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 […]

When in doubt…

I was probably about 10 years old. I’d gone to the store with my folks, and I wandered off to find something of interest to me. Following my norm at that time, I found the baseball cards and books. Not only did they have baseball cards, but they had a clear-pack strip that contained the […]

Sunday Leftovers — Me and the Government

For two weeks, we’ve been thinking on Sunday morning about the relationship between the believer and the government from Titus 3:1. The primary principles and their implications in this passage could be summarized this way: Our responsibility before the Lord is not to change the government but to submit to it (v. 1). We are […]

God has spoken

Reflecting on Psalm 108:7, Charles Spurgeon wrote the following: THERE is an old promise, concerning God’s people, which says, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” This text is one of the instances in which the Lord has dealt with his saints upon the lines of that […]

Bonhoeffer Kindle book on sale

Eric Metaxas’ Kindle ebook, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, is on sale for one day only (August 24) for $1.99 at Amazon. This is a terrific deal on a well-researched biography (reg. $19.99 on Kindle).

When we’re unhappy with the government

Several years ago I had a conversation with another believer after a Sunday worship service about a believer’s relationship to the government. We differed on when it was appropriate to disobey the government. He was refusing to pay taxes. I wrote a follow-up letter, which I reproduce below (with some modifications) as a reflection on […]

How to pray for your pastor

Have you ever wondered about how to pray for your pastor? Have you pondered, “What are the needs he has and what would be most beneficial for me to pray for him?” The apostle Paul’s requests for the prayers of the churches for him are fitting places to start (see Eph. 6:19-20; Col. 4:3-4 as […]

Thinking with sound judgment

A few years ago Money magazine reported that, “When researchers at Duke, Harvard, and Northwestern asked investors how their mutual funds performed last year compared with Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, a third claimed their funds outperformed the market by at least 5 percent. One in six said their funds fared better by more than […]

All things are from Him…

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36; NASB) A few years ago, popular author John Gray (Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus) released a new book: How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have. His thesis? […]

Discipleship Conference

This fall, our church will again be hosting our Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference. This conference will be held over three weekends in the months of September (21-22), October (12-13), and November (9-10). This conference fulfills the basic training requirement for becoming a certified counselor through NANC (currently, we are still the only training center […]

Does God disappoint?

Is God disappointing? Does God disappoint people? Many (most?) would answer those questions, “yes.” In fact, many (Christian) books have been written on the topic, either affirming that supposition directly, or seeming to suggest it is acceptable to express disappointment with and be disappointed in God. In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey quotes […]

The riches of God’s mercy

Is God unfair to condemn sinners to hell? Many people — even many members of many church denominations — will say, “Yes, that is unjust of God. How could God be less kind than me?…” Yet Paul answers very differently. In Romans 9, interacting with the question of theodicy — God’s righteousness is judging the […]

Preparing for worship

Writer Don Hustad wrote a number of years ago about a circus parade that was moving through the streets of Milan, Italy. Suddenly one of the elephants veered from the line and marched into a church. [In Milan, church doors are large, and in the summer are often left wide open.] This visitor wandered up […]

Shepherds’ Conference registration now open

Registration for the 2013 Shepherds’ Conference is now open. And for a limited time, you can register for $275 — a $25 savings from the full price. Among the keynote speakers this year are John MacArthur, Al Mohler, Steve Lawson, R. C. Sproul, Tom Pennington, and Phil Johnson. Register here.

I heard the earth talk

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:22-23; NASB) I heard […]