A Pastor's Perspective

Don't Assume

2012-03-03T11:19:00.003-06:00

"Don’t assume you know all the facts after hearing one side of the story. Don’t assume the person is guilty just because strong charges are made against him. Don’t assume you understand a blogger’s heart after reading one post. Don’t assume that famous author, preacher, athlete, politician, or local celebrity won’t read what you write and don’t assume they won’t care what you say. Don’t

Prayer of a Minor Prophet - by A.W. Tozer

2012-02-20T17:56:00.001-06:00

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Savior in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him. And he said: O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou has

Jesus, Canon, and Theology

2012-02-19T23:42:00.002-06:00

In the video below Darrell L. Bock, Daniel B. Wallace, and Ben Witherington discuss various controversies and misunderstandings made about the canon of scripture. They also deal with Bart Ehrman's books (such as Misquoting Jesus). If you have read any books which citicize the Scriptue or are interested in textual criticism, or if you are just interested in how the Canon of Scripture came about I

Please pray for me...

2012-02-05T07:11:00.000-06:00

“Please pray for me, that I may have both spiritual and physical strength to perform my duties; that I may not only speak the truth but become the truth; that I may not only be called a Christian, but also live like a Christian. Yet I do not want people to look to me as an example, for at best I can only be a pale reflection of Christ Jesus; let people look away from the reflection and turn

Perfect

2012-01-26T13:50:00.001-06:00

"It is possible to be perfect - whole, complete, undivided - in our devotion to Him, and if our obedience is always unintentionally limited by matters beyond our control, such as ignorance or imperception, it is nevertheless possible for a person to give an obedience which is perfect, that is, flawless, utterly without blame. However, that kind of heart and that kind of a life are never merely

Called to be Holy

2012-01-26T03:52:00.001-06:00

"the holiness which God expects of his people is behavioral, and it is a behavior which cuts right across the grain of life, touching every aspect of it, whether personal, social, moral, civil or religious. When God calls his people to be holy as he is holy, he is not merely asking them to live lives exclusively dedicated to him. Neither is he asking them to be especially religious. Rather, he is

Love that makes your blood run cold

2011-12-31T04:35:00.001-06:00

"Furthermore, especially [John] Piper (and no doubt other Calvinists) wishes to say that God has genuine compassion on the nonelect for whom Christ did not die as an atoning sacrifice. "There is a general love of God that he bestows on all his creatures," but this is not the love God has for his elect. And, according to Piper, God has sincere compassion even for the nonelect so that he desires

YouVersion

2011-12-03T14:34:00.001-06:00

I love YouVersion! I have the app on my Android phone, my iPad, and I use it online. I use Youversion for my personal devotions (currently using the One Year Bible plan) and my wife and I started the Rediscovering the Christmas Season plan on December 1. Below is an interesting infographic about YouVersion:

John Wesley on Reading

2011-11-19T19:05:00.001-06:00

"What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear to this day, is want of reading. I scarce ever knew a preacher read so little. And perhaps, by neglecting it, you have lost the taste for it. Hence your talent in preaching does not increase. It is just the same as it was seven years ago. It is lively, but not deep; there is little variety, there is no compass of thought. Reading

The Use of the Law

2011-11-09T17:42:00.002-06:00

Today I was reading John Wesley's sermon on "The Original, Nature, Property, and Use of the Law" (sermon #34). Below is Wesley's concluding point of the message. I believe that the use of the Law is absolutely essential for the reasons he stated. One of my concerns for the Church today is the scarcity of emphasis on repentance. One cannot be saved unless they repent and how can they repent

Happy in the Lord

2011-11-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

“According to my judgement the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God

He impresses me more and more...

2011-10-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Our Next President?

2011-10-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Bald for Baby!

2011-10-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

180 - watch this!

2011-09-26T15:35:00.001-05:00

I would rather preach...

2011-09-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. It's been a long week and a longer day. It's Saturday night and Sunday's coming. Despite my weariness and my overwhelming sense of inadequacy these words by Samuel Chadwick ring true in my own heart. I would rather preach than do anything else I know in this world. I have never missed a chance to preach. I would rather preach than eat my dinner, or have a holiday or anything else

Take a nap!

2011-09-11T15:37:00.001-05:00

According to Winston Churchill: You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That’s what I always do. Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imaginations. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one—well, at least one and a

The only way to avoid problems in church...

2011-08-05T15:32:00.002-05:00

Roy T. Williams (1883-1946) was an evangelist and General Superintendent of the Nazarene Church. He once said that the only way to avoid having any problems in a church was this: “Don't take in any new members and chloroform the ones you already have. Every person is a potential problem.” Forgive me, I found this humorous ;-)

What loosens your tongue?

2011-08-04T14:59:00.003-05:00

"Wine loosens the tongue, but out flows uninhibited and uncensored gibberish. The Spirit loosens the tongue, too, but there flows communication that edifies others and glorifies God." - Richard S. Taylor

What sin is...

2011-08-04T14:45:00.003-05:00

"Sin is not a thing. It is a choice, an act of a finite will. It is the suicide of the soul. It can never be a matter of compulsion. It is always avoidable. And it always brings a separation between God and man." W.T. Purkiser

What holiness is

2011-08-02T13:51:00.003-05:00

“Holiness is the life of God in the soul; the image of God fresh stamped on the heart, an entire renewal of the mind in every temper and thought, after the likeness of Him that created it.” - John Wesley

The Apostle Paul's community-oriented gospel

2011-07-23T10:58:00.001-05:00

"One of our chief evangelical blind spots has been to overlook the central importance of the church. We tend to proclaim individual salvation without moving on to the saved community. We emphasize that Christ died for us "to redeem us from all iniquity" rather than "to purify for himself a people of his own." We think of ourselves more as "Christians" than as "churchmen," and our message is

Nice ad

2011-07-15T10:47:00.004-05:00

I've not really been a huge fan of Tim Pawlenty but I do like his most recent ad. The ad is designed to drum up support among the evangelical Republican primary voters in Iowa. It's nice to see a politician who's not ashamed to declare his beliefs and stand by them. We'll see it he continues to do so in the months ahead...

A quote I'm pondering...

2011-07-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

“You know why you like to protest? Because whenever you protest, you’re saying you’re not the problem!” This quote is from Paul David Tripp and I got it from an article entitled "The Smokescreen of Protesting." Good thoughts to think about...

Jerusalem!

2011-07-11T23:07:00.001-05:00