Life
Shouldn’t Gratitude Should Be Our First Language?
Yeah, yeah, of course we’re supposed to be thankful on Thanksgiving. But it occurs to me that we’re not very good at this. By we, I don’t mean the editorial “we” by which I’m pointing the finger at the rest of Americans for being ungrateful while I ignore my own ingratitude. By we I don’t…
Read MoreThe Sin About Which No One Will Speak
Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores. – Arthur Chapman There is a sin that nobody in our world really wants to discuss. It’s the fashionable sin, that fuels our great social movements and has become an engine of our politics. It’s the sin of…
Read MoreIf we are all priests, then this is our calling:
Martin Luther, in his commentary on 1 Peter 2, writes this about the implication Peter’s declaration that all believers are priests: A priest must be God’s messenger and must have a command from God to proclaim His Word. You must, says Peter, exercise the chief function of a priest, that is, to proclaim the wonderful…
Read MoreIs there something wrong with our love?
I’ve been preaching through the book of 1 Peter for our Exiles series at church on Sunday mornings. It’s a powerful book. Just this Sunday I preached on 1 Peter 1:22-25 where Peter calls the church to a deep kind of love. What struck me most about this chapter is a simple, seemingly throwaway line,…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Thing?
As a pastor I meet a lot of interesting Christians. I have people who attend my church, people who call or stop by to promote their ministry in our church, and/or people who send me information via email or mail. The common theme is that every Christian seems to have a “thing.” That is to…
Read MoreFriday Five: Tyler Braun
Tyler Braun is a pastor from Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife Rose. His first book, Why Holiness Mattters releases August 1st. You can find Tyler on Twitter, Facebook, or his blog, manofdepravity.com. The title of your book is Why Holiness Matters, so in a nutshell, can you tell us why it matters? So many of us have whittled down…
Read More5 Reasons to Rejoice in an Election Season
Yes, you read that right. There are actually reasons to rejoice in a presidential campaign season filled with rumor, innuendo, nastiness, and vitriol from both sides. Like you, I’m a bit tired already and the campaign has hardly begun. But, I’ve been thinking that there are many silver linings in an election season. Here are five:…
Read MoreAsking the Wrong Question in Salvation
“So you mean I can do whatever I want and still be a Christian?” I’ve been asked that question numerous times when sharing the gospel. It’s a hard question to answer and mostly, up until recently, I would answer with a “Yes, but.” sort of vague statement. Yes, technically, grace covers all of your sins,…
Read More5 Myths About Spiritual Depth
All Christians want “depth” in the preaching they hear, the books they read, the Bible studies they attend. I’ve never once heard a Christian say to me, “I just wish I could get more shallow preaching.” But what exactly is “depth”? It’s a nebulous term that almost nobody knows how to define. “Give me the…
Read MoreThe Wash Cycle of Forgiveness
On Sunday I began a new four-part series on forgiveness at Gages Lake. I typically preach in an expository manner–take a section of the Bible and preach it through. However, there are times when I just feel the need to hone in on a specific subject. So I took four texts on forgiveness and I…
Read More10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Dad
Before I became a dad, I thought I would be a pretty good dad. After all I grew up in a nice, Christian home, I read parenting books, and heard quite a few conference messages and radio programs on biblical parenting. I was set. The kids I would raise would be fortunate to have me…
Read MoreGod’s Favor Versus God’s Love
I think the current “gospel-centered” movement is one of the best things to happen to the church in a long time. The push for more expository preaching that grounds every imperative in the indicatives of the gospel–this is important. For too long the Church has preached a gospel of moralism, of legalism, of do-it-yourself lite…
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