What are the advantages of preaching consecutively, chapter after chapter, all the way through a book of the Bible? There are five reasons…
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:
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.
Last year at this time I wrote a blog sharing some “tips for reading through the Bible in a year.” You can click here to read that blog as you get ready to launch your own campaign for 2016. This year I offer some further practical ideas that should supplement last year’s blog.
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:
This is an exciting time of year. I love reading all of the “best of the year” lists that come out at this time (even the ones that come out way too early, like in November), particularly for music and books. Click here to find Christianity Today’s list of best books of the year, and click here to find a similar list from Gospel Coalition.
Right now I’m looking out the window of a ninth-floor apartment where Mary and I are staying in East Asia. On the horizon I see mountains, and filling the space between our apartment and the mountains, as far as I can see to my left and to my right, are towering buildings. Some are grey and some are brown, but they are everywhere. Car horns are blaring almost constantly. On the streets are buses, cars, bicyclists, rickshas and taxis. It’s a bustling urban environment that makes a city like Indianapolis look like a mere village, and yet this particular city is one of the smaller ones in this part of the world.
It is a common expectation in our culture, and probably all cultures, that people should be thankful. Parents teach their children to say “thank you” when someone is kind to them. Hallmark has made a lot of money selling cards specifically designed to articulate gratitude to people. And we set aside an annual holiday called Thanksgiving, which we will celebrate this Thursday.
Below is the twelfth post from Pastor Bob in an ongoing blog series designed to help Christians think through the issue of homosexuality in a careful and Biblical way. For more on the reason for this series, click here.
Question 12: Won’t the church lose its appeal to the broader culture if it expends too much energy fighting against gay marriage?
Below is the eleventh post from Pastor Bob in an ongoing blog series designed to help Christians think through the issue of homosexuality in a careful and Biblical way. For more on the reason for this series, click here.
Question 11: If Christians are against gay marriage, does that mean they are filled with hate?
