From Paul David Tripp’s Come, Let Us Adore Him: “But here’s what you need to understand today. The surety of these past prophecies and the specificity of how Jesus fulfilled them is also your guaranteed future hope. The story that the prophets of old pointed to has not yet come to its final conclusion. This means that today, in your life and mine, God is still working his unstoppable plot, and he will not relent or rest until all that... Read more
From Russ Ramsey’s The Advent of the Lamb of God: “This, ultimately, is what the story is about. It is a tale filled with people in trouble, all living somewhere between wandering and homecoming, between devastation and restoration, between transgression and grace. Every mortal character in the story needs rescue, but they have all turned aside, and together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. It’s a textured story. But after clearing away... Read more
From Fleming Rutledge in Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ: “In a very real sense, the Christian community lives in Advent all the time. It can well be called the Time Between, because the people of God live in the time between the first coming of Christ, incognito in the stable in Bethlehem, and his second coming, in glory, to judge the living and the dead. In the Time Between, ‘our lives are hidden with Christ in... Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Every December, I love to find a new Advent devotional and/or revisit an older one. Below are a couple of recommendations. Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge Come Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Devotional for Advent by Paul David Tripp The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas edited... Read more
Books Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way we Think, Read, and Remember by Nicholas Carr Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in a Media Age by Tony Reinke Plugged In: Connecting Your Faith with What You Watch, Read, and Play by Daniel Strange... Read more
BOOKS Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca MacLaughlin Is God Anti-Gay? by Sam Allberry What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality is More than Just an Issue by Preston Sprinkle Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Matthew Vines Two Views on Homosexuality, the Church, and the Bible ARTICLES “I Never Became Straight. Perhaps That Was Never God’s Goal” by... Read more
I received some tremendous advice this week. “Sunday, when you call you’re dad and tell him ‘Happy Father’s Day’ and that you love him, say a little extra to make it personal.†In other words, don’t just go through the motions and routine. Don’t just say what everyone says. Don’t just say what is expected. Make it personal. I love that. The gentlemen who gave me this wisdom lost his father years ago and – with tears in his eyes... Read more
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.†(Acts 4:12) All of my life I have heard, been taught, and been surrounded by people who adamantly believe Jesus is the only way to God, the only way to miss hell, the only way to ensure heaven after death. It is wonderfully true (see John 14:6) and I will forever be grateful for my upbringing. However.... Read more
Last Sunday (06.09.2019), we continued a 3-part series called “Outflow.†The purpose is to take three weeks discussing how to cultivate a relationship with Jesus so that Gospel Conversations are an “Outflow†of what is going on in our heart. The part two was about SCRIPTURE. You can watch or listen to the sermon here. Every day this week, West Franklin will be posting short videos, encouraging you with specifics in your prayer life. You can find them here. In addition, below are... Read more
I love the Psalms. They give teeth to my thoughts. They let me know it’s okay to think what I’m thinking. They give me the assurance that I am not the only one. They give clarity to my emotions. It’s no wonder the Psalms were designed to be the prayer and songbook for the people of God. The Psalms let you know it’s okay and expected (encouraged!) to be raw. The Psalms remind you that God is big enough to... Read more
Churched
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In