In my book Unpacking Forgiveness (Crossway, 2008), I emphasized the conditional nature of forgiveness. Christians should always be willing to forgive. We must love our enemies and show them love. But forgiveness can take place fully when the offending party…
Quieting the Inner Noise (A sermon on Psalm 131)
This Psalm 131 sermon I preached on 7/10/16 may help dial down the volume of the internal noise of your own mind. Amid the Coronavirus, many are awake in the night with noisy thoughts of one sort or another. Psalm…
Coronavirus Prayer Help
Our church is focusing on prayer during the Coronavirus. Here are some links to help us as we fast and pray. I resisted the urge to give too many links about prayer. But consider clicking through on the Piper and…
Ode to “Darwin”? I think Not
Only the Transcendent can so inspire.
Haddon Robinson Preaching Retreat 2019
I am again privileged to be part of the Haddon Robinson Study Retreat (Map of Participants — Don’t miss Ireland!). This year we are studying the book of Isaiah and our guest lecturer is Tim Mackie of The Bible Project.…
Lent Questions and Answers
What is Lent? Lent is the 40 period (less Sundays) before Easter and is based on Jesus’s forty days in the wilderness. Some Christians fast, think soberly about their faith, and focus on repenting of their sins during this period.*…
Talking Points For Those Wounded at Church
What talking points do you suggest? Wednesday (2:00 PM CST, 3/6/19) I will be a guest on the Chris Fabry show. I will speak as one of the wounded to those finding their way forward after church disappointments. A recent…
After Receiving Church Wounds, Be Motivated To Unpack Forgiveness
I wrote Unpacking Forgiveness after my family was deeply wounded at Harvest Bible Chapel. The thesis of that book is that biblical forgiveness can only truly be unpacked in a gospel-centered way — and biblical forgiveness certainly does not mean cheap…
A Story of Romance in Stillman Valley
Ethel Devore passed away this morning. The below story is an edited version of a February 2008 church newsletter article. The hardware store is now a community center. I sure enjoyed hearing Ethel telling me her story. You probably don’t…
Invite Christmas Storytelling
The aroma of stories should fill Christmas gatherings like potpourri. This morning, I ate bacon and eggs at the senior breakfast. I hasten to say that I qualify as a “senior†because of my role as pastor. Though, I will…