I have recently dusted off the covers of a couple of Christian classics. When I do this, I never regret it. I am currently rereading “The Knowledge of the Holy” by A.W. Tozer and “Orthodoxy” by G.K.Chesterton. I read “Knowledge” back when I was in college and I found it very encouraging back then. But…
Preaching through books of the Bible lands me in some strange places. For example, this coming Sunday I will be speaking in 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 about sexual intimacy within marriage. Not only is this passage about a subject that is rarely spoken of in church, but it also is a subject I don’t think many…
I have found myself reflecting the last couple of weeks on the five solas of the reformation. The reason is because I attended a funeral and the church had some large banners hanging up front that declared in a flowing cursive script, “saved by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE according to Scripture…
As a church planter, change has been a pretty constant part of my life. From meeting in a basement to meeting in store front and then going to two services and then moving to the Mattawan School center building cafeteria setting up and tearing down each week to then moving to our new building to…
I am preaching a series on 1 Corinthians, and just a couple of chapters in, I am being reminded of the great glory and depths available to those who have His Spirit. And I am struck by a disparity that I have encountered over these past couple of decades of pastoral ministry. What accounts for…
How would you save the world if you had limitless power? Would you eradicate all illness? Would you show up in intimidating power? Would you create educational programs? Eradicate poverty? Eradicate hunger? In First Corinthians chapter 1, the apostle Paul addresses the power of God expressed in providing salvation. And it is so radically different…
If you had told me all the treasure, all the blessings, all the growth that would come to me in the summer of 1993, I would not have walked but I would’ve SPRINTED into that summer. It began with a single conversation with a friend, Jeff Howe. We are both from Michigan but the conversation…
When my kids were younger I was looking for any rope to hold onto. Linda and I would read books about strong willed children, training children, shepherding their hearts, and any other thing that seemed to offer wisdom and action. Now that all of my children but one have moved on to adulthood, I know…
I was planning to write a blog this morning regarding the foundational nature of the Image of God in humanity. This is a bedrock doctrine which can be demonstrated by how frequently it has been attacked by evil and the evil one throughout the centuries. I have not spent much time considering the way that…
I grew up in between the GARBC and the IFCA. Christians, like the military, love their acronyms and insider speak. Those both stand for General Association of Regular Baptist Churches and the Independent Fundamental Churches of America. Both are loose associations. Both pride themselves in their independence from a larger ecclesiastical accountability. And both would…
I have spent some time the past couple of weeks praying for the revival or awakening or really long chapel service at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. I have prayed for revival off and on over the years, but I have never really given much thought to what it actually IS that I was praying for.…
I like to wrap up the year by sharing some highlights from my reading in the past year. I will not comment on every book, but will skip across the titles worthy of mention. I read or listened to 35 books this year. 1. Providence (by John Piper) John Piper has a way of writing…
