Sermon: Peace and Courage in a Troubled World

Peace and Courage in a Troubled World John 16:32-33 March 22, 2020 This is an odd morning. I have preached to this church body almost 1400 times, by my count. I have never preached with music recorded by our musicians ahead of time, and I have never preached to an empty auditorium. There have been […]

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 […]

Some helpful (free!) resources during Coronavirus

Several publishers are making some resources that are particularly helpful for battling spiritual issues that have arisen as a byproduct of the Coronavirus available for free (or highly discounted). Here are a few things I’ve found that I would encourage you to take advantage of: Free Resources for Your Stay at Home during COVID-19 (book […]

An announcement from our church

Here is an announcement and encouragement from our church about the Coronavirus and how we will handle ministry in the coming weeks (months?): The details of our plan and some suggestions for personal ministry are here.

Helpful biblical resources during the Coronavirus

In God’s grace, technology (video conferencing, conference calls, live-streaming, blogs, vlogs, and yes, even social media) can be and is being used in many ways to encourage and strengthen the church of Christ and extend our ministry to our shaken communities. In the past week I have come across many helpful resources. I will try […]

It’s ok to be fearful. If we are fearing God.

This article was originally written by me for The Center for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship. It is a good reminder that fear is good — when it is fear of God, and not the kind of panicked fear that is being exhibited in many communities these days. Almost two years ago, designer Kate Spade committed […]

Sermon: Food, Shelter, Pandemics, and Fear

Food, Shelter, Pandemics, and Fear Matthew 6:25-34 March 15, 2020 We know that as believers we should not be afraid. But when the World Health Organization classifies the Coronavirus as a pandemic and virtually every major sports league suspends its games, including championship series, universities move to online only classes, school districts extend spring breaks, […]

Sermon: What Happened???

What Happened??? Romans 11:7-10 March 8, 2020 I suppose that the most asked question in the universe is “why?” Because 2-4 year-olds ask that question so many times, no other question gets asked more often. But perhaps the next most-often asked question is, “what happened?” As in, “I just received this month’s credit card bill. […]

Sermon: What God Has Not Done (and Cannot Do)

What God Has Not Done (and Cannot Do) Romans 11:1-6 March 1, 2020 Rejection is hard. No one wants to be rejected and most people don’t like telling people, “No.” Sometimes saying, “no” is unavoidable, though. For instance, editors regularly have to tell authors “no” to book or article ideas. Here is how Brian Doyle, […]

Reflections on my recent trip

I arrived home from my trip with Eric Mock (SGA) and Pastor Dan Kirk to teach biblical counseling in Ukraine and Israel almost two weeks ago. I’m over the jet lag, back into my regular routine, and have had some time to reflect on the trip. Here are some things for which I am grateful: […]

Sermon: Seeing the God of Grace

Seeing the God of Grace Romans 1-10 February 23, 2020 Let me begin today with a couple of reflections and expressions of gratitude for your prayers and giving and encouragement for my recent trip to Ukraine and Israel to teach biblical counseling. I am grateful for the sufficiency and power of the Word. In Israel […]

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 […]

Sermon: God’s Shepherding Care for His People

God’s Shepherding Care for His People 1 Peter 5:1-4 January 19, 2020 My grandfather was a farmer. He emigrated to Canada from Russia in the early 1920s and was a very successful farmer. As a young boy, I remember going out to the fields with him on his tractor and picking up rocks and other […]

Arm yourself

Last year, in his series equipping men for friendship, David Gibson reminded us that “Friends don’t let friends skip leg day.” Workout days are hard. Workouts that focus on strengthening our legs can sometimes feel especially hard and we might be particularly tempted to skip leg workout days. Don’t skip leg day. And don’t skip […]

Stimulate your evangelistic zeal in 2020

I am a pastor and I do not have the gift of evangelism. I know people who get out of bed and the first thought is something like, “I wonder who the Lord will bring across my path to share the gospel with today?” (I am married to one of those people.) That’s not me. […]