“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 The words of Paul in Ephesians 6 remind Christian fathers that our parenting has a great end towards which we must aim. God gave us the task of teaching, correcting, disciplining, loving, and training our children so that they come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and walk in a way which pleases him. We often feel unequipped... Read more
“3 Pieces of Marriage Advice from Spurgeon’s Mother-In-Law“ Married couples, especially those in the ministry, can learn much from reading about the marriages of pastors and their families throughout history. Christian George recounts what Charles Spurgeon’s future mother-in-law told her daughter after Spurgeon abandoned her one afternoon in a throng of people before he preached. “Ministry is a unique calling with unique burdens that demands unique sacrifices. The problems Charles faced are common to most ministers: constant criticism, controversy, and... Read more
In an honest moment at lunch after church this past Sunday I slammed my hand down on the table and said what I had been thinking for the past half hour. “My sermon stunk today.” I didn’t say this to fish for compliments; I meant it. If the sermon was a soccer team it would have been relegated when I got finished. I’m not the only pastor who has felt this way, and many Christians have had these thoughts about... Read more
“Hillbilly Elegy Hits Close to Home” I don’t know how many times this year I’ve read people say, “who are all of these people voting for Donald Trump?” They obviously don’t know many people who grew up where I did, or where J.D. Vance did, or where Lore Wilbert did. Lore reflects in Christianity Today on J.D. Vance’s book Hillbilly Elegy and her own difficult late teenage years in rural New York. Her story, like Vance’s, is one of struggle,... Read more
A few months ago, I listed eight passages of Scripture every Christian needs to commit to memory. The response to the post has been great and I have been encouraged at the hunger to memorize Scripture I have seen. At the end of the post, I asked what passages people would add to the list. If you look back at the original post, every passage contains at least six verses and some close to twenty. My aim in that post... Read more
God tasks parents with the holy calling of raising our children, “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” In this our greatest task is to help them understand the Gospel so they might trust in Christ and be saved. The problem for parents is that we often have a difficult time discerning when our kids have truly come to Christ. Either we get excited that our kids are showing interest in the Gospel and pronounce them Christians too quickly... Read more
“Christianity’s Manhood Problem” Most Christian congregations have more women in attendance than men. This problem is not new, but it’s causes are many and the cures are vexing. Art of Manliness is starting a series on this issue and offer some startling statistics about men in the church in their introductory post. “Why does a religion started by a carpenter and his twelve male comrades attract more women than men? Christian churches are led predominately by men (95% of Protestant... Read more
Every Christian goes through phases where they feel like they are wandering through a spiritual desert. This kind of spiritual dry spell can come after walking through difficulties, spending time in half-heartedness or sin, or simply getting stuck in rut. We sing in worship and feel nothing. We read the Bible and stare blankly at the words. We pray and think we are talking to ourselves. The joy is not there, and it seems as if God is a thousand... Read more
“Doctrine and Devotion” Joe Thorn and Jimmy Fowler launched a new podcast in which they will be talking about topics related to Christian doctrine and experience. I think you’ll find they will both challenge and encourage you. “In episode 01 we talk through the issue of ‘backsliding.’ This was our first run, so the sound is pretty bad, but still worth checking out.” “You Have Enough Time to Read the Bible“ I hear it often, “I don’t have enough time to read... Read more
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” Proverbs 26:4 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” Proverbs 26:5 We have all been there. Someone says something so outlandish and wrong that it must be answered. As you get ready to speak you realize they may not respond well to what you have to say. You think you have to speak up though, because this error... Read more
One Degree to Another
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