Bob O'Bannon
Why Do We Preach Through Books of the Bible?

What are the advantages of preaching consecutively, chapter after chapter, all the way through a book of the Bible? There are five reasons…

Why Do We Preach Through Books of the Bible?
Bob O'Bannon
3 Reasons God Had to Become Man

The essence of Christmas is the mysterious, glorious and profound claim that God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. To this astounding truth one might be compelled to ask: did it have to be this way? Was there any other way for God to redeem us? The second chapter of Hebrews gives us three reasons why God had to become a man:

3 Reasons God Had to Become Man
Bob O'Bannon
4 Reasons You Should Consider Buying Vinyl ...

Next Saturday (April 19, not tomorrow) is Record Store Day. This annual celebration of independent record stores has been taking place since 2007, and gives special attention to the vinyl record, which happens to be the main reason independent records stores are still in business. As music consumption moves away from CDs and increasingly toward MP3 downloads or direct streaming, there has been a movement back toward buying records the old fashioned way. Vinyl sales have been on the increase for the last few years, and show no signs of slowing down.

4 Reasons You Should Consider Buying Vinyl Records

3 Reasons the Incarnation is Important

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

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.

Answering 7 Common Questions About Tithing

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?

10 Favorite Movies

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

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: