Death is ugly

I read this statement in a magazine article today, and it echoes some of what I often say at funerals. In fact, the last sentence is virtually identical to what I have said many times: Death is ugly, and we cannot — indeed, should not — try to make it palatable or explain it away […]

Grab Bag

Learn to “Read better with [puritan Richard] Baxter” Pastor Tim Keller tells us how to “How to Love One Another: Affirm, Share, and Serve” The Trellis and the Vine — one of my new favorite books on how to minister and serve in the church body — is now in paperback, and on sale for […]

Book Review: The Last Lecture

Title: The Last Lecture Author: Randy Pausch Publisher: Hyperion, 2008; 206 pp. $21.95 (paperback and digital versions also available) Recommendation (4-star scale): Imagine you are leaving your job for a new one in another state. You have been with this organization for many years and have mentored many diverse people in the process. What do […]

Another violent tragedy

I didn’t have my radio on most of the day yesterday, so I heard no news during the day. On my drive home I was listening to a sermon, so I likewise missed the news. So when I got home one of the girls said something about Fort Hood, and I was confused about what […]

By what kind of death will you honor Christ?

We not only forget death, but the fact that we are mortals, as if no word concerning this has ever reached us, and we continue our foolish dream that we are to live forever. If any man in the meantime reminds us of the proverb that man is only a creature of a day, we […]

Grab Bag

I few ideas and items that have passed through my mind in the past few days: I have been listening to the audio from the recent Resolved Conference. While the conference is designed for college students, the messages are appropriate for everyone. This year’s conference addressed the topic of sin, and the messages are particularly […]

What if the swine flu becomes pandemic?

What if the swine flu becomes bad? Really bad? Of pandemic proportions? How will the Christian respond? As Al Mohler notes this morning in “Love in Time of Swine Flu,” such an epidemic will create unique opportunities. [Aside: neither he nor I are predicting such an impact from this flu is imminent, only that it […]

When life is bitter….

…trust promises, not providences. This week I’ve had multiple conversations with people who have family or friends who are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. And the shadow is dark and foreboding, filled with more questions and uncertainties than just the matter of death. One writer says that when the bitter experiences […]

Sunday Leftovers (12/2/07)

I had been pastoring for just a couple months when the funeral home called and asked me if I was available to do a funeral for a woman who had died and didn’t have a church home. I agreed to do it, met with the family, planned the service with them, and at the appropriate […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/26/07)

“If we understood Hell even the slightest bit, none of us would ever say, ‘Go to Hell.’ It’s far too easy to go to Hell. It requires no change of course, no navigational adjustments. We were born with our autopilot set toward Hell. It is nothing to take lightly — Hell is the single greatest […]

A few more thoughts on the tragedy at Virginia Tech

This week we have learned the importance and reality of Rom 12:15 — Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. You could not read the headlines, watch the news or hear the reports of what happened at Virginia Tech and not be moved to compassion. Amidst all the “analysis,” however, there […]

What to say about Virginia Tech

The events today at Virginia Tech are tragic. Several years ago, after the shootings at Columbine, John Piper compiled 21 ways to love and comfort the hurting. He later revised the list after the 9-11 tragedy. His words are just as appropriate for today. A condensed version of his essay may be found here.

More dying and living

What does a man think and write as he faces imminent death? Read the words of grace penned by Al Groves prior to his death, as he anticipated that death. The letter was read at his memorial service.

Thoughts on Dying and Living

Generally we say, “living and dying.” Life comes first, then death. Yet for the believer, the order is reversed. There is death, and then there is life eternal in all its fullness. I thought of that as I read the blog accounts of the passing of J. Alan Groves. I was unaware of the life […]