My meeting with Jay Adams

Two days ago Jay Adams departed this earth and went Home. Many have started writing their personal recollections of him. I did not know him personally and was not his friend, but I met him on two occasions — the first of which had a significant impact on my life. To the best of my […]

Have holy conversations

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is from The Great Gain of Godliness. Christians, when they meet together, should use holy conference.…Have not you matter enough in the Word to furnish you with something to say? Let me suggest a few things to […]

Sermon: The Weightiness of Sin, Pt. 3

“The Weightiness of Sin” Pt. 3 Romans 3:13-14 August 7, 2016 A blog that I occasionally read recently published, “50+ Old Fashioned Insults We Should Bring Back.” In the author’s estimation, we have lost the ability to insult others in “clever, nuanced, descriptive, and… amusing” ways. So he made an appeal to reincorporate some older […]

The tongue is a fire

Paul, 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 […]

The Word of life

I’ve been sick on a pretty regular basis — I’ve gotten a hold of the same “bug” too many times. I have been known to have a good case of the “not-so-holy grumbles.” Have you ever had them? At the time, it seems to feel good to grumble about: hot (or cold, depending on where […]

An encouraging word

“…that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.” (Rom. 15:32; NASB) As a boy, Larry Crabb stuttered. Now a speaker, writer, and counselor, Dr. Crabb recalls an incident in the church he attended as a young man. Young men in that church were […]

Tongue control

A seminary classmate of mine told of a teenage adventure he had with a buddy one summer afternoon. They were prowling through the attic when they came upon a box filled with the leftovers of his father’s military career. Towards the bottom of the box, they found two hand grenades — pins still in place […]

A picture of gossip…

Actually, it’s a picture of the results of gossip, in simple form: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Eph 4:29) Via: DOGHOUSE | Just Don’t […]

A gold apple

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Prov. 25:11; NASB) It was supposed to be a simple fencing project. Buy a few panels, take the old ones down, put the new ones up. Real easy. And real unrealistic. It evolved into one of my typical projects, one […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/8/10)

A couple decades ago, Yogi Berra had opportunity to attend a White House dinner. After the event he was asked about the experience, and he replied: “It was hard to have a conversation, there were so many people talking.” Indeed. Yet he was right — for where there is an abundance of words, there is […]

Today’s Quote – Humility (Ignatius)

Ignatius: Allow (the pagans) to learn a lesson at least from your works. Be meek when they break out in anger, be humble against their arrogant words, set your prayers against their blasphemies; do not try to copy them in requital. Let us show ourselves their brethren by our forbearance and let us be zealous […]

20 resolutions on taming the tongue

At the recent Desiring God National Conference, Sinclair Ferguson offered these resolutions to controlling the tongue, based on the book of James. For all of us who speak, these are good words to hear before we speak: I resolve to ask God for wisdom to speak out of a single-minded devotion to him. (1:5) I […]

The (destructive) power of words

When I was in college, I taught a couple of classes at the school that met at my church. Frequently when one of the children was being disciplined for words that were unkind, profane, or angry, the principal would have the offending student transcribe James 3 a particular number of times. The greater the offense, […]