“Whatever happens to us…”

“Whatever happens to us, let us always assure ourselves that we have good cause to praise our God, and that even if we are poor and miserable in this world, the happiness of heaven is enough to appease us, to sweeten all our afflictions and sorrows, and to give us such content that we may […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently): “I’ll See You in Court” (Jesse Johnson, The Cripplegate) — a helpful explanation of 1 Corinthians 6 and its application in lawsuits and insurance dilemmas. “Unmarried Sex Is Worse Than You Think” (TGC, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra and Collin Hansen ) “The Conversation About Sex You […]

It’s been a year

“It’s been a year…” How often did you hear that lament last year? And how much more often have you heard it this year? It’s not only been a remarkably unusual year — it’s been a remarkably unusual pair of years — politically, medically, socially, religiously, and for many of us — personally. But when […]

Sermon: In Praise of God

In Praise of God Romans 11:33-36 July 26, 2020 John Wesley Powell was a government explorer who led a boat expedition through the Grand Canyon in 1869. He wrote a description of his impressions of that trip entitled, “The Most Sublime Spectacle on Earth” in his book, Canyons of the Colorado (1895): The Grand Canyon […]

Some principles for regathering Christ’s church for worship

Here is the news for which our church has been waiting: we are planning to regather for corporate worship on Sunday, June 14 at 11:00 a.m., Lord willing. We have been thinking about, desiring, and planning for regathering for corporate worship for three months (since about 30 seconds after we made the decision to stop […]

One act of preparation for your live stream worship

This morning our scattered church will gather together by live stream. It is a means of God’s grace that we might do that through technology. We thank Him for this kindness in this unusual and remarkable season. Here is one thought as you prepare for worship. You are likely in your home. Perhaps you are […]

Sermon: One of Jesus’ Great Desires

One of Jesus’ Great Desires Luke 22:14-20 January 26, 2020 A number of years ago, someone wrote a book entitled, Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. I never read the book, but I think the basic premise was that there is much of life that is really pretty simple — so simple […]

The Lord, Our Help — for 40 years (and counting)

Much of life is ordinary and routine. Get up in the morning, get a cup of coffee, get the kids ready for school, go to work, come home, pay bills or mow the lawn, go to bed. Get up. Repeat. But periodically, circumstances change unexpectedly, and unusually joyful events are interjected into our lives. Babies […]

Worship God

When a high school student considers her options for college, her fundamental question is, “which school will be best for me so that I can achieve my goals?” When a job applicant interviews with a prospective employer, he will ask about the compensation package — “what benefits will I receive for giving you 40-50 hours […]

GBC will begin live streaming Sunday

This Sunday GBC will begin live streaming the morning worship service, and all teaching events hosted in the church sanctuary (including BCDC this fall). You may access the worship service here, or click the link “Live Stream” on the left-hand menu on the GBC main page. On that page, you will also find a link […]

Let’s just praise the Lord

In the early 1970s there was a popular chorus with the following lyrics: Let’s just praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let’s just lift our hands to heaven And praise the Lord Let’s just praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let’s just lift our hands to heaven And praise the Lord Now put us in […]

Sermon: The ABCs of Praising God

“The ABCs of Praising God” Psalm 145 April 26, 2015 One morning this week I was about to leave home for my office and I was thinking through my day and remembered that I had scheduled a meeting for later that afternoon and had forgotten to tell someone else whom I’d asked to be there […]

Preparing for communion

In tomorrow morning’s worship service we will remember the death and resurrection of Christ through communion. Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers (1 Cor. 11:23-34) to examine themselves before taking the elements so that they do not take them in an unworthy manner and in so doing, invite the judgment of God on themselves. So self-examination […]

Communion and the work of Christ’s blood

This morning we will remember the death of Christ through communion. There can be a ritualistic sameness to this ordinance — a small piece of cracker eaten and a small cup of juice drunk in a brief conclusion to a morning worship service. The same words recited from 1 Corinthians 11 and the same kinds […]

Believing in Jesus means…

John Piper, “Preaching as Worship:” Believing in Jesus means coming to Him for the quenching of our souls’ thirst. Faith in Jesus is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. When we experience that, we magnify the preciousness and worth of God, because God is most glorified in us when we […]