I’ll never forget meeting Mark Anderson. Our common ground went beyond our faith in Christ: we both had ice running through our veins. Hockey ice, that is.

Being that I’m a Canadian-bred, hockey-loving pastor in Southern California, it’s not every day that I meet...

Today, we commonly hear that the body does not determine our identity. Biology is not destiny, our gender pedagogues tell us. Instead, we are encouraged by our secular culture to conceive of our identity as based on our inmost impulses, desires, and feelings. If we feel like a woman trapped in a...

People are watching. They peer into our windows and look for our behavioral patterns and rhythms. They take note of our reactions to political movements. And dare I say, they see fear and anger more than love. They watch for us to react to sexual allegations and argue on social media about the...

Author Zack Eswine says, “We cannot expect to change what Jesus has left unfixed for the moment.” He calls these unchangeable realities “inconsolable things” - the sins and miseries that will not be eradicated until heaven comes home, the things that only Jesus,...

I have developed a new morning routine. Every morning, while I’m still waking up, I have found myself reaching for my phone and immediately opening up the “Moments” section of Twitter to see what has been happening in the world. I’m not proud of that routine. Nor do I think...

One fear we must put aside in our quest for greater gospel-centrality is that it will not preach week to week. The enemy and our own flesh will test our commitment with the “plausible argument” (Col. 2:4) that the gospel will just sound so one-note. We are tempted to think the...

How Would You Counsel Someone Interested in Assisted Suicide?

Matthew Arbo answers this question through a Biblical ethic. He explains that our lives belong to God, and this must be the framework that we work from when counseling people in our churches through this decision.

5 Ways to get the...

I’ve always loved studying; my first foray into biblical studies came when my mom bought me an introduction to the Old Testament when I was thirteen. I devoured the book and started reading any commentary I could get my hands on. At the same time, I’ve often struggled with having a...

"My grace is sufficient for thee."-- 2 Corinthians 12:9

If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the Lord;" when we see the...

How often do we experience disputes where someone has to step in to dissolve a situation? An everyday example for many of us may be when children fight over a toy and we step in to remedy the situation. To step in to dissolve or remedy a situation is to act as a mediator. Christ fulfills the role...

Right now I am meeting with six men in an intentional discipleship format. The goals and efforts in each of these relationships are different, depending on the person.

One young man is considering seminary, so we are reading and discussing our way through a systematic theology. With a husband and...

Somewhere near the top of the list of questions that send most conversations amongst Christians into a tailspin is this one: “So, how’s your prayer life?”

I’ve heard it asked in counseling settings when all the issues have been brought out onto the table.“He did this,...

Every person has a past. I do. You do. Everyone does. By past, I mean things we have done at a previous point in our lives that cause regret and embarrassment, if not outright shame. It is that laundry list of attitudes, actions, and events you aren’t proud of. 

How do you view your past?...

1 Timothy 3:1 "The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task."

God has used few men more in my life than "The Doctor," Martyn Lloyd-Jones. If you're not familiar with MLJ let me encourage you to familiarize yourself with him. He was a pastor who...

A quick reading of the New Testament reveals that the man known as the Apostle Paul was an influential figure and a powerful communicator. While not always adhering to the rhetorical techniques of his day, often to the detriment of his own reputation, Paul clung to that belief that he was called by...

In my favorite art museum, there is one painting that assaulted my eyes when I saw it. It is not graphic or ugly - it is a large, black painting. I expected the modern wing of the museum to have a few pieces I shrugged past. But this “painting” was just the color black. That’s...

I am tired. Over the past year, I have found myself being stretched thin and out of energy. I tend to overwork myself and overload myself with productive tasks. However, I also find myself running on more energy than I have on my own. The last few months have awakened my need for hiding and...

I take notice when something isn’t properly maintained. It’s a blessing and a curse. While driving down the road, it’s common for me to make comments about grass. “Man, that grass is long. They should get out there and mow. Someone should have mowed last week!” My wife...

One of our perennial problems is that we mistake the behavioral tidiness and normalcy of our everyday routines for spiritual tidiness and normalcy. But this is a trap all too common in modern life. We have compartmentalized our spirituality.

What I mean is, too many of us have begun thinking of our...

I have learned much about preaching by reading Charles Spurgeon. Whether it is reading what he says about preaching or watching his example of preaching by reading his sermons, it is evident that his nickname, the "Prince of Preachers" is fitting.

I was struck again by his example as I recently read...

The Gift of Gethsemane for Those Who Struggle with a Painful Call

Eliza Thomas shares about a time when her son's life was in danger, and what that taught her about Jesus' suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

It's Not Conversion Therapy; It's Just Conversion

Denny Burk writes on Jackie-Hill Perry's...

"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa."-- Jonah 1:3

Instead of going to Nineveh to preach the Word, as God bade him, Jonah disliked the work, and went down to Joppa to escape from it. There are occasions when God's servants shrink from duty....

I enjoy following along on social media as different pastors and church groups travel to various countries for ministry. Pictures, updates, videos—never have we had such colorful, immediate knowledge about the efforts of other believers. I especially like to look at the faces of the people...

We’re rounding off the first year of Trump in the White House. A bitter divide has unquestionably developed and many Christians have found themselves in middle of the mayhem. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single pastor who hasn’t been influenced, pressured, or scolded on both...

Our souls can starve, just like our bodies. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Our souls require regular meals from the Scriptures. And notice the word “every” in Matthew 4:4. We need all ...