O Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say: A Theology of Speaking Well
Perhaps we have all been frustrated by a persnickety grammarian or pronunciation nag in our lives—the kind of person who leaps on every misplaced modifier in our speech or authoritatively demands that his pronunciation of a word is far superior to how your regional accent forms the sound. Or, maybe we have been guilty of it ourselves from time to time. While this sort of priggish nitpicking is frustrating and counterproductive, we...
Reformed Arminianism and Real Assurance
by Benjamin G. Campbell The assurance of salvation that believers possess comes about only through a gospel-centered, Christ-focused, Spirit-empowered theology of salvation. In his work, All of Grace,Charles Haddon Spurgeon correctly remarks, “If we are found faithful, it will be because God is faithful. On the faithfulness of our covenant [with] God the whole burden of our salvation must rest.”[1]Insofar as many people battle with...
Musings on Fatherhood and the Bible
One of my deepest longings in this life is to be a good father to my three boys. And yet I constantly feel like I fall woefully short. It is an unachievable goal, and yet daily it is within my reach. Each morning I wake up, and I have the opportunity to follow the Biblical commands laid before me and to exercise the wisdom of God as I interact with, lead, and guide my children. But I know I miss the mark. In the moments of losing my...
What Is a Church?
Sometime ago, after giving a devotion to a Christian club at a local school, some of the adult sponsors talked with each about the meeting while cleaning up the classroom. During the discussion, one person mentioned how some of the students who attended may have never heard the gospel. Some of the young people were not a part of a local church, and they had no Christian influence in their life. This discussion prompted one sponsor to...
Relentless Ministry and Relying on Jesus: A Devotional Reflection on Mark 6:30–44
Over the past year and a half, the coronavirus pandemic brought myriads of challenges, heartaches, and headaches to everyone. For pastors and church leaders in particular, ministering in the midst of the pandemic proved frustrating. Luddite pastors like myself spent countless hours figuring out the technological means by which we might minister to our congregations (running a camera, building church websites, creating a social media...
Mothering in Church: Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good
Many seasons of life present us with difficult situations. Caring for elderly parents, battling chronic illness, entering or ending a career—such circumstances all present unique challenges, and they can make church attendance and fellowship with the body of Christ difficult to achieve. Mothering young children is another season that can present a challenge as we strive toward spiritual growth and community with a local body of...
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