It was polite but I could still detect an edge to the question. Even after 15 years I still remember it. He was regular attender and a faithful giver so I really didn’t want to offend him. The question he asked rather bluntly was, “Are we a church or a synagogue?”. I assume he asked…
Consuming Fire
Fire. It’s one of those things that every little boy is mesmerized with. I say that, knowing that even now I could sit and stare into a camp fire for hours and always be amazed at it. There’s something about it – how gracefully it leaps about, how it casts constantly moving shadows about it,…
Risk
“So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.” ( Matthew 14:29). Most of Jesus’ miracles consisted of restoring a body or a mind to normalcy. He restores a “withered hand” (Matt. 12:13). A “withered hand” is not normal. Jesus heals it, that is, restores it to being…
Deep Fellowship
Philippians 2:1-3 – “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, and affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition of conceit, but in humility count others more significant than…
The Sovereignty of God: Part 2
“Expect Great Things From God. Attempt Great Things For God.” This event is supposed to be true. It seems a debate was taking place among older pastors and younger ones. As usual, it was an open discussion that permitted younger pastors to ask questions regarding the traditions of the churches. One young pastor asked this…
The Scars Remain
I remember some years ago having a very meaningful conversation with some people very close to me. The conversation drifted through talks about our individual struggles, and at one point a very interesting question was posed: what does healing look like – whether it is from physical, emotional, or experiential wounds – to the Christian?…
The 3rd Dimension
It was dark out as I walked to my car. There was a vague hint of morning light teasing the eastern horizon, but it was obvious that the darkness still out-shined the light. This is how most of my mornings start as I get in my car to drive to work. This particular morning, though,…
That Time I Slept For A Year
“My heart trembles to write all of this, because all I want you to hear is that Jesus is the One who saves. Nothing and no one else will.” When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare disease in my right hip called Perthes. It caused the blood supply to my…
The Sovereignty of God – Part I
I came to see the “Sovereignty of God” in my late 20’s. Much of my understanding was learned from a man of the previous generation named Arthur Pink. The title of his book that I read was, appropriately enough, “The Sovereignty of God”. I view this concept of sovereignty as “the right to do as…
Called To Love
I can’t over-emphasize the difference that discipleship has made in my life. Growing up and as a young adult I had a very cold and insensitive manner towards most people. “I just don’t like people,” I would say. I thought that if I believed something to be true about someone, then it was fine to go…
The Gospel: The What and Why
Impossible salvation made possible. What is the gospel? Impossible salvation made possible. As sinners from the womb, we have sinned continually in thought, word and deed, against the Holy God of the universe. A debt has been created. (Oh, you’re a good person? Never sinned? Comb through the Ten Commandments. Be really honest with yourself….
My Philosophy of Worship
“Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.” – Psalm 33:3 (NASB) I began to sense God calling me to the ministry when I was a freshman in high school, and from that moment on, I have spent my life attempting to hone and polish my philosophy of worship. I…
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