Sorry for the paucity of posts, and the reason for this is that I have been on the road. More specifically, I have been delighted to have been (once again) a guest speaker at the Auburn Avenue Pastors’ Conference. Just finished at noon today. As always the singing was stupenderous, the hospitality top drawer, and …
Flourishing Green
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Oh, bless the man who does not walk, Where ungodly men give their wisdom. Bless the man who will not stand Where sinners stand, Where the scornful sit. His true delight is in the law, His meditation in the Lord, Day and …
Playing Tennis With the Devil
Once there was a young Christian man who had a terrible day. Everywhere he went, and everywhere he turned, there was some temptation waiting for him there, leering. On the way out the door to school, his mother asked him three times if he wanted his gloves, and by the time he got to the …
The Postmill Culprit?
In a discussion this morning at breakfast, some of the men in our gathering were talking (not surprisingly) about the federal vision controversy that has recently heated up again. One of the things that was noted is that there are some issues that are not currently part of the controversy, but which are real indicators …
Invisible and Eschatological
The Westminster Confession of Faith defines the invisible church as “the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one” (XXV.i). Some of you may know that over the last several days, I have been commenting on Scott Clark’s blog, and trying to carry on a discussion there, albeit …
Federal Vision Haiku Poetry Contest
In the spirit of whatever it is, I thought I would offer a short cycle of federal vision haiku poems. Anyone who feels similarly inspired can make their contributions in the comments section. Once it is apparent the creative springs have dried up, or perhaps never got started, as the case may be, I will …
Layered Loyalties
We have already learned about ultimate loyalties. But we learn in this chapter that ultimate loyalties are meaningless unless we learn to set them alongside certain lesser loyalties. “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or wonder . . .” (Deuteronomy 13:1-18). The land they …
The Company of the Peeved
Even though we are Christians, a forgiven people, we still struggle with remaining sin. God in His ultimate wisdom did not choose to translate us immediately to heaven the moment we were converted. His desire is for us to learn how to love Him, over the course of our lives, when there is an adversary …
State of the Church 2007
Introduction: Our God has blessed us in innumerable ways over the last few years. One of those blessings has been growth, and it has been the kind of growth that has been hard to channel through the normal kind of “new members’ classes.” And so, this year the state of the church message is going …
The Gods NASDAQ and DOW
We cannot understand the world around us apart from right worship. And yet, day after day, we see a world which cries out to be understood. We see conflict, distress, warfare, and oppression, and we sometimes despair of comprehending our role in it. This problem has been accentuated by the current war, but this actually …