recently in First Things, which is a wonderful journal about religion
Post-Evangelical?
Wed, Dec 3 2008 09:48 AM
| Theology, Church Life, Personal
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I agree with 99% of what Michael says here about “what [he] means by Post-Evangelical.”I find much of the baggage of evangelicalism stifling to my faith, my ministry, and the life of the church. I appreciate his gentle critique, and find it helpful to have some new categories to think in.What do you think of it? Could you consider yourself a “Post-Evangelical” according to these
Advent reflection 1: Labor of love
Mon, Dec 1 2008 08:46 PM
| Church Life
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Sermon texts for December 2008
Fri, Nov 28 2008 02:58 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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December 7 Romans 8:25 -- The gift of patienceDecember 14 1 Peter 1:3 -- The gift of hopeDecember 21 Hebrews 1:1-4 -- The gift of revelationDecember 24 Isaiah 12:3ff -- The gift of joy (Christmas Eve Candlelight Service)December 28 Luke 11:1-13 -- Learning to pray
Why churches are usually big or small
Mon, Nov 17 2008 12:36 PM
| Church Life
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Scot McKnight is a college professor who writes a wonderful blog called Jesus Creed. Among several factors, one thing that makes Jesus Creed wonderful is that it is a true online community: there is a tight group of regular readers who read almost every post, comment frequently, and have actually gotten to know one another online. The tone of their discourse is civil and gracious, even when they disagree.
"Felling the idols"
Sat, Nov 8 2008 08:05 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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Many people struggle with weight-- either being overweight (most of us) or, in some cases, being underweight. In some cases (on either end), the struggle is a truly dangerous one.To combat the problems and struggles of being overweight, our culture offers us a number of “solutions.” (Sadly, our culture doesn’t offer any real help for the struggles of being underweight.) You can take
Understanding the undecided vote
Mon, Nov 3 2008 03:04 PM
| Church Life, Culture
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I’ve heard or read a number of people who are simply mystified by the relatively large “undecided” category of voters in this election. Beyond mystified, actually-- many of them scoff at the idea of being undecided at this point. My guess is that the race won’t be quite as close as the “undecided” numbers suggest-- in other words, we’re not in for another 2000
Reformation Day round-up
Fri, Oct 31 2008 12:54 PM
| Theology, Church Life, Culture
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Happy Reformation Day! (And happy Hallowe’en, as well.)There’s a lot of good stuff around commemorating today. Here’s quick round-up.My friend Paul has a good summary of why Reformation Day is significant.My friend James does too. (Also, check out his introduction to a good Reformation hymn.)GA Junkie offers a different perspective on Reformation Day, also interesting.Ligonier Ministries
Books for October, 2008
Thu, Oct 30 2008 09:11 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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With the twins being born, I didn’t get as much reading done this month as I would have liked. Nevertheless, here’s my list for October:Churched by Matthew Paul Turner. I’ve already reviewed this book here. (9+)Preaching to a Post-Everything World by Zack Eswine. Nevermind that Zack is a friend and a former professor of mine; this was one of the best books I’ve read in a long
Book review: How Would Jesus Vote? by D. James Kennedy
Wed, Oct 29 2008 08:46 PM
| Church Life, Culture
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I have to confess, I was skeptical from the outset of the new Waterbrook Press title How Would Jesus Vote? by D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe. In my view, this could have (and maybe should have) been the shortest book Waterbrook has ever published, with a single page declaring, “He wouldn’t.” And I feared that this would be one more piece of Christianized political propaganda
Sermon texts for November 2008
