When I was a young Christian, the people who discipled me pointed out the importance of Scripture memory. I have been forever grateful to them, as God’s word hidden in my heart ministered to me time and time again. Every Christian needs to know the blessing of a heart and mind filled with God’s word. When you consider how big the Bible is, knowing where to start can be difficult. With that in mind, I compiled this list that I... Read more
When I was younger, if you wanted to know what the latest news was, you read the newspaper in the morning or watched the national news at 5:30 and the local news at 6:00 and 10:00. Then CNN and Headline News showed up and you could get a feel for what was going on every 30 minutes. Even then though, you had to seek the news. You opened the paper or turned the channel to the news. We live in... Read more
Parenting has been different than I imagined it would be as we prepared to welcome our first daughter into the world over fifteen years ago. For one thing, having grown up with nothing but brothers, I never imagined having three daughters and one son. Like every brash young man without children, I knew exactly how I would parent my children and exactly what I would in every situation. It did not take long before I realized that almost everything I... Read more
For the past several years, I’ve been reading through Wendell Berry’s Port William novels. Berry, who is a writer and farmer from Kentucky, uses the stories of life in the fictional town of Port William from 1888 through 2008 to show the importance of responsible farming, avoiding debt, and connection to people and a place. Currently comprising eight novels and forty-four short stories, the Port William novels reflect a deep understanding of human nature, relationships, and how we are shaped... Read more
In an honest moment at lunch after church one Sunday I slammed my hand down on the table and said what I had been thinking for the previous half hour. “My sermon stunk today.” I didn’t say it to fish for compliments; I meant it. I had just preached the Washington Generals of sermons.I doubt that I am the only pastor who has felt this way. It is not just pastors who think may think that the Sunday sermon was... Read more
“How to Master the Art of Disagreement- In the Church and on Social Media” We are going to disagree with people. This is going to happen. Therefore, we need to know how to disagree agreeably. In this post at The Gospel Coalition, Bobby Jamieson provides us with questions we need to ask ourselves when we enter into a disagreement over ideas. “So, what can you disagree about and still remain members of the same church? The more items you are... Read more
Some sins feel like they stick around for decades. This is especially true for those who deal with a quick temper and outbursts of anger. You see one or both parents struggle with it, you struggle with it, and it seems like a family trait you just have to endure for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, the progress seems so slow in fighting it that you face the temptation to give up and say it’s just the way you... Read more
Every Christian knows the feeling. You know you need to pray, but the words don’t come to you. Then you finally begin grunting out a few words, but God feels distant and you suspect your prayers stopped at the ceiling. Then you feel guilty because you struggle to pray and it quenches your prayers even further leading to a vicious cycle of guilt, shame, and confusion. We don’t have to be stuck in this position. Here are four basic truths... Read more
“Preacher, watch your tone in the pulpit.” I learned a lot from Dr. Hershael York when I took preaching from him at SBTS almost two decades ago and continue learning from him as he talks and writes about preaching. In this post, he encourages pastors to think about the tone of voice we use in the pulpit. This reminder is needed for us all. “The orality of preaching makes it a more powerful medium than writing. Words on a page... Read more
Many Christians throughout the centuries have dealt with a lack of assurance. They think they have trusted in Jesus, but they deal with lingering doubt. This inevitably leads to insecurity during trials, difficulty in prayer, and a lack of confidence in sharing the Gospel. Can we truly know that we are Christians? The Bible’s answer is an unwavering “Yes!” In the first letter that bears his name, the Apostle John wrote to a church in order to help them know... Read more
One Degree to Another
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