Sermon: The Essential Issue in the Election

“The Essential Issue in the Election” Daniel 4:17-35 October 23, 2016 My sermon title this morning is, “The Essential Issue in the Presidential Election.” Pull up an editorial or blog post about the election and you will have someone’s opinion about what the most critical issue in the election is. Opinions abound: The makeup of […]

Remember your final end

I was born in Canada, straight north of Granbury about 1300 miles. Though I spent most of my childhood years in the Unites States, and primarily Texas, I remained a Canadian citizen until 2003, when I became a naturalized American. My citizenship changed. I had always considered the United States and Texas my home, but […]

2017 ACBC Annual Conference

At the annual Association of Certified Biblical Counselors conference two weeks ago, ACBC announced its plans for the annual conference to be held next year. And because of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, this conference will focus on the truths […]

The grand reason why all things work for good

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. The grand reason why all things work for good, is the near and dear interest which God has in His people. The Lord has made a covenant with them. “They […]

BCDC 2016 Notes — Weekend 2

This past weekend I participated in the second weekend of the Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference. I was graced to be able to speak on two key doctrines relating to Christ — the hypostatic union of Christ and His substitutionary atonement. Additionally, I spoke on the role of the husband in marriage. Below are the […]

Sermon: Essential Attitudes Prior to the Election, Pt 2

“Essential Attitudes Prior to the Election” Pt. 2 Selected Scriptures October 16, 2016 The Scriptures are unflinching in their willingness to speak about subjects that are difficult for us. The Bible speaks clearly and unashamedly about sex and sexuality (consider the Song of Solomon). The Bible is unafraid to address gender roles in marriage. (I […]

Do Christians Have to Vote?

In every election cycle there are always news reports about the number of individuals who do not vote. Often the reason for not voting is apathy — the individual is unconcerned about the issues in the election, believes his vote is inconsequential, or just doesn’t want to be bothered to learn the issues and get […]

Sermon: Essential Attitudes Prior to the Election

“Essential Attitudes Prior to the Election” Selected Scriptures October 9, 2016 Wednesday afternoon I was flying home from the ACBC conference in Indianapolis. As I was going through security, the officer at the x-ray machine saw a newspaper with a headline about the previous night’s vice-presidential debate poking out of my computer bag. “Did you […]

Live Stream the ACBC Conference

Tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 3) the annual national conference for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) begins. It is the 40th anniversary of the founding of this organization, and promises to be an excellent conference. If you are unable to attend, you can enjoy the live stream of the plenary sessions here: Live Stream #ACBC16

Sermon: Behold the Man!

“Behold the Man!” John 19:1-5 October 2, 2016 Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt. It may not always breed contempt, but very often, it does produce apathy. We are familiar with someone or something so we no longer find the amazement and joy that we did when we were first introduced to that item or […]

When civil disobedience is permissible

When the Scriptures speak about the Christian’s relationship to the government, the emphasis is consistently on the civil obedience, not civil disobedience. For instance: The believer is to pray for his civil authorities (1 Tim. 2:1–3) The believer is to submit to his civil authorities (Rom. 13:1; 1 Pet. 2:13–15) The believer is to obey […]

Sermon: Essential Reminders About Our Responsibility to the Government

“Essential Reminders About Responding to Government” Romans 13:1-7 September 18, 2016 Last week we began talking about “Election Essentials” — understanding what the Bible has to say about politics, the church, and you. We began that series by thinking about the role of government and the authorities in government — what is the role of […]

BCDC 2016 Notes – Weekend 1

This weekend, Calvary Bible Church hosted the Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference (BCDC). This conference meets the basic training requirements for certification as a member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). I was privileged to be able to participate in this conference. There is always much material to cover in each session, so […]

Sermon: Essential Reminders About the Role of Government

“Essential Reminders About the Role of Government” Romans 13:1-7 September 11, 2016 Robert Wilson, in his book Character Above All seeks to answer one fundamental question: “What is the relationship between the President’s character and presidential leadership?” He asks the question because it is his observation that as a group, the American people “‘started out […]

The Scriptures: A Divine Authority, Pt. 2

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity, and is Continued from Part 1. How does it appear that the Scriptures have…a divine authority stamped upon them?… [4] That the Scripture is the Word of God is evident […]