Tue, Oct 28 2008 10:15 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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November 2 Guest preacher: Doug Barcroft November 9 Guest preacher: Doug BarcroftNovember 16 Luke 9:37-62 -- (Mis)Understanding discipleshipNovember 23 Luke 10:1-24 -- The work of the disciplesNovember 30 Isaiah 25:6-26:6 -- The gift of anticipationNovember 30 (evening) Various texts-- The gift of presence (Chrismon Service)
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, 10/28/2008
Tue, Oct 28 2008 10:15 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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Good thoughts here (from a generally creative set of guys) on why stories are so effective.A while back, I recommended a set of lectures on Denominational Renewal. More recently, those lectures have received new attention as the Common Grounds blog has hosted a series of discussions on those lectures and their ideas. Some of the comments, in particular, ought to be taken with a grain of salt (or a
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, 10/20/2008
Mon, Oct 20 2008 02:51 PM
| Church Life, Culture
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Very cool: man decorates his basement with a Sharpie. This piece (and the basement itself) is both a nod to the creativity of a guy with a marker AND his well-lived life. (HT: Chris)An interesting quiz at Parchment and Pen: what are the essentials and non-essentials of belief? (Bonus points if you take the quiz and comment here, on my blog, with your results.)Is this going to change the way that football
Book review: Churched by Matthew Paul Turner
Fri, Oct 17 2008 01:24 PM
| Church Life, Culture
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Waterbrook Press sent me a copy of Churched by Matthew Paul Turner to review, as well as two copies to give away! (More on that in a moment...)In Churched, Turner reflects on his childhood memories of growing up in the local “fundamental Baptist” church. We’re given a child’s view (and an insider’s look) at how a Baptist church in the 70s and 80s looked and felt. I won’t
Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty
Wed, Oct 15 2008 10:03 PM
| Church Life, Culture
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UPDATE: Marcie reminded me of another good piece of information on poverty-- see the Miniature Earth link below.Today is “Blog Action Day” according to someone. The point is to bring awareness about poverty to those who read our blogs. I think it’s a good idea.My friend John Allen recently posted an amazing set of myths and facts on his blog (which he himself copied from the Food
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, 10/13/2008
Sun, Oct 12 2008 05:54 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Ben Witherington has a very good guide to basic principles of hermeneutics (the study of the study of the Bible-- no, I didn’t stutter). Worth reading. (HT: John Allen)Who says Latin is dead? (Of course, I’ve known this for years, as I taught for six years at a school that offered Latin.)In case you don’t know, Zondervan books has a very good blog with regular posts from their most-known
An open letter to the organizing generation
Thu, Oct 9 2008 09:44 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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To the generation of faithful men who, as Pastors and Elders, led the formation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA):Dear fathers in the faith,Thank you for the work that you did 35 years ago, in the years leading up to then, and in the years that followed. You stood against attacks on orthodoxy and biblical truth and refused to compromise in your deep commitments to the authority of Scripture
What it means to love the sinner and hate the sin
Mon, Oct 6 2008 10:46 AM
| Church Life
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My daughter wrote on the sofa the other day. It wasn’t an accident-- it was a letter “p” and a little design beside it. When Marcie and I discovered it, we were naturally upset. We asked her about it, and she said she did it “because she wanted to.” She confirmed that she knew she wasn’t supposed to do this sort of thing. So we disciplined her for it, and talked
Essential Church
Fri, Oct 3 2008 08:00 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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I like books-- especially free ones. And I really like author Thom Rainer, and his son Sam.That’s why I was excited to see this: their book Essential Church? is available for free as a downloadable e-book (PDF format). Only until Monday. Get it here.
