Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly making my way through Nancy Guthrie’s O Love That Will Not Let Me Go: Facing Death with Courageous Confidence in God. I’ve been encouraged by the biblical thinking of godly men about death. This morning I read this from John Eaves, a believer who was diagnosed […]
Read More Thinking about…deathThis fall, our church is again hosting the Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference. This conference fulfills the requirements for the basic training track for those interested in being certified as biblical counselors through NANC (currently, we are still the only church in the state of Texas certified by NANC to provide this training). And for […]
Read More Biblical Counseling and Discipleship ConferenceSomeone recently asked me for some sources of sermons that I liked to listen to on my iPod. Here is the answer I gave him: You are right, I listen to many sermons on my iPod. I would probably start with one of the following pastors (I often like to mix them up, just for […]
Read More MP3 sermon audioYesterday, Ken Currie wrote this over at Desiring God: Evangelism is counter-cultural. It’s true everywhere on the planet, but perhaps it’s especially so in our increasingly post-Christian Western society. We live in a polite culture, for the most part. Talk about religion? You just don’t go there. Talk about how many tornadoes have come through, […]
Read More Evangelistic attitudesWhat makes you thankful? Our lists usually include things like family, a trouble-free day, an extra (unexpected) blessing or two, and our salvation. Since we are to be thankful for all things, those obviously are fine objects for our gratitude. But I have often been impressed by the things that stimulated Paul’s gratitude. And I […]
Read More What makes you thankful?Phil Johnson — the right-hand man of John MacArthur, the executive director of Grace to You, and a voice of sanity and reason and theological stability in the Christian blogosphere — retired from blogging yesterday. A sad day for the blogosphere, but a wise choice for him: So: (gladly, with no reluctance whatsoever) I’m officially […]
Read More Phil Johnson exits the blogosphereWhen greeting people in the foyer after a sermon, it’s not unusual for a preacher to wonder, “Just what did they hear today?” when someone says, “I liked it when you said…” and they proceed to tell the preacher something he said that he is quite sure he did not say. That curious wondering might […]
Read More Do good Christians make bad citizens?When our children were young and curious about conversation between me and my wife, I would sometimes begin to venture into a topic that might be inappropriate for the girls, and Raye Jeanne would look at me and say, “Little pitchers have big ears…” It was her way of saying, “Be careful what you say […]
Read More They’re listening…We don’t (generally) like conflict. Typically, conflict is painful. We’ve been hurt by conflict. And we’ve hurt others in conflict. So it’s hard to affirm a statement like, “there are benefits to conflict.” Yet, when conflict is handled well, there are benefits to it. And Acts 15 demonstrates some of those benefits. This chapter recounts […]
Read More The benefits of conflictSome helpful articles from around the Internet. This week’s articles focus mainly on the topics of technology and counseling: Timothy Raymond has a list of “20 Things Pastors Hear in Counseling.” How many of these are you equipped to help people address biblically? John Piper reminds us why the Psalms are so significant in counseling […]
Read More Grab bagB. B. Warfield: Ideally all of Christ’s children were saved before the foundation of the world, when they were set upon by God’s love, and given by the Father to the Son to be saved by Him. Objectively they were saved when Christ died for them on the tree, purchasing them to Himself by His […]
Read More The process of salvationIt has often been said, “don’t be so heavenly-minded you’re no earthly good.” That is, don’t think so much about heaven that you will be of no benefit on earth to those around you. In truth, most of us are so earthly-minded that we’re no heavenly good. We have put so much attention on the […]
Read More Whom have I in heaven?It’s been called “the Me Monster” — the insatiable desire to exalt oneself and boast in one’s accomplishments. A toddler will say, “Watch me, Mommy.” A mom might say, “I just got my child’s report card today…” A businessman will say, “I just closed the deal I’ve been working on for six months…” A pastor […]
Read More Bragging rightsRead Isaiah 6:1-5 or Revelation 4-5. Then read this new hymn by Jeremy Walker, “A Mighty Host of Angels Stands:” A mighty host of angels stands Around Christ’s throne in heaven; Their sinless tongues extol his worth, All praise to him is given; With awe recount his mighty works, His face behold with wonder, Lift […]
Read More Around God’s throneFrom R. C. Sproul, The Mystery of the Holy Spirit [pp. 165-7.]: Here [in Galatians 5:22-25] the Apostle exhibits the model of authentic righteousness. The fruit is designated as the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is something that is produced in us. It is not of ourselves. In ourselves we are only flesh. The flesh […]
Read More R. C. Sproul on spiritual fruit
