verse4today: As the Lord said to Moses may he speak to us: "I have seen..., I have heard..., and I have come to rescue you.... (Exodus 3:7-8).
Posted on 2012-02-01 via Twitter
God blessed me and my wife, Debbie, with a tremendous Labor Day weekend, one that involved three gatherings with our children and grandchildren. The finale took place at our home and involved a great post-dinner discussion about life, church, and ministry. This discussion even included a critique of some forms of American Evangelicalism. I shared my conviction that some American Evangelicals seem to function as binitarians, not Trinitarians. In other words, they don't seem to afford … Read More …
My first blog exploring the life of a Reformed Charismatic was picked up by The Network, where I received some great suggestions for continued study (like Sovereign Grace Ministries and James K.A. Smith's Thinking in Tongues: Pentecostal Contributions to Christian Philosophy) and some excellent comments which helped me refine my thinking a bit. In particular, I was encouraged to add a few points to my original list. Here they are. 6. As a Reformed Charismatic, I … Read More …
As noted in my last blog post, while on my most recent vacation I read the new, 500 plus page biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. It is a masterpiece. I have still not yet compiled a list of takeaways from the book for it would take some time and be quite long, but I remain most impressed with Bonhoeffer's view of the Bible. For him the Bible was and remains the living Word of God to his people. Hence, he read the … Read More …
While on vacation I read the new, 500 plus page biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. It is a masterpiece. Not only does the book include splendid writing but it also tells the story of one of the greatest Christians of the twentieth-century. I found the book so inspiring that as soon as I finished it I began reading it again. Having said that, I won't surprise you by recommending it to you. I have … Read More …
“What do you do for yourself?” he asked. While it was the kind of question I expect from a friend, I wasn’t sure how to answer it. I love to work and I love to serve. In fact, most every waking moment of every day I am serving someone or something, hence, the reason for my friend’s question. As I stumbled about for an answer, he rephrased the question, “How do you take care of yourself?” I … Read More …
Lipscomb University (Nashville, TN) lost a great leader and friend on Tuesday, March 1, with the passing of former dean and vice president Dr. Mack Wayne Craig (pictured). A well-known preacher, educator, storyteller and historian, Craig, 85, played a vital role in the life and history of Lipscomb University, first as a student and then as an administrator. In 1957, Dr. Craig was appointed academic dean at Lipscomb where he earned the nickname of the “lean … Read More …
This past Sunday Living Hope Church followed Jesus from his baptism in the Jordan River to the desert where he fasted for forty days before being tempted by Satan. After reviewing the historical data of that confrontation, we asked “How does Jesus’ experience speak to us today?” The obvious answer to that question is that as Satan tempted Jesus, so he tempts us. Moreover, we discovered that, more often than not, Satan builds his temptations about the good stuff … Read More …
This past Sunday I preached on Jesus' flight to Egypt and the slaughter of the two-year-old and younger boys of Bethlehem. For more three decades of preaching, I have stayed away—intentionally or unintentionally, I am not sure—from that tragic story, but this year there was no getting around it. I had chosen—I trust by the leading of the Spirit—to begin the new year with a series of sermons from the Gospel of Matthew. I labeled the … Read More …
A few Easters ago, following the example of many preachers, I offered a sermon in which I asked “Are you a Good Friday Christian or an Easter Christian?.” The premise of the message was that, from time to time, we live as if Christ were still in the grave, instead of living as followers of him who walked out of the tomb and ascended to heaven from which he reigns as King of Kings and Lord … Read More …
Each Advent Debbie and I not only put up our Christmas tree and the decorations that have been amassed over the years, but we also pull out our growing collection of Christmas books, movies and music. Included in that special collection is Preparing for Jesus a collection of meditations on the “coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas, and the Kingdom” written by Walter Wangerin Jr. It's a lovely little book with devotions for each day of Advent, … Read More …
My worlds are converging. As pastor of the Living Hope Church, I have been searching for Advent meditations to share with my congregation. Last night, in my Church History class at Northern Seminary, I offered a brief introduction to German mysticism of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This morning my daily reading brought me to an Advent meditation by a German mystic named Joannes Tauler, a fourteenth-century Dominican priest. Those three streams converged leading me to reprint a portion of … Read More …
Today is a guide for daily devotions published by Back to God Ministries. I grew up on Today, though during the years of my youth it appeared under a different title. My parents used it as a tool for table devotions. Each devotion includes a verse from scripture, a brief meditation, and a prayer. The distinct parts make it easy to share the responsibility of leadership. One child can read the scripture, another the meditation, and another the prayer. The format hasn't changed … Read More …
"Spies who had been facing years of incarceration in the US and Russia came in from the cold (this past Friday) as they traveled in opposite directions around the globe.” Ten headed eastward to Moscow and four, who had been in detention in Russia, began journeys to new lives in the West. “The extraordinary exchange unfolded... after all 10 spies, whose deep-cover ring had been blown open by US authorities nearly two weeks ago, pled guilty in … Read More …
A bunch of books have been written and sermons preached about discipleship, but Joshua offers a description that may be as good as any other. One day he called out the Reubenites, the Gadites, and but half of the tribe of Manasseh. Once assembled, he encouraged them to follow the Lord with these words: "Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold fast to him, and serve him with all your heart and all … Read More …
Who names a son "Judas"? The answer is clear: No one! Yet, who names a son "Peter"? The answer is just as clear: a whole lot of people. Why would we never name a son "Judas," but choose to name a son "Peter"? Both men were apostles of Jesus Christ. Both men left all to follow Christ. Both men held positions of influence among the apostles. Both men witnessed wondrous miracles and heard amazing teachings. Furthermore, … Read More …
The One Year Bible recently brought me to the book of Deuteronomy (a book I would seldom, if ever, read without the encouragement of the One Year Bible). In Deuteronomy 5:23-27 I found these words of Moses to God's people, words by which he describes the reception of the Ten Commandments: "When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and elders came … Read More …
This past Sunday my sermon series - His Journey. Your Life. - brought me to Luke 4:14-30, where we find Jesus going home to Nazareth to speak in the synagogue on Sabbath day. All began well enough. Jesus stood, as was the custom when reading scripture, and opened a scroll to Isaiah 61:1-2, where he read these words: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent … Read More …
The creation stories in Genesis 1 & 2 of the Bible teach us many basic truths, including this one: we were created to live as communal, not solitary, creatures. Created in the image of a Triune God who enjoys eternal fellowship, we were created to enjoy relationships with other human beings. Toward that end, God has graced our lives with a variety of relationships, including friendships. Years ago author James Sparks, in his book Friendship After Forty, identified … Read More …
Our Father in heaven, what shall we render to You for the Gift of gifts, Your own dear Son, begotten, not created, our Redeemer, Substitute. Herein is wonder of wonders: He came below to raise us above, was born like us that we might become like Him. Herein is love; when we cannot rise to Him, He draws near on wings of grace, to raise us to Himself. O God, take us in spirit to the … Read More …
A few years back, Stephen Covey published his incredibly popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a self-help book now published in 34 languages. The success of Covey's book has led to copy cats like Seven Habits of Highly Effective Parents or Teens or Freshmen or Consultants or _____________ (you fill in the blank). This past week, while preparing for my "Hope for the Home" series of messages, I ran into an unusual copycat: Seven Habits of Highly … Read More …