Sermon texts for October 2008
Wed, Oct 1 2008 09:29 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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As we approached October, I’ve been really excited about our study in Luke and how it is progressing and developing. As before, take these dates as tentative, since the twins may come at any point!October 5 Luke 8:1-21 -- The work of the WordOctober 12 Luke 8:22-56-- Wonder-working powerOctober 19 Luke 9:1-17 -- Power to the peopleOctober 26 Luke 9:18-36 -- What it means to be the Christ
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, 9/30/08
Tue, Sep 30 2008 09:06 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Personal, Culture
| Permalink
Slate has compiled a fascinating transcript of last Friday’s debate, complete with redacted fact-checks for every factual statement made (more than 200).Everyone seems to be blaming the Bush administration for the economic crisis, but it’s clear that it began during the Clinton administration and was perpetuated by Democrats in Congress. Also, get a better grasp on what is going on. (HT:
Identity in Christ
Fri, Sep 26 2008 10:38 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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I have believed for a long time that the essence of my ministry-- regardless of where it is or to whom-- is to teach people of the truth of the Gospel, our need for it, and its transforming power to give us new identities in Christ. My primary goal at Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church has been, and is, to focus on that.Here is PCA pastor Tim Keller talking about that transformed identity, in a better
Learning the words
Fri, Sep 19 2008 05:04 PM
| Church Life
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When I was in college, I took modern Hebrew as my foreign language. I had it in my head that this would give me a head-start on seminary (and it did, to a degree).As a result, I learned a lot about the Israeli and Hebrew culture. For one thing, my university required that we take a history class that was related to one of our disciplines-- and I chose a “History of Judaism” class that was
"In God We Trust"
Tue, Sep 16 2008 08:49 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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A friend of mine recently posted a series of notes on his social network discussing his concern for the fact that our national motto, “In God We Trust,” is being moved from the face of coins (as is common today) to the sides, or edges, of coins in some proposed future designs.My friend’s concern is that, once the motto is moved to the edges of coins, it won’t be long before
On counseling and medication
Thu, Sep 11 2008 11:18 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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An interesting discussion on counseling and medication over at another blog raised a good point that I’ve often found is a stumbling block to Christians. David Powlison, quoting the Director of the National Institute on Mental Health, said:Psychiatric medications can sometimes take the edge off symptoms, but they can't give people what they really need. People need meaning and relationships.
More on the Lord's Supper
Wed, Sep 10 2008 03:20 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Following up (again) on my recently completed series on the Lord’s Supper, I thought this brief (< 1 min.) video from Tim Keller might be another helpful summary of what happens in the sacrament of Communion.
Application summary from the Lord's Supper series
Mon, Sep 8 2008 02:08 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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As I wrapped up a brief sermon series on The Lord’s Supper yesterday, I thought it may be helpful to summarize the applications, or “answers” to the questions I posed about the sacrament (which were, “what is it?” “when is it?” and “how is it?”):The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a covenantal meal, which means it is a family meal-- thus,
Sermon Texts for September 2008
Mon, Sep 1 2008 01:37 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Happy Labor Day, everyone. Here are the sermon texts for the month of September, with the continuation of the series on the Lord’s Supper, and then resuming Luke. One thing to note: as we move through the fall (even starting in September, though I certainly hope this won’t be the case then), you should take these published texts with a grain of salt. Chances are, the schedule might change
Fostering and Adoption: how we gave up the family a long time ago
Tue, Aug 26 2008 09:05 AM
| Church Life, Culture
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There is an interesting overture before the legislature of Arkansas that, if it succeeds, would put a bill before the state that would outlaw adoption and foster care by unmarried people who live together.I find it interesting because it is addressing the very problem that, I believe, ended the current debate about same-sex marriage before it started: when we (and by that I mean the “royal we”--
Sermon texts for August 2008
Fri, Aug 22 2008 10:27 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
In August, we’ll take a little break from Luke after wrapping up the Sermon on the Plain (Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount). During that break we’ll work through a three-part series looking at the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.UPDATE: I’ve adjusted the schedule to reflect Bruce Farrant’s sermon from last Sunday.Here are the texts for August:August 3 Luke
