For the first three months of 1997, I wrestled with whether or not I knew Christ on a daily basis. Every night before I closed my eyes to sleep I prayed the sinner’s prayer hoping that this would be the time I finally felt like a Christian. The problem was I wasn’t a Christian and had no basis upon which I should believe that I knew the Son of God or have a peace which surpassed all understanding. Despite two trips... Read more
Every Christian, no matter how long he has walked with Jesus, struggles with temptations to sin. Our sinful flesh, the world with its allurements, and the enemy of our souls bombard us with temptations to walk in that which the Lord forbids or to ignore those things he has told us to do. We struggle with these temptations, and often try to overcome them through our own fortitude or just give in. We shouldn’t grow weary in our fight against... Read more
“The Sunday After: A Post-Election Lesson from Jimmy Carter” Jennifer Crossley Howard made the trek to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia the Sunday after the Presidential Election to attend former President Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School class. She recaps discussions with the other people who were there, the process for getting to attend his class, and what he talked about that morning. While I have significant theological issues with many things the former President believes, it was interesting to hear... Read more
Several years ago, Home Depot used the slogan, “You can do it. We can help.” A lot of what I hear in popular evangelicalism reminds me of these words. We present Jesus as the one who can help you fulfill your potential, reach your dreams, and live the life that you have always wanted. We talk about him as if he is standing on the sidelines of our lives yelling, “you can do it, and I can help.” In this... Read more
“We Cannot Complain about America if We Do Not Listen to Others” This year’s Presidential election revealed not just the divides between Americans, but also our complete lack of understanding about those on the other side of the divide. Lore Ferguson Wilbert discusses this problem and shares books we all need to read so that we can better understand our neighbors who are completely unlike us. “If you turn away from those who don’t think like you, you simply cannot... Read more
Sunday begins the Advent season, which is the four Sundays leading up to the celebration of Christmas. Advent looks back at Christ’s first arrival and anticipates the time when he will come again. Just as the light came into the darkness when Jesus was born, so he will appear again in glorious light that will vanquish the darkness finally and completely. In the busyness of the Christmas season, Advent serves as a wonderful reminder to slow down and meditate on... Read more
This past Sunday I finished preaching a three-month series in the book of Proverbs. Solomon collects wise statements to share with his son so he will choose the path of wisdom that leads to life instead of the path of folly that leads to death. The book of Proverbs has been a great help to me and I read one chapter from it every day, but preaching from it can be perplexing. This can be especially true for the pastor... Read more
Often when you mention reading the Bible every day to Christians, they either hang their head in shame or start reaching into the excuse pile for a justification. For some reason, we struggle with the daily reading of God’s word at the time in history when it is the most accessible. We blame our lack of time and lack of understanding, but neither of these holds water as a reason to neglect the treasures that lie in God’s written word.... Read more
Every year the Christmas season provides a great opportunity for believers to reflect on Jesus’ incarnation and how its message should change us. All too often, we don’t begin to think through how we can put these truths before our own hearts and our family until the season is upon us. This year Tim Keller gave us a great gift by releasing his new book, Hidden Christmas, four weeks before the beginning of the Advent season. I started reading through Hidden Christmas... Read more
“Repentant Parenting Isn’t Hypocrisy, It’s the Gospel” Katie Hughes writes about the importance of repenting to our children when we sin against them. In our pride we react against this, but it’s vitally important to do. “Somehow in all the parenting literature and teaching I think we’ve lost the importance of repenting to our own children. Now, don’t get me wrong. Instructing children in the way they should go, when they rise up, when they walk along the way, when... Read more
One Degree to Another
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