Sermon: “Teach Me, Lord”

“Teach Me, Lord:” A Prayer for God’s Word to Do Its Work Psalm 119:33-40 January 12, 2014 I have been using some kind of “read through the Bible in a year” plan for longer than I can remember. I’ve read through the Bible chronologically (like we’re doing this year); I’ve used the Navigator “Book-at-a-time” plan […]

The sinner’s pathway – redirected

Neither a farmer nor a rancher am I. Yet for at least two weeks during a couple summers of my youth, I became a “temp” farmer, working on my uncle’s dairy farm. It was a time not only for a “city-slicker” to be exposed to some life realities, but also a fun time with my […]

The sinner’s pathway

Oops. Some parents had a great idea for their children’s special Christmas gift one year. They ordered a kit for a tree house from a mail order catalogue. On Christmas Eve, as the mother and father began to assemble the pieces, they discovered to their dismay that while they had received the plans for a […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles from the last week: You may have made a resolution this week about your Bible reading for this year. Here is some good counsel for “How to read the whole Bible in 2014” (including a variety of Bible reading plans) by Justin Taylor. I’ve also posted several plans for our church here. […]

“Why did I not die at birth?”

A job interview that didn’t go the way you expected. A dinner that came out the oven smoky and flat instead of light and fluffy. A checkbook that appears to be inflicted with the black plague. A friend that suffers from a chronic illness. A favorite shirt that gets lost by the dry cleaner. An […]

The first two sins

The first sins recorded in Scripture — Adam and Eve’s rebellion (Gen. 3) and Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen. 4) — provide two distinct examples of the way temptation and sin work in an individual’s life. They are a reminder that not every temptation is the same; sin and its origins are multifaceted and insidious. […]

More and more resolutions

Today is a day when many people make resolutions for how they will conduct their lives in the coming year. How will they relate to family members? What will they do with their jobs? How much time will they spend exercising? serving others? How much weight is realistic to lose? What will they read? A […]

Free ESV audio Bible

Are you resolving to read the Bible more consistently this year? Here is a tool that might help — the ESV audio Bible is free this month from Christian Audio. Put it on CDs to play in your car, or listen on your iPod or iPhone while you work out, take a walk, or during […]

A testimony for biblical counseling

Jenn Chen tells her story of movement from one trained as a psychological counselor to embracing biblical counseling. She says, “Biblical counseling is applied theology.” And, “I’ve learned the things in biblical counseling that I thought I was going to seminary for…”

Good reads from 2013

As I evaluated my reading habits at the end of last year, I began to recognize a diminishing ability to give sustained attention to the longer and more involved discourses and arguments contained in books. So one of my goals this year was to read more books. Cover to cover. I set a specific goal […]

MacArthur Study Bibles for Kindle

Amazon is currently offering three versions of the John MacArthur Study Bible for $4.99. This is an excellent deal, so take advantage of it now, if you have a Kindle reader. The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Holy Bible – ESV MacArthur Study Bible The MacArthur Study Bible, NIV (Signature)

Christmas Eve: The Indescribable Gift

The Indescribable Gift 2 Corinthians 9:15 December 24, 2013 It was the Christmas that almost wasn’t for me. I think I was about 8- or 10-years-old. I didn’t almost miss Christmas because I overslept or was out of the country. It was because I made a tactical error. In my recollection, in those years my […]

Sermon: What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name Selected Scriptures from Mt. 1-2; Luke 1-2 December 22, 2013 When Raye Jeanne was pregnant with the girls, we spent many hours reading names back and forth to one another, trying to come up with something that we thought sounded right and would be fitting for our unknown child. At the […]

Reading Zechariah

This week we’ve been reading Zechariah in our Old Testament reading plan. Are you confused about this book of visions? One of the dominant emphases of the book is the revelation of the Messiah. The concept of the Messiah is extremely prominent in this book. No other Old Testament book seemingly is so filled with […]

2014 Bible reading plans

For a number of years, our church has followed a “Through the Bible” annual Bible reading plan. Then two years ago, we created a “Through the New Testament” Bible reading plan that read the NT chronologically, as well as the Psalms (to read on Sundays). The intent with this plan was to encourage those who […]