The Bible, authority, and interpretation part 2
Thu, Aug 21 2008 05:17 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
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Following up on my previous post, I’ll continue my reflections from the fascinating conversation I got to be a part of earlier in the week.At another point in the conversation, one of these formerly legalistic teenagers commented on the damage that was done through this oppressive environment. Specifically, she said that she felt like no one was given any sense of their right to read the Bible
The Bible, authority, and interpretation part I
Wed, Aug 20 2008 10:22 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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The other day I was with a group of people who were talking about an especially legalistic environment that some of them had been a part of as teenagers-- a place where they were literally told what to believe, and that if they disagreed they would go to Hell. The leaders in this environment were, clearly, abusing their authority and making claims that no one person or group has a right to make.One
Tragedy and loss
Fri, Aug 15 2008 08:10 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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I’ve recently read two posts from bloggers who, somehow, have managed to candidly capture in their posts the shock, the depth of pain, the sense of loss that they have experienced. Amazingly, both of these writers appear to have written their words even during their experiences. Their words are as beautiful as they are tragic, in part because they are so vulnerable and exposed in them. They are
Bible choices
Thu, Aug 14 2008 08:28 AM
| Ministry, Church Life
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How did you choose the translation of the Bible that you use? What was the process for evaluation? What factors did you consider?My guess is that many folks “chose” somewhat arbitrarily. Maybe they were given a nice Bible as a gift, and they decided that would become their main Bible. Maybe a friend showed her a study tool in his Bible, and she thought she would like to have those tools
Our bluegrass church
Mon, Jul 28 2008 07:49 AM
| Church Life
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Some of you may not know that we have a professional bluegrass band in our congregation, called Cypress Creek. At least, we have a significant part of it-- two full members of the band (and one who regularly joins them) are members of our church.They’re a lot of fun, and they’re also really good. They play gigs all over the mid-south, and every now and then we get a bluegrass number as
Sermon texts for July 2008
Mon, Jul 21 2008 11:59 PM
| Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
Here are the texts for this month’s sermons. You’ll note that again this month, I’ll be gone for the last Sunday of the month, and a guest preacher will bring the Word for us.UPDATE: I won’t have a guest preacher on the last Sunday after all.UPDATE #2: I adjusted the text for this Sunday!July 6 Luke 6:1-11 -- Sabbath Restrictions? Or Sabbath Freedom?July 13 Luke 6:12-16 -- Appointing
Are you wit' us, or agin' us?
Sat, Jul 5 2008 08:41 AM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
In light of yesterday’s post on single-issue voting, I’ll offer this post that re-covers the ideas that started it, plus the counter-points to those ideas.I’m not throwing my support behind either candidate– and I don’t care to share who I’m voting for. I think there’s a good case to be made for a conservative on both sides, and I understand the “I’m
Why single-issue voting is unbiblical
Fri, Jul 4 2008 11:58 AM
| Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
In honor of Independence Day, I thought I would offer up a post that simultaneously speaks to our context and government, the Kingdom of God, and the current events of our political process. (I’m also taking this opportunity to respond to a question posed to me over at my friend Megan’s blog.)Why is single-issue voting unbiblical?I’ll work through this issue from the most practical
Sermon texts for June 2008
Tue, Jun 17 2008 02:49 PM
| Liturgy, Ministry, Church Life, Preaching, Ordinary Time
| Permalink
Here are the sermon texts for the month of June. The one exception is the last Sunday; I'll be in South Carolina on that Sunday, so we will have a guest preacher.UPDATE: I’ve changed my text for Sunday, 6/22.June 1 Luke 5:12-16-- A Gospel for OutcastsJune 8 Luke 5:17-26-- Spiritual HealingJune 15 Luke 5:27-39-- A Call to SinnersJune 22 James 5:19-20-- Wandering soulsJune 28 Guest Preacher: Justin
Not taking ourselves too seriously
Mon, Jun 16 2008 08:17 PM
| Music, Discernment, Church Life, Culture, Media, Funny
| Permalink
At the recommendation of my St. Louis friend Steve Hughes, I started watching Last Comic Standing on NBC this summer. Funny stuff-- I’ve always enjoyed stand-up comedy, and this is a fun reality show.On the first show, a pair came on that really hit on something good. They present themselves as a “Christian folk duo with a message” and (after looking them up on the web) I think they
Squaring our shoulders forward
Sat, Jun 14 2008 11:11 AM
| Theology, Bible, Ministry, Church Life, PCA Polity, PCA
| Permalink
I’ve mentioned before (twice: here and here) that a significant issue facing this year’s General Assembly was the question of women and how they fit into diaconal ministry. In what my friend Steven Estock called “the year of the woman,” there were no less than five overtures before the assembly that spoke to this matter, most of them asking the assembly to erect a study committee
