During this Christmas season, our pastor has offered a series of sermons revealing the truth of the gospel through carols. While delving into the deep message of the rather uncheerful old song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” these particular words urged me, as often happens, to employ them as a title. And where there’s a…
As we approach Thanksgiving, I find myself thinking about the people who recently went to church on a Sunday morning. They attended service that day for various reasons. Some out of obligation. Others because of habit. Some with deep commitment to obedience, with a love for Christ. With thanksgiving. They went to find peace in…
In my last blog post, Future Church, Part I, I wrote about the methods my church has adopted to assure the gospel continues to influence future generations. Most evangelical churches are utilizing similar practices. Historically, we’re only repeating a pattern of adaptation. Worship-style changes. Outreach is adjusted. We alter our ways to remain effective in…
The church I attend has moved into the here and now. I’ve been a member over thirty years so I’ve seen a lot of changes, but the progression in recent years has left some people with questions and concerns. Others have just left. They don’t like the loud music or the new methods of reaching…
God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hand we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen Most children, or at least those who learn to give thanks at mealtime, recite this little prayer. It teaches the basic lesson of expressing gratitude for God’s provision….
Hurricane Irma passed over my house, and everything else in Central Florida. I’ve lived in the area all my life, so the experience was nothing new. I stayed in bed most of the night, stirring occasionally to the roar of a tornado. Each time, I thought if the fierce sound grew any louder I’d rouse…
Through the ages evil has presented itself as good, and many who behold it see only goodness. It was that way in the beginning—in the Garden. And now, evil seems to mask itself everywhere we turn. Recent events brought evil into view in Charlottesville. The obvious wrong of the day was accompanied by something that…
Well, like last year I’m taking the summer off from blogging. Here’s what I’ll be working on: In a few weeks, I’ll release a novelette. If you’ve ever wondered what makes a book a novelette, a novella, or a novel, here’s the determining factor: A novelette contains between 7,500 and 17,499 words. A novella contains…
In a blog post a while back, I addressed the uniquely acquired native language of my people. We speak Christianese. We talk in code to one another. We gush it out to the unredeemed, who don’t understand it. With enough exposure, they pass it back and forth amongst themselves, injecting their own dialect until the…
In the last few days I’ve listened to a podcast from a Christian organization about transhumanism, and read an article declaring Elon Musk is on mission to link human brains with computers in four years. I was both surprised and relieved to hear a group of theologians discussing the issue. The moral, sociological, and even…
