Inerrancy Summit, Day Two

The second day of the 2015 Shepherds’ Conference just ended. Many highlights today, including Fernando Ortega leading music this morning, and excellent messages particularly from Steve Lawson, Ian Hamilton, and Mark Dever (who preached on Psalm 119, and read the entire Psalm as part of his message). The single, best sentence that was beneficial for […]

Inerrancy Summit, Day One

Yesterday was the first day of the 2015 Shepherds’ Conference, which this year is also being called The Inerrancy Summit. The structure of the week is much different than other Shepherds’ Conferences: the conference is four days rather than three, there are only two breakout sessions and 18 general sessions (generally there are six and […]

Prayer’s primacy

Every believer will acknowledge the importance and priority of prayer. And most of those same believers (all?) will also acknowledge that they don’t pray satisfactorily — their attention in prayer is too short, their time in prayer is inadequate, and their prayers feel ineffective. Reasons abound why we don’t pray: We really believe we are […]

Look on Christ

Look on [Christ] in what respect or particular you will; cast your eye upon this lovely object, and view Him any way; turn Him in your serious thoughts which way you will; consider His person, His offices, His works, or any other thing belonging to Him; you will find Him altogether lovely. [John Flavel]

I confess

I confess I find confession hard. Don’t we all? There is nothing easy about admitting one is wrong. And compounding the difficulty of confession is the further requirement to ask for forgiveness from the one to whom we are confessing. And when we confess to the Lord, it additionally requires a desire to change — […]

What is God’s justice?

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. ‘Justice is to give every one his due.’ God’s justice is the rectitude of his nature, whereby he is carried to the doing of that which is righteous and equal. […]

Sermon: I Will Confess

I Will Confess Psalm 32 February 22, 2015 At least according to some researchers, a famous line from the 1970 film, “Love Story” really is true. In the movie, the character played by Ali MacGraw tells the character played by Ryan O’Neal, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” As a side note, it […]

When the world hates you, it’s for your good

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian’s Charter. The hatred of the world is for your good. Wicked men are instruments in God’s hand for good—albeit they do not intend this. They are flails to thresh off our husks, […]

Sermon: Joy Comes in the Morning

Joy Comes in the Morning: Giving Thanks After Discipline Psalm 30 February 15, 2015 Hebrews 12 contains the most well-known passage related to God’s spiritual discipline of His children (vv. 5-11). Did you notice all the things that the writer of Hebrews says about God and discipline in that passage? God will reprove His people […]

The trouble of pride and the blessing of humility

The proud and arrogant person is a trouble to all that converse with him, but most of all unto himself: every thing is enough to vex him; but scarce any thing sufficient to content and please him. He is ready to quarrel with any thing that falls out; as if he himself were such a […]

Is your gospel too small?

A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small. A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small. A gospel that isolates one of the benefits of union with Christ and ignores all […]

24 Free eBooks

Do you need something to read, but don’t have much money to spend? Here are 24 ebooks (Kindle, ePub, and PDF formats) from Desiring God that are worthy of your consideration. I have read several of these and have just started reading the most recent publication, Killjoys: the Seven Deadly Sins. Check out the full […]

Delight in Scripture

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount, Preface: “The Saint’s Spiritual Delight.” To attain [a] blessed delight in the law of God, three things are required: 1. Set a high estimate upon the Word. What the […]

When God doesn’t answer prayers

A company in Chicago is one of the largest magazine fulfillment firms. They send out renewal and expiration notices and handle the re-subcriptions for many different magazines. A number of years ago there was a mistake in a piece of computer software. A short time later the error was realized when a rancher in Powder […]

Sermon: One Thing to Ask God

One Thing to Ask God Psalm 27 February 8, 2015 In A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes the birth of a giraffe: The first thing to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn calf is hurled forth, falls ten feet, and lands on its […]