Bits |||amp; Tidbits, 6/6/08
Fri, Jun 6 2008 02:13 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture, Links
| Permalink
A few links and fun stuff for the weekend:Good thoughts on listening to a sermon can be found here (dealing with action) and here (dealing with reaction). Go forth and do likewise.A problem I just don’t have... yet?!?There’s been a bit of interesting stuff about transracial adoption lately. For one, there’s this piece from the NY Times on de-emphasizing race. Here’s another,
Bits |||amp; Tidbits
Fri, May 23 2008 11:56 AM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture, Links
| Permalink
Sort of a slow week on the blog this week; sorry about that. Here are a few links to keep you busy...Here's a cool tool for helping you with your Bible memory: BibleMemory.us. This cleverly-named program makes use of e-mail and daily reminders to keep you focused on Bible memory. (HT: Adam)Sam Rainer has good reflections and summary of a recent Ellison Research study on what sort of churches folks
Media tidbits
Fri, May 16 2008 01:30 PM
| Church Life, Links
| Permalink
Here's a few things I've been listening to/watching lately:First, a video (using audio from R.C. Sproul) to discuss whether "Jesus as the only way to heaven" is too narrow:Here's PCA Pastor Tim Keller speaking at UC Berkeley, addressing the topic of his new book The Reason for God. This is great stuff (if a little long!); keep listening after his talk, because he takes questions for about another hour.
Bits |||amp; Tidbits
Tue, May 13 2008 12:07 PM
| Ministry, Church Life, Culture, Links
| Permalink
What is the most crying need of the church in America today? A handful of key thinkers answer this question thoughtfully and helpfully.I mentioned the various comments and discussion of the Evangelical Manifesto; you can find some of them here: Os Guinness, Doug Wilson, Darrell Bock, Joe Taylor, Denny Burk, Alan Jacobs, Guinness again, Al Mohler, Ed Stetzer, Justin Taylor.A great quote from Spurgeon
Women and outreach
Tue, May 13 2008 08:41 AM
| Faith Life, Evangelism, Church Life
| Permalink
Does this idea about "women and word of mouth" suggest anything to the church about evangelism and outreach? Could this be part of the reason why there are more women attending church today than men? Does it imply that we ought to put more emphasis on women in our outreach efforts?
Thoughts on the Evangelical Manifesto
Mon, May 12 2008 02:34 PM
| Theology, Faith Life, Church Life, Politics, Culture
| Permalink
Last week, a document entitled The Evangelical Manifesto was released by a broad group of Christian leaders (by that, I mean leaders of Christianity in various forms) as an effort to raise helpful questions and offer helpful guidance about how we, as Christians, live out our faith as both citizens of the Kingdom and residents in our American culture. The list of 80 "charter signatories" and authors
Discussing women and deacons
Fri, May 9 2008 09:55 AM
| Theology, Bible, Pastoral Ministry, Ministry, Church Life, PCA Polity, PCA
| Permalink
I mentioned a few weeks ago that Philadelphia Presbytery has submitted an overture to the PCA's General Assembly asking the GA to erect a study committee on Deaconesses. That overture has been echoed by the Western Canada Presbytery, and if I'm able to read this sort of thing at all, the committee will almost certainly be erected.It may be needless to point out that this issue has caused quite a bit
More on suffering
Mon, May 5 2008 11:32 AM
| Theology, Faith Life, Ministry, Church Life, Community
| Permalink
Apropos to the wrap-up of the series on the cross yesterday-- the cross in our suffering, the cross in our glory-- I find this quote from the late James Montgomery Boice, who faithfully pastored 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for over 30 years before succumbing to liver cancer:If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you’d change it, you’d make it worse. It
"It's a gospel issue"
Mon, Apr 28 2008 02:28 PM
| Theology, Bible, Faith Life, Discernment, Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
I was reading this article in Christianity Today about Jim Wallis, who is a leader among a Christians with a progressive political perspective, and I was struck by the fact that Ted Olsen (who interviewed Wallis) asserted that, for some, the issue of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples is, in Olsen's words, "a gospel issue."It's not.Make no mistake: it IS an important issue. And it certainly is
Sermon texts for May 2008
Mon, Apr 28 2008 12:52 PM
| Pentecost, Liturgy, Ministry, Church Life, Easter, Preaching, Ordinary Time
| Permalink
May brings two significant changes in our preaching schedule: first, we will finish the series on the cross on the first Sunday, so after that we will return to Luke and begin the discussion of Jesus' public ministry. Second, we finish out the liturgical season of Easter, which spans the 50 days following the resurrection, and have Pentecost and then the "ordinary days" that follow. (I'll blog more
Leveraging great ideas for missions
Wed, Apr 23 2008 01:33 PM
| Technology, Missions, Evangelism, Ministry, Church Life, Stewardship, Culture
| Permalink
In the big scheme of things, I don't know much about missions. That's something that I'm working on-- but my lack of knowledge doesn't keep me from thinking about it, especially when I see opportunities.One of the big areas that has emerged as a theme in my ever-vigilant watch of technology is the development of new concepts and technologies to supply water and other resources to third-world communities.
