1) Sisyphean Striving – The Job Can Feel Pointless (Ironically) Work is difficult when the purpose is obscured. The story is told about two janitors working in the NASA building during the 1960s. One janitor was depressed because he thought he was insignificant compared to the literal rocket scientists in the building. He found so … Continue reading What Is So Difficult About Being a Pastor?
After writing the first post in this series, the topic I discussed became real. An immunocompromised person who began attending our church in the past year got sick and, tragically, died. - CLICK TO READ MORE
This is the first post in a two-part series on church and health by Rob Golding, Pastor of First Artesia CRC. I may be a day late and a dollar short, but I have heard many people say that they are going to avoid certain gatherings due to the chance that they might get sick. … Continue reading What Are You Living For?: Exploring Church, Family, and the Threat of Illness
Who has the authority to determine how and when the Church will worship? That question is more penetrating than it first appears. It is not asking how your nation's government is structured or how your constitution is written. It is not even asking what your church believes. It is an ultimate question. Who has the … Continue reading The Essential Church Movie Review
I am concerned that some churches and Christian institutions have grown timid in their stand for truth. They believe their silence is based on wisdom, but it is not. Their reticence may help them avoid social pressure for now, but in the end, they are merely kicking the can down the road. It will likely … Continue reading Bowing to Ungodly Pressures
Over the years, corporate worship in many churches has been vanishing. The calling of the local church, first and foremost, is to gather for worship, but we do it much less frequently now than we did in the past. Sinclair Ferguson has a test he likes to apply to those who tell him that the … Continue reading The Disappearance of Corporate Worship
Of all organizations, does the local church have preeminence in our lives? In the clip below, Pastor Jeff Saltzmann of Bethel Grace Baptist Church unpacks a quote from the church covenant. What he says is counter-cultural to non-believers and even ruffles the feathers of many professing Christians. Many others would agree with this idea of … Continue reading The Preeminence of the Local Church
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Nothing is more frustrating than being a small-time pastor. Pastors spend their time reading and preaching God’s word. They constantly pray that the New Heavens and New Earth would come, that unbelievers … Continue reading The Pastor’s Futility and the Pastor’s Hope
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Why are God’s leaders so quick to count and boast about what God has given them? That is an interesting question. More interesting, however, is the following question: Why does God hate … Continue reading Evangelicalism’s Hezekiah Problem
There are two dangers Christians face when culture pushes against our beliefs. The first is to give in to the pressure to conform, and the second is to stand defiant in an ungodly way. The first danger reveals itself in some professing Christians' fear of the world's disapproval. This fear is not only true of some churchgoers but … Continue reading Two Dangers Facing Christians Under Cultural Pressure
The Fight of Faith 