As you have been taught before, worship is warfare. But over time, there are some in the church who want to be known as warriors, but do not want an actual fight. What is necessary is to exalt what might be called ceremonies of fighting. This gets the blood pumping, but then you can just …
Life From Bodies as Good as Dead
One of the things that a supper does is that it enables a family to gather around, and to do so as a family. One of the things that a family does in such situations is tell the story of the family. A people are shaped by the narrative that the people tell. Part of …
The Place Where Savorless Salt is Trampled
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, as a nation we have despised the relationships that You …
An Exhortation for the Fourth
As it happens, today, the Lord’s Day is also the Fourth of July, a national holiday. The fact that it is not a part of the church calendar should not prevent us from taking note of it, and resolving on several things as Christians who are also part of a nation that has been surpassingly …
Simple Reception
The reason why faith is the grace that God uses to justify us is that faith is entirely about receiving. Hope and love are things that we actively do, and even if we grant that God is the one who gives us this hope and love, it would be easy to get confused. It would …
A National Rejection of the Blood
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, we know that the sins of our nation are great …
7 Principles on Boys and Music
I have been asked by a correspondent, a teacher, how he might best study “how to motivate young men of middle and high school age to enjoy singing well to the glory of God.” Not knowing of any resources that are aimed directly at that topic specifically, I thought to jot down a few thoughts …
The Problem Character in the Sketch
You have been exhorted as a people numerous times to remember who you are in the story you are in. You have been asked to think about what kind of character you are. If the day you are having were a movie, what character would you be? And would it be a sympathetic character or …
Nothing But Gift
One of the hardest lessons for us to learn is that our salvation is all of grace. We know that it is by grace; we struggle with the idea that it is all of grace. We want to shoehorn something in there that distinguishes one from another. But, though there are distinctions, and sharp ones, …
Teetering on the Brink
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, we confess now that our nation teetering on the brink …