What we should REALLY be concerned about...
Tue, Apr 22 2008 08:25 AM
| Discernment, Evangelism, Church Life, Politics, Culture
| Permalink
You've probably gotten an e-mail forwarded to you about it. If not, then maybe you've read what the pundits are saying about it. Or maybe-- just maybe-- you've been unfortunate enough to have an irresponsible church throw it in your face.What am I talking about? The suggestion-- or even the outright claim-- that Barack Obama is a Muslim, or a terrorist, or the Antichrist, just because of his name and
Why "Expelled"?
Mon, Apr 21 2008 01:07 PM
| Faith Life, Discernment, Evangelism, Church Life, Science Technology, Politics, Personal, Culture
| Permalink
I didn't see An Inconvenient Truth. It's not that I don't care about the environment; I'm even impressed with Al Gore's passion and presentation skills (had he honed these a few years earlier, he may have won the electoral vote!). I just don't care too much about sitting through a movie-length propaganda film from a point of view that I don't completely agree with.Likewise, I've never seen any of Michael
Sermon texts for April 2008
As we continue through the series on the cross, we've reached a pivotal point in the series: the first few weeks introduced the prominence of the cross, while the last several weeks have focused on the accomplishments of the cross. Now we reach "the response to the cross" or a study of what life at the foot of the cross looks like. There are five studies remaining-- just enough to complete the season
Re-thinking "poor-ness"
Wed, Apr 16 2008 03:04 PM
| Faith Life, Discernment, Ministry, Church Life, Stewardship, Culture, Community
| Permalink
Two ideas I've recently encountered that might get some discussion going about what it means to be "poor." First, Jeff White of New Song Community Church in New York city recently spoke at a conference called A Conversation on Denominational Renewal in St. Louis (click here to find audio for all of the talks from that conference). All of Jeff's talk was great (as were the rest of them), but one thing
People change
"I hate to meet a man whom I have met ten years ago and find that he is at precisely the same point, neither moderated nor quickened nor experienced but simply stiffened."~Oswald ChambersI recently saw this quote on the blog PastorHacks, and it reminded me of how much some people really do change over the years, while others surprisingly don't. It also reminds me that sometimes, the change is not 100%
Women in church leadership
Fri, Apr 4 2008 02:15 PM
| Theology, Faith Life, Ministry, Church Life, Stewardship, PCA Polity, PCA
| Permalink
One of the more difficult questions facing many churches (and I say "many" because some churches have answered the question for themselves, not because it isn't a question for them) is, what is the role of women in leadership in the church?The PCA has, since its inception, proclaimed a "complementarian" position on women in leadership. The "complementarian" view stands squarely between the egalitarian
Sermon texts for March (updated)
I have been finding such delight in this series on the cross. I hope you have been, as well.As we approach Easter, I am all the more encouraged as I see how the sequence for these sermons, which was determined by an orderly approach to understanding a theology of the cross (not simply by what message seems appropriate for a certain date), nevertheless is so fitting for this season of our year. As you'll
A book table!
