PSALM 121 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? 2 My help cometh from Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel Will neither slumber nor […]
Several years ago, when I pastored a church in Michigan, another nearby minister rose to international popularity as an “emergent” poster boy. His name is Rob Bell, his large mega-church was Mars Hill in Grandville, MI, and he had authored the books Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. The purpose of […]
Since April of 2001 I have been a minister of the gospel, and throughout my sixteen years of life as a pastor, I have collected thoughts that I would like to share with my fellow pastors and with those who desire to be pastors someday. Of course, there are more than sixteen reflections that I […]
The covenant of grace is the one covenant through which all believers are saved. It began in Genesis 3:15 with God’s promise to send a Savior and runs throughout redemptive history until Christ’s second coming. Although it was administered differently during different epochs of redemptive history, its substance remains the same in all periods. In […]
For many years, though critics questioned the historicity of the patriarchs, the exodus, and the biblical portrait of the settlement of the land of Canaan, the historicity of the monarchy in Israel was more or less assumed. But with the rise of postmodernity, many scholars began to cast doubt even on the period of David […]
Once a Christian school teacher told my wife and me that she believed it was important for the children in her kindergarten class to know why they were attending a school with “Christian” above the door. Hearing this, I thought, how wonderful. Here is a teacher who knows her responsibility as a teacher. Soon, I […]
In the last issue we began discussing the Secondary Dominant Domains™ of IRBC’s philosophical model of counseling. The Secondary Dominant Domains™ consist of the Environmental Domain™ and the Productive Domain™. Within the Environmental Domain™ are three different realms: The Spiritual, Social, and Physical. Last time we looked at the Spiritual Realm. In this article we […]
Leading the Congregational Singing Why is it that in some congregations the singing is so strong and powerful, while in others it is so feeble and lifeless? The acoustics of the sanctuary may have something to do with it; the size of the congregation may also play a role. But perhaps a partial explanation lies […]
Jesus brings division. He understood that this would be the case. He did not want his disciples to misconstrue the impact of his coming into the world: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matt. 10:34).1 He knew that people would […]
How Can I Understand Prophecy? All of us think about the end times. When we reflect on what will happen, not only when we die, but also when this present age ends, some combination of ideas, images, hopes, and fears flood our minds. And this is good. God wants us to reflect on the last […]