There is much more I can say about this.  
I determined early on my family’s development that I would always go to Sunday Church. I think the reason was this: that I wanted my kids to love the church, even in it’s glaring flaws and inconsistencies. Since that time, the Local Church has not been exemplary in its display of the biblical standard. Yet, we have rarely missed attendance over the years.

There is a growing interest in departing from the church along with its local manifestations. …

I am loving the gospels more and more every day. My good friend Paul Hartung has advised me to be always and consistently reading the Gospels and the Psalms; I think he is right….  (Mark 1:34)
Jesus so often commanded both demons and those who were healed by him of demons and other sicknesses and maladies to not speak a word about who he was or what he did.
I read today this about the “hidden-ness” of Christ: That which changes the human heart and ultimately compels one to recognize and follow …

Doctrines are not God:  they are only a kind of map. But that map is based on the experience of hundreds of people who really were in touch with God.
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity Bk IV, Chap 1, para 4, p136

We need regular reminder of the role presuppositions play in our interpretation (of scripture) and we must moderate our opinion with healthy doses of humility.  Blomberg I Corinthians, NIVAC p 226
Traditional consensus, of course, is not inspired, but weighty arguments are needed to overthrow it.  Craig Blomberg, I Corinthians, NIVAC p …

I thought you would enjoy this article written by my son Sam…

Throughout the history of Christianity, many great apologists and philosophers have attempted to develop logical arguments to rationally demonstrate that God exists. One of the most notable of these attempts is that of St. Thomas Aquinas, who laid out several persuasive arguments for God’s existence in his multi-volume work Summa Theologica. No argument can really prove God’s existence, but cumulatively they can be very compelling and persuasive. One of the less well known of them but one I …

“In the beginning God created man in his own image, ever since we have been returning the favor.”
God is different from us.  Let’s get that straight. We are not God!
Let me give an illustration how different God is from us.  In Romans 12.19, Paul commands us to not take revenge, but to leave room for the wrath of God, and he quotes Deut. 32.35:  Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
What I get from this is that God, because of his infinite perfections, can act righteously in actions which we are …

The key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel.
I have read and reread the article by Dr.Timothy Keller on The Centrality of the Gospel.   I hope this excerpt challenges you as it does me every time I read it…
Since Paul uses a metaphor for being “in line” with the gospel, we can consider that gospel renewal occurs when we keep from walking “off-line” either to the right or to the left. The key for thinking out the implications of the gospel is …

This is a response to a comment on my post “the happiness of God.” I felt it important to post on this because so many of us seems to glibly make statements about God’s nature without truly thinking it through.  I don’t suggest this was done by my commenter, but it does stir up in me the desire to state emphatically how important it is for us to think!  And especially to think right about God!  Even though he is infinite and all-sufficient, He HAS declared a lot about …

I am not a great preacher, neither have I studied much hermeneutics and I can’t seem to get my mind around these types of books (The Meaning of Meaning?).  But I do struggle with some of the current preaching today.  Can I give a few suggestions to those of you who stand behind a pulpit or even sit and present a bible study in your home?  Assuming you are true to the text….
1.  Avoid moralism! Your listeners are wired to think moralistically.   In other words, they already are looking to …

My good friend Jay Crowdus encouraged me to share this story.
Recently, one evening my wife and I were getting ready for bed, but the kids were still awake. I still have six kids at home ranging from 21 years old to my twins at 10 years.  They were all in the bedroom next to us.  My wife, knowing that it was getting late, called out to them to “get to bed!”  But I noticed something going on that numerous times has brought such delight and happiness to my soul, so …

One verse that has helped me understand the righteousness of Hell is the following
Romans 12:19  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. (NAU)
A couple things from this verse:
1.  There are some things that God prohibits us from doing, while at the same time He sovereignly permits Himself to do.
2.  Inferred in this verse is this: What we cannot do without sinning, God does without sin.
In other words, we are human, …