3 Reasons the Incarnation is Important
There is an important word that sums up what Christmas is most fundamentally about, and it’s not “Santa,” “gifts,” or “eggnog.” It’s not even “peace” or “goodwill.” The word is “incarnation.” Christmas is the celebration of the truth that God has become incarnate, meaning that the eternal, immortal and invisible God has taken on flesh (a human body) and entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ. There are at least three reasons why this is a vital and fundamentally essential doctrine for the Christian faith:
5 Tips for Reading Through the Bible in a Year
As we close in on the beginning of another new year, it’s time to start putting together a plan for reading through the entire Bible in 2015. This is a very worthy but daunting task. It’s easy to have high aspirations in January, but before long, as our schedules get busy and as we wade through more difficult portions of the Bible, we get tempted to give up.
50 Things for Which I am Thankful
Originally this was intended to be posted last week, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, but the Ferguson situation was so prominent that I chose to comment on it instead. So, with the holiday past but still fresh in our minds, the following are things, truths and people for which I am very thankful (in no particular order):
Answering 7 Common Questions About Tithing
Last week I preached a sermon on the importance of being generous to our local churches, based on 1 Tim. 6:18. The passage does not mention tithing specifically, but certainly one way to be generous to our churches is in committing ourselves to tithing. This undoubtedly created some questions in people’s minds about this practice, which I will try to anticipate here. What are some common questions or objections that Christians often mention about tithing?
Do We Need Another Reformation?
While most people are celebrating Halloween today, Protestant Christians should be reminded that today is also Reformation Day. It was on Oct. 31 of the year 1517 that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany, setting forth a string of events that have birthed monumental changes in the church and western culture.
10 Favorite Movies
It’s hard to imagine why anyone would be interested, but just in case, below are my 10 favorite movies. Note that I didn’t say, “10 most important movies,” or “10 most influential movies,” or even “10 most Gospel-centered movies.” These are simply 10 movies that had a striking and memorable impact on me personally, and in most cases are movies I have watched multiple times and found to be equally rewarding on repeated viewings.
5 Things I’ve Learned About Ministry After 10 Years in the Pastorate
The end of August marked my 10-year anniversary of serving as pastor at New Life Presbyterian Church in Yorktown. As I reflect on the mistakes I’ve made and the fruit that has been borne from my ministry, I offer five things that I’ve learned about pastoral ministry during the time God has graciously given to me to serve as shepherd of God’s people. This of course is not all there is to be said about pastoral ministry; these are simply things that stand out as lessons that are easy to overlook:
If You Believe in Inerrancy, You Are a Calvinist
It is very common for evangelical Christians to believe in the doctrine of inerrancy when it comes to their view of Scripture. In fact, some might say that you must believe in inerrancy to be a full-blown evangelical. But evangelicals are very divided when it comes to the doctrines of Calvinism. There are many evangelicals who strongly object to the high view of sovereignty contained in the system of doctrine called Calvinism. My contention is that you basically are a Calvinist if you believe in inerrancy.
Album Review: U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’
Reviewing a new U2 album is a difficult task. The reason is because U2 is almost like a brother or child to me. I don’t have a son, but I can imagine what it must be like to evaluate your own son’s performance at some task: he’s your son, so you want to think the best of him, and you want him to excel, but since he’s your son, you also expect a little more out of him. Maybe sometimes it’s hard to be entirely pleased?
5 Recommended Books on the Goodness of Earthly Existence
This Sunday I will be completing a short sermon series called “What is Christianity,” in which I have attempted to explain the four major epochs of redemptive history – creation, fall, redemption, and glory. It’s a new start for our church as we have been adjusting to a new sanctuary, so it seemed appropriate to go back to the basics and review what the Christian faith is all about.
6 Things to Consider As You Think About the Mark Driscoll Situation
As many of you probably know, Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill in Seattle has agreed to step down from his position for six weeks as charges against him are being evaluated.
Movie Review: “God’s Not Dead”
Christians have been delighted to discover lately that movie theaters have been featuring an unusually high number of films with overtly spiritual or Biblical themes. Among them have been “Son of God,” “Heaven is for Real,” “Noah,” and “Mom’s Night Out.” In December, we will see the release of a movie on the Exodus, with Christian Bale playing Moses, and there is reportedly another movie in production on the life of Mother Teresa.
3 Things I Love About Our New Sanctuary
This Sunday (Aug. 10) is a very big day in the life of New Life Presbyterian Church. On this morning, we will conduct our very first worship service in a brand new sanctuary that was begun all the way back in November 2012. There are at least three things I love about this new facility, which I share with you now:
10 Great Books on Preaching
While it’s true that the only way to actually improve as a preacher is to preach – over and over again – it is true that reading about preaching can also provide considerable help in sharpening one’s skills. So, with that in mind, I offer, in chronological order, the following recommendations, each with a sample quote from the book:
Book Review: “Unapologetic”
One thing that can be said about Francis Spufford’s book, “Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense,” is that it is utterly unique. I don’t know of any book quite like this. Lots of books seek to make a case for the Christian faith, but few (if any) do it in such gritty, earthy and edgy prose.