"I have chosen you out of the world."-- John 15:19

Here is distinguishing grace and discriminating regard; for some are made the special objects of divine affection. Do not be afraid to dwell upon this high doctrine of election. When your mind is most heavy and depressed, you will find it to be a...

I am always enamored when I read the last words of missionaries, whether they are self-written or known through a final conversation; often, they leave me in tears. When it comes to the missionary task, many missionaries (and potential missionaries) at some point ask the question: Will my...

“Amongst all other chances lamentable, there hath been none a great time which seemed unto me more grievous, than the lamentable death and cruel handling of John Frith.” – John Foxe, Book of Martyrs (aka, Acts and Monuments, 1570)^[1]

Confined in London’s...

This was not going to be a typical members’ meeting at our church. I knew this. Brian and Frank—the pastors I’d served with since the church was planted two years before—knew this as well. But only a few people in our young congregation were aware of the announcement I was...

"Yes, by all means, let us maintain, undergird, and strengthen our precious Baptist distinctives … but let us do this not so that people will say how great the Baptists are but rather what a great Savior the Baptists have, what a great God they serve." — Timothy George

Whereas Baptists...

A Plethora of Prosperity

Do you remember that song in 2009 by Toby Keith called I Wanna Talk About Me? The song title gives away the lyrics, "I wanna talk about me, I wanna talk my, I wanna talk about number 1 oh my me my..." and on and one it goes. Though this song is thrown into the context...

We have all known seasons of exile, in one form or another.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself stuck in a geographical location, and every circumstance — no matter how hard you’ve tried to escape — seemed to hold you there. Maybe you’ve seen all your hopes, dreams, and...

Adam had complete access to God; to the Mystery of the cosmos, the Wonder of all creation. Imagine the conversations:

"Abba, why did you make watermelon?"

"For your joy."

"But I already have grapes and apples and blueberries and bananas. Why is the world so delicious?"

"My goodness can’t be...

I died once while planting a church. Yes, I mean literally and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It is not every day God lets you really contemplate what your church would look like without you.

How to Kill a Church Planter in 6 Weeks

We were six weeks into our core building...

The Beauty of Age Diversity in the Church

"The greatest lesson I’m learning is that I’m less tempted to be caught in the selfish web of comparison when I have the wisdom of all ages around me- those both older and younger." - Annie Lavi

When The Downcast Can't Reach Our Hymns

Keith Getty...

I used to keep a box of Kleenex in my office so people had something to stop their tears.

I’m a pastor, so that means people tell me stuff. Once people feel safe enough, they open up about the pain, sin, wounds, and mess in their lives… and the tears come. I used to think the loving...

"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"-- Luke 24:38

"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but...

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130)

The Bible often gets a bad rap. Being an ancient book there are cultural, historical, and theological hurdles to mount when we decide to study it. But, we should not take this to mean that...

When my children were much younger, at any occasion where the subject of parenting teenagers came up in conversation, I paid close attention. I also felt my heart seized by panic at the thought that one day my dear little boys would grow into tall, hairy-legged teenagers who, I assumed, would...

Though the Scripture may be shown to be trustworthy by many historical and logical proofs, it is essentially received as true because of the revelation of God’s glory experienced through it.

Just as nature reveals God (Rom 1:19-21), and some receive or reject his glory, so man receives or...

I only have vague memories of the “worship wars,” those days in the particular stream of evangelicalism that I stream in when there was intense and bitter disagreement regarding worship in the church. But from what I remember, and from what I’ve since learned, many of those...

In the world of ministry and ministers, and also Christians in general, there can be a love/hate relationship with theology.

On the one hand, we love theology because it gives us an ordered, systematic, and storied picture of the sixty-six books of the Bible. We might say that theology packages...

“…you will perhaps find it a heavier trial than you are aware of…”

That heavy trial, to which Newton is referring to, is the trial of having your preaching of the gospel met with opposition. I’ve found the words of Mike Tyson to be true of pastoral ministry....

Studying the history of the church and of Christian theology can enrich your understanding of Scripture. This has been one of the most exciting aspects, for me, of studying church history and historical theology. Because I am only a finite human, rooted in a particular place and culture and in...

Even though my name is not Joe, I am a pretty average guy.

I grew up in the capital of Kansas. My dad worked for the railroad for 42 years and my mom is going on her 43rd year of teaching kindergarten. My two older brothers pastor churches in Kansas and Kentucky. I went to a small Bible college. I...

In the Christian life, balance can be difficult to achieve. Whether it’s reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, conceptualizing the divine and human natures of Christ, or trusting God without slipping into personal complacency, the one who finds balance finds a...

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them,...

A number of years ago I was teaching a  study of Genesis in my church when one of the discussion group leaders, an older godly woman, came and sat down by me. “How come I’ve never been taught this before?” she said with tears in her eyes. She was beginning to recognize that,...

The Healthiest Order Of Our Loves

The love of Jesus helps us to arrange all our other loves. Scott Sauls writes that Jesus is the highest of our loves, and all other treasures fade away in light of his beauty.

What Does Your Liturgy Celebrate?

Josh Hedger writes that far too many of our worship...

"And be not conformed to this world."-- Romans 12:2

If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the darkness of a...