There is something about the holidays that begins to stir deep dark waters of childhood emotions within me and threatens to sweep me up in rip currents and deposit me far away from my grounding in Christ – the tide of unforgiveness rises in my heart and I must seek higher ground. While my issues stem from growing up with an emotionally neglectful alcoholic mother and an absent father, I am sure I am not alone during the holidays.
Read MoreWe are by nature worshipers. We worship with our mind, our emotions, our will and our words. These dynamics are in one sense working simultaneously and apply to false worship, as well as, to the worship that the living God calls us to give to him. Another way to look at worship is to speak of the levels of worship.
Read MoreSin is often and correctly seen to be disobedience and rebellion. Yet it is also idolatry; idolatry of the heart. As such, sin is binding and blinding. Sin is also foolish and stupid. My purpose is to get you to think about the issue so you will be better able to repent and humble yourself under God's gracious and mighty hand. Just do not think of idols as statues or icons. They are “no-gods,” for sure, nevertheless idols control our hearts as we foolishly give ourselves to them.
Read More[A]fter 25 years or so of pastoring in Advent Christian circles (I only have pastored two Advent Christian Churches in my 39 years of ministry) I began to question if what I had come to believe regarding conditional immortality was indeed Biblical. I left the shire and went on this “kind of scary” adventure and after some time found myself rejecting conditional immortality and embracing the traditional view of eternal conscious torment of the wicked….
Read MoreSometimes I see something or hear something that makes me want to scream, “Hypocrite!” However, to make such a statement in person or online would in fact reveal my own hypocrisy. Usually it surrounds the things of Christian Liberty.
Read MoreThese last three weeks have felt like a California tule fog. We are forced to drive blind without any sense of where we are, where we are going, and what the path ahead looks like. We are disoriented and unable to get our bearings. All around us we find sickness, death, job loss, and we wonder if we’re next. It is easy to wonder where God is in all of this.
Read MoreSeven days after I broke a man’s tractor, I mounted it to finish the job I told myself another would complete.
Strange how a moment might trigger at random a memory from the past. On a crisp September morning, I was sixteen again….
Read MoreIf we grasp the Bible's teaching on the nature of sin then we would understand how dire our situation truly is. We, apart from God's grace, are incredibly lost, men and women.
Read MoreI made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to Me, declares the Lord, that they might be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen” (Jeremiah 13:11b ESV). The last few words of that verse are convicting.
Read MoreEven though we confess that we are saved by grace alone, it is still hard for us to grasp the truth that Almighty God is in Christ graciously disposed toward us all the time.
Read MoreTwo times in my adult life, I have experienced dramatic change in how I understood and practiced Christian faith. The first occurred in my early twenties with a transition away from a more emotionally based faith…
Read MoreAs the plane pierced through the clouds, we got our first look at the Mediterranean. The sun glistened off the sea and islands dotted the endless blue tapestry below us. About twenty minutes after that astonishing experience, we saw the Holy Land. I had a feeling deep down in my stomach, one that I hadn’t felt for a long time. I felt at home.
Read MoreMy practice is to walk while I pray. While not every time I pray, I often include some singing in my prayer time...The problem for me is one of my vocal cords is paralyzed.
Read MoreWhat practical application does the incarnation of Jesus Christ have for your daily living? There is tremendous application but not in terms of some kind of immediate self-help, make your life better and more fulfilling kind of application.
Read MoreAs I’ve concluded nine years in pastoral ministry and transitioned to a new season of ministry at the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies I’ve taken some time to reflect on my experience as a shepherd of God’s flock – the ups, the downs, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’m not at all claiming to have enlightened reflections, superior wisdom, or the keys to ministry success – and it didn’t take me nine years to figure that out. Nevertheless, by God’s grace and mostly through error, I have learned a lot. So I humbly offer these reflections as an expression of my gratitude for God’s sustaining grace and for the seemingly limitless patience of my Faith Church family.
Read MoreRecently, I read a book by serial church planter Peyton Jones. Towards the end of the book, he takes aim at church leaders, church members, and those who have been part of “the machine” for years. He writes, “There are millions going to hell, and statistical evidence points to the numbers increasing with every passing year…
Read MoreWho am I to be even suggesting that this beloved hymn by John Newton is lacking or deficient in any way? I must be nuts! Don't get me wrong everything that these lyrics proclaim is true and indeed wonderful...
Read MoreWhere your treasure is, there will be your heart, your life-focus, and your true lord and master.
Read More“You do not know what tomorrow will bring.” As if these words in James 4:14 aren’t unsettling enough, the verse goes on to remind us of the uncertainty of our existence: “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” In other words, tomorrow…life could be drastically changed forever.
Read MoreCorey McLaughlin and Tom Loghry have levied some heavy charges over the last couple of weeks. They have indicated that it is our responsibility as Advent Christians to hasten the Second Coming of Christ. I want these good and well meaning servants of Christ to know this…I’m not ready for that. I certainly want Christ to return, but can’t he wait until I’ve gone on vacation first?
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