Fri, Mar 14 2008 10:02 AM
| Reading, Faith Life, Discernment, Books, Ministry, Church Life, Culture
| Permalink
When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.~~Michel de MontaigneAs you may have picked up, I love to read. More than that, I love books, and what they represent: accessibility to knowledge and understanding of subjects that are unknown or less known than we want them to be.Someone once said, "There
Finding fulfillment
Mon, Mar 3 2008 12:10 PM
| Theology, Faith Life, Discernment, Evangelism, Ministry, Church Life, Love
| Permalink
UPDATE: I reposted this with the video embedded-- some of the feedback I got was that clicked through to another page was causing trouble. (Thanks to Eden Worship Center in Topeka, Indiana for the video montage you see.)Tom Brady might be one of the greatest success stories of our day. (Okay, so he would be more of one if he had completed that perfect season a couple of weeks ago for his FOURTH Super
What Lent isn't (and what it is)
Thu, Feb 28 2008 08:24 PM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year, Lent
| Permalink
A website called "Church Marketing Sucks" posted a brief piece today about how Dutch Catholics have "re-branded" Lent as the Christian version of Ramadan, an Islamic holiday season.Ramadan is, essentially, a season that commemorates the so-called revelation of the Koran (the Islamic holy book), or more precisely, the beginning of that revelation. The name is taken from the Arabic name for the month
Liturgy and colors
Fri, Feb 22 2008 05:11 PM
| Worship, Ministry, Church Life, Liturgical Year
| Permalink
As I mentioned in a previous post, I wear a stole over my Geneva gown for worship. There are lots of stoles, though-- and most of them have a particular meaning. What about the stoles I wear? My stoles follow the traditional colors that correspond to the liturgical seasons. Clothes are inevitably colored; the historic church took advantage of this fact to bring symbolism and reminders into worship
Lent Haiku
Wed, Feb 6 2008 04:34 PM
| Writing, Haiku, Church Life, Personal
| Permalink
News round-up
Mon, Jan 28 2008 03:56 PM
| Faith Life, Discernment, Church Life, Personal, Culture, Community
| Permalink
Well, a lot happened recently, and even today. Here's a quick glimpse at what is going on...Memphis ranks #1 again this week. The Tigers continue their amazing season; will they ever lose? (Hickory Withe insiders say, "no.")Obama gains major ground in the Democratic primary. Whatever your political convictions, you have to admit that Barack Obama's campaign is building a head of steam that (for now,
Ministry, church, statistics, and the U.S. as a mission field
Sat, Jan 26 2008 07:57 PM
| Faith Life, Pastoral Ministry, Evangelism, Ministry, Church Life, Community
| Permalink
I overheard a young first-year seminary student talking with a couple of others in the bookstore a few years ago. He was talking about his sense of call to ministry, and they asked him if he wanted to be a Pastor when he finished. Yes, he did, but he quickly (and haughtily) clarified: "I'll go overseas to do missions, of course. The U.S. is way too full of churches and Pastors."This video is a good
A new series
Fri, Jan 18 2008 12:40 PM
| Faith Life, Pastoral Ministry, Ministry, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
I recently read a book on the nuts and bolts of pastoral ministry by two seasoned Pastors called On Being a Pastor. There were many great lessons from this book (thanks to my friend David Dennis for the book recommendation), and one key take-away was regarding preaching a series.They commended the practice in general-- and affirmed its value to a congregation. But they also recommended that Pastors
Princess Molly
Wed, Jan 16 2008 04:11 PM
| Theology, Bible, Faith Life, Church Life, Personal
| Permalink
Over Christmas, my step-sister Louise played princess with Molly. This was the first time, really, that Molly had played princess to that extent, and all of us were a little bit surprised by how much she took to it! But should we have been? I've been thinking about that, especially since my sister Ann Louise asked me (and others) what we thought about it. I'll try to summarize my thoughts.The Scriptures
Haiku #7 (Christmastide Haiku)
Thu, Jan 3 2008 02:47 PM
| Writing, Haiku, Church Life, Personal
| Permalink
Sermon Texts, January 2008
Wed, Jan 2 2008 09:15 AM
| Worship, Liturgy, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
Here is a list of the sermon texts for January, 2008:1/6-- Luke 2:39-521/13-- Luke 3:1-221/20-- Luke 3:23-381/27-- Luke 4:1-13
Merry Christmastide
Wed, Dec 26 2007 09:34 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Liturgical Year, Christmas
| Permalink
Merry Christmastide!What is Christmastide, perhaps you are wondering? In most protestant churches, we tend to ignore the "seasons" of the church that have historically been set apart as the flow of the calendar for Christians, but in some Christian churches (protestant, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic alike) a liturgical calendar guides how the different seasons of the Christian year are distinguished.
