“Today You Will be with Me in Paradise”

“Today You Will be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:39-43 March 25, 2016 — Good Friday For reasons that are pragmatic and biblical and theological, I have never gambled or participated in the lottery. And because of that, Raye Jeanne and I taught our daughters not to gamble. And that makes a situation that Emily […]

Let us prize Christ

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. As we would prove to the world that we have the impress of godliness on us, let us be prizers of Jesus Christ; he is elect, precious. Christ is the […]

God’s judgments

Say the words “judgment of God,” or “wrath of God,” and people’s minds inevitably go to the final judgment of God against sin. It is certainly true that God’s judgment will culminate against all sinners at the Great White Throne judgment that will come at the end of the age (Rev. 20:11-15). But that is […]

Sermon: A Day of Reckoning

“A Day of Reckoning” Pt. 1 Romans 2:6-7, 10 March 20, 2016 Annie Dillard, in her book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, writes: “A couple summers ago I was walking along the edge of the island to see what I could see in the water, and mainly to scare frogs.…At the end of the island I […]

Shepherds’ Conference 2017

The Shepherds’ Conference was just held last week. And this week registration is open for next year’s conference (February 28 – March 3, 2017). Because next year is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany, the Shepherds’ Conference is commemorating that event with […]

Do we esteem Christ highly?

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. Is it the sign of a godly person to be a Christ-prizer? Then let us test our godliness by this: Do we set a high estimation on Christ? Question: How […]

Shepherds’ Conference notes

Last week, along with five other men from our church, I attended the Shepherds’ Conference. While the conference is designed for pastors, any man would find encouragement in his spiritual life and exhortation for his leadership responsibilities. And that was certainly true of the conference this year, which was a great time of instruction from […]

Sermon: God’s Day of Wrath

“God’s Day of Wrath” Romans 2:5 March 6, 2016 We like to celebrate special days and holidays. So each week we remember the work of Christ for us on Sunday. And of course in a few weeks there is Easter and we just finished Christmas. And we also like a few lesser known holidays, like […]

The church – God’s compelling community

One of the best books I read last year was The Compelling Community, co-authored by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop. Last week I found an interview that Dever and Dunlop did for Nine Marks, discussing the book. Often books will make statements that suggest immovable principles. This interview “softens” some of the hard statements of […]

We know all things work together 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. If the whole Scripture be the feast of the soul, as Ambrose said, then Romans 8 may be a dish at that feast, and with its sweet variety may very […]

Why manners matter

Apart from all the typical rhetoric and bluster of a typical political campaign, during this election cycle I have been particularly frustrated with the tone of the arguments. Many — too many — of the candidates have degenerated into ad hominem attacks, verbal bullying, condescending comments, and generally rude behavior. A number of years ago, […]

A hymn for today – voting day

Today the people of my state of Texas (and 12 other states) cast their votes in the primary election. There have been strong words and the divisions between the parties and there appear to be greater divisions and disharmony among the candidates within the same parties as well. Complaints and concerns about the candidates are […]

Sermon: The Reality of God’s Judgment

“The Reality of God’s Judgment” Romans 2:1-4 February 28, 2016 Just about the only time people enjoy hearing about the judgment of God is when it is spoken against. The world mocks and hates the judgment of God because it cannot bear the thought of it being real. And many believers don’t like to talk […]

Grab bag

“A Stunning Scale of Our Solar System, Drawn in the Dessert.” Then read Genesis 1 and Psalm 8. I’ve not seen the movie, “The Risen,” but here is a review that appears to be quite helpful. Samuel James posted “Some Thoughts on Christians, Movies, and Nudity.” And then some more thoughts. These are helpful and […]

A remarkable help to believers

This Sunday we will partake of the ordinance of communion. As the word “communion” suggests, it is a time of fellowship. But the fellowship anticipated by the word is not communion with one another, but communion with Christ. It is an intimate reflection on and remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ. And as […]