Look on yonder yet There’s work still to be done Look on yonder yet The risen one has yet to come See the work dog carry on See the songbird build its nest See the old horse, weary, yawn Their time’s not come to rest -CLICK TO READ MORE
I am concerned that our preponderance of virtual activity affects us more than we realize, especially concerning the church. Context is crucial when it comes to worship; let me give an example. If I were sitting alone at my kitchen table and took a small piece of bread and gave it to my dog, it … Continue reading The Sacrifices of Virtual Church
To borrow language from John Calvin, both “useless drones and faithful ministers” find their way into pulpits, and we must carefully distinguish between them. As believers, we must discover faithful ministers and place ourselves under their ministry. Still, we must be aware that there are others out there who have a form of godliness but … Continue reading 6 Characteristics of False Teachers
There is something about me that always wants to be in control. If I am sick, I want to outlearn the disease and overcome it. If relationships start to fail, I want to be able to charm them back to life. We all desire control. I think this is why we buy into so many … Continue reading Finding Peace Beyond the Illusion of Control
The following is an excerpt from a letter from John Berridge to a fellow minister who had recently injured himself in a bad fall. Dear Sir, I received your letter, and dare not say that I am sorry for your fall, nor indeed for any afflictions that God lays on His children; they are tokens … Continue reading Fierce Furnace, Gentle Grace
Many people believe the punishment of a crime should not be viewed as a penalty the criminal deserves; it should be understood as rehabilitation that works to cure the criminal. These people believe this way is more humane and will keep people from being treated unjustly. However, it is essential to remember that if you … Continue reading A Gospel Perspective on Rehabilitation in Criminal Justice
The good times are to be expected, and the hard times are surprising and strange. Perhaps that unconscious assumption is causing us grief. In his book Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry describes the “old-timers” in a way that seems lost on many people today. He says: “As much as any of the old-timers, he regarded the Depression … Continue reading Finding Strength in Hard Times
Standing at my window one day, while the cholera was raging in London, I saw two corpses carried by, followed by one little child, walking alone next to the coffins, with a few neighbors behind. That child was now an orphan. Both parents had been carried off by the pestilence. The sight of that child … Continue reading Spiritual Orphans: Forgetting our Heavenly Father
We may say we are fully content with God and that he is all we need, but we all wrestle with certain sinful attitudes and behaviors that communicate otherwise. They are characteristics incompatible with fulfillment in God, but there is hope. The more we grow in Christian contentment, the more these tendencies will lose their … Continue reading 8 Characteristics Incompatible with Christian Contentment
As Jeremiah Burroughs puts it, Christian contentment is a rare jewel. Every believer should strive to possess it, but often, we misunderstand what it is and expect it to do things it will never do. To summarize Burroughs, here are three things Christian contentment does not include. Firstly, Christian contentment does not mean we will … Continue reading 3 Misunderstandings of Christian Contentment
The Fight of Faith 