The second day of the 2015 Shepherds’ Conference just ended. Many highlights today, including Fernando Ortega leading music this morning, and excellent messages particularly from Steve Lawson, Ian Hamilton, and Mark Dever (who preached on Psalm 119, and read the entire Psalm as part of his message). The single, best sentence that was beneficial for […]
Read More Inerrancy Summit, Day TwoYesterday was the first day of the 2015 Shepherds’ Conference, which this year is also being called The Inerrancy Summit. The structure of the week is much different than other Shepherds’ Conferences: the conference is four days rather than three, there are only two breakout sessions and 18 general sessions (generally there are six and […]
Read More Inerrancy Summit, Day OneI confess I find confession hard. Don’t we all? There is nothing easy about admitting one is wrong. And compounding the difficulty of confession is the further requirement to ask for forgiveness from the one to whom we are confessing. And when we confess to the Lord, it additionally requires a desire to change — […]
Read More I confessI Will Confess Psalm 32 February 22, 2015 At least according to some researchers, a famous line from the 1970 film, “Love Story” really is true. In the movie, the character played by Ali MacGraw tells the character played by Ryan O’Neal, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” As a side note, it […]
Read More Sermon: I Will ConfessJoy Comes in the Morning: Giving Thanks After Discipline Psalm 30 February 15, 2015 Hebrews 12 contains the most well-known passage related to God’s spiritual discipline of His children (vv. 5-11). Did you notice all the things that the writer of Hebrews says about God and discipline in that passage? God will reprove His people […]
Read More Sermon: Joy Comes in the MorningWednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount, Preface: “The Saint’s Spiritual Delight.” To attain [a] blessed delight in the law of God, three things are required: 1. Set a high estimate upon the Word. What the […]
Read More Delight in ScriptureOne Thing to Ask God Psalm 27 February 8, 2015 In A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes the birth of a giraffe: The first thing to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn calf is hurled forth, falls ten feet, and lands on its […]
Read More Sermon: One Thing to Ask GodPaul, a friend in seminary, once told of a remarkable junior high adventure. It seems that one summer afternoon he and a friend went prowling through the attic in Paul’s house. There they found a trunk with a few mementos from his father’s career in the military — helmets, hats, uniforms, papers, hand grenades.…Yes, hand […]
Read More The tongue is a fireLife with God Psalm 15 February 1, 2015 History remembers Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan as a dashing Irishman who tickled America’s funny bone in the late 1930s, during the dark days of the Depression. He became a national folk hero, creating a household phrase still bestowed on those who do things the “wrong way.” Corrigan […]
Read More Sermon: Life with GodTomorrow morning at GBC we will begin a new sermon series that I’ve entitled, “Songs for the Heart” — a brief (2-month) series on a variety of Psalms. When individuals are discouraged, weary, perplexed, or sad and grieving, they often turn to the Psalms to have their hope, encouragement, and confidence in God restored. And […]
Read More New sermon seriesThe Message of the Cross: Grace John 1:14-17 January 25, 2015 The story (I assume it’s apocryphal, but who knows…) is told about a woman who went to a photographer to get a portrait done. She was anticipating the day when he would call her back to see the result of his work on her […]
Read More Sermon: The Message of the Cross – GraceSin is not liberating. People will say it is liberating. Advertisers will attempt to convince you it is liberating. Those who engage in habitual sin will assert that Christians who follow the way of Christ are in bondage and enslavement. Sinners will smile, laugh, and appear joyful when engaging in sinful behavior, asserting that they […]
Read More Sin is not liberatingWhat Will You Do with God’s Word? Psalm 119:41-48 January 11, 2015 In one of our early years of marriage, Raye Jeanne was trying to be creative with her cooking and trying to come up with some healthier options that tasted similar to some of our favorite meals. And so one night she put a […]
Read More Sermon: What Will You Do with God’s Word?In 1960, Dr. Stanley Garn, working for the Fels Research Institute, whose objective was to study the physical growth and maturation of children, made this not-so-stunning conclusion: “[Milk shakes], fat-meat hamburgers, bacon and mayonnaise sandwiches may be good for the undertaker and bad for the populace.” In other words, there are some things that, while […]
Read More But it tastes goodThe Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: A Short History of Jesus 1 Timothy 1:15-17 December 14, 2014 If you didn’t know better, it would be pretty easy to be confused about what Christmas is about. When you listen to Christmas music you might think that the heroes of Christmas are: Frosty the snowman Rudolph […]
Read More Sermon: The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown
Words of Grace 