How Christians view marriage, part 1
Wed, Dec 19 2007 09:25 AM
| Faith Life, Family, Church Life, Love
| Permalink
...Protestants traditionally have interpreted marriage as a necessary way to quell the temptations of the flesh or as a natural union that will be dissolved in the afterlife...Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, in "A Mormon President? The LDS Difference" from The Christian Century, August 21, 2007.While I'll admit that this statement is not intended to be comprehensive-- and, in context, emphasizes an important
Kate Snodgrass
Wed, Dec 12 2007 09:23 AM
| Prayer, Church Life, Personal, Community
| Permalink
Marcie has mentioned Kate Snodgrass to many of you; Kate is someone we know from a St. Louis church where we were members. She has been battling cancer for some time now, and she has chronicled her struggles (and the lessons God has taught her through them) on a blog. If you're interested, you may read Kate's blog at this link.
Faith and Anxiety (and other emotional struggles)
Wed, Dec 5 2007 11:10 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life, Personal
| Permalink
Faith and anxiety are not absolutes. That is, if you experience one, you do not eliminate the other. Faith can keep company with many sets of ordinary feelings that can be handled and lived with but never removed. Those who insist on a "pure faith" unstained by human emotionality make the denial of reality a condition of faith. But the encouragement of the Scripture is to "take heart," not take cover.
Haiku #4 (Advent Haiku)
Tue, Dec 4 2007 09:31 AM
| Writing, Haiku, Church Life, Liturgical Year, Advent
| Permalink
Sermon Texts
Tue, Nov 27 2007 12:27 PM
| Worship, Liturgy, Church Life, Preaching
| Permalink
Lou asked me if I would publish a list of my sermon texts for upcoming sermons. I think this is a great idea-- that way, as you are preparing your hearts and minds for worship in the days prior to Sunday, you might read through the text I'll be preaching on.Here is a brief list of what I'll preach through in December:12/2-- Luke 1:39-5612/9-- Luke 1:57-8012/16-- Luke 2:1-712/23-- Luke 2:8-2012/23 (evening)--
A daily confession
Sat, Nov 17 2007 09:41 AM
| Faith Life, Church Life
| Permalink
John the Baptist offers a strong and healthy confession of faith in John chapter 1: when asked who he is, he answers, "I am not the Christ!"We would all do well to adopt John's confession as our daily affirmation of how much we desperately need a Savior. While it is often tempting to believe that we can earn our way to God's favor, we must realize that it is not so. Instead, we might join John in affirming
Loving each other
Mon, Nov 12 2007 09:00 AM
| Church Life, Community, Love
| Permalink
Part of yesterday's Sunday School class on Donald MacNair's The Practices of a Healthy Church included discussion about the spiritual growth of others in our church. Specifically, Dr. MacNair asks, "are many in our church evidencing spiritual growth?"As we talked about that, we realized that we can't answer this question unless we are involved in each other's lives. How can I know if others are growing
A ministry of prayer
Tue, Nov 6 2007 06:17 PM
| Prayer, Pastoral Ministry, Ministry, Church Life
| Permalink
The other day I was with a group of people who were talking about an especially legalistic environment that some of them had been a part of as teenagers-- a place where they were literally told what to believe, and that if they disagreed they would go to Hell. The leaders in this environment were, clearly, abusing their authority and making claims that no one person or group has a right to make.One