Last night in class, one of my students asked me how many sermons I have preached over the course of 35 years. A brief calculation suggests approximately 1400 sermons. How many times I have spoken is another matter, given I typically preached 2-5 times per week. That’s a lot of sermonizing—a lot of my life–a[…]
Read MoreYou have given us a clear picture and we MUST act. One wonders, in this battle with the enemy,…
We can ill-afford to have an insulated, self-absorbed, accommodating faith. Not ever, but especially not today. If the church has any hope of changing this world, it must recover its conviction of the Word’s authority (without picking and choosing what we want to agree with). Believers must be as intentional as ever to engage with[…]
Read MoreInteresting how it took you getting into the smaller things of life in these areas to reflect on the much…
I knew it would be an ambitious undertaking, but I and eleven others decided to discover what God is doing in the Middle East. It wasn’t a tour. This isn’t some travelogue. Sure we wanted to see some things—the Pyramids, Galilee at sunrise, the Jordanian desert, and the fortress at Byblos. We wanted to experience[…]
Read More11:00 am this Saturday, another group of future ministry leaders will join in a seminary processional to be inspired, cheered on, prayed over, and sent out. After the pictures, graduates will set aside their gowns and get on with life. Some (hopefully most) will tack their diplomas on a wall and flourish in ministry. There[…]
Read MoreMaybe you have heard of Jordan Peterson. I was not aware of this Canadian psychologist until I read Peggy Noonan’s recent column, “Who’s Afraid of Jordan Peterson?” So now I am reading his 12 Rules for Life (near the top of bestseller lists), and his insights are riveting. I am reading slowly—my mind needs to.[…]
Read MoreWhen I pastored in The Netherlands, one of my first objectives was to gather the church’s formal leadership and wrestle with the future direction of the church. Many of the congregants were corporate and governmental leaders, so I invited one of them to come and advise us. At the time, this man was with Fluor[…]
Read MoreYou sure gave us something more imaginative. Lots of new insights considering Joseph who was married to the mother of…
Christmas weekend is coming, and I am guessing most pastors are sweating by now. I know they are. For thirty two years, I came into Christmas Eve and morning services with fear and trepidation. What do you say that hasn’t been said? And should anything be said that hasn’t been said? There are things you[…]
Read Morehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hINfyhuTt0&feature=share This was on Facebook today, and it reminded me of some of the elements in your sermon today…
Open the newspaper today, turn to news about the Middle East, and you will read about unrest in Israel, clashes between police and protestors in front of the American embassy in Beirut, and Palestinian rage over Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Throw in the day to day rage between Sunni and Shi’ite[…]
Read MoreThanks Dr Johnson, this is food for thought about evangelicals trying to become political, the risk the Church runs by…
Saturday I spent some time along the shore of Plymouth Harbor visiting a 17th century English village. It is a re-creation of the small maritime community built by the first pilgrims. Pretty cool to hear the stories and imagine what sixty-six days crossing the ocean must have been like. In some of these small houses I[…]
Read MoreEvery year in the Fall, evangelical theologians gather from around the world to present instructive and challenging papers on a variety of important topics. This week, it was fitting to meet in Providence, Rhode Island on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Here, Roger Williams (not to be confused with the sentimental songwriter) planted a[…]
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It is a good thing to ponder. It makes one want to look deeper at the text, and does the…