Bible, theology, culture, etc.
The Exodus represents the archetypical act of Israel’s deliverance in the Old Testament. It is through the triumph of Yahweh over the powers of Egypt (represented by Pharaoh) that all future generations would see and remember the mighty right hand of Yahweh working salvation for their people (Ex 15). However, prior to the fantastic signs … Continue reading The תנן of Exodus 7
https://youtu.be/XFnrysxgr0w Mrs. Turpin, the main character in Flannery O’Connor’s 1964 short story Revelation, may be the most well-written, modern-day Pharisee in all of literature. Mrs. Turpin is a rural, Southern, church-going, landowner who owns a large farm, and believes that God has given her a little bit of everything and the good sense to know … Continue reading God Chose the Foolish (1 Cor 1:26-31)
https://youtu.be/TAxe6fuaprc It’s third grade in Mrs. Baker’s class at Sunset View Elementary. Recess has just begun and you are being lined up by the biggest kids in class to play a game of kickball. Each team captain begins to pick who they want on their team. It’s seventh grade in your third-hour English class. Mrs. Williamson … Continue reading The Folly of the Cross (1 Cor 1:18-25)
How should a pastor respond to false teaching in his church? With no shortage of heresy, the pages of church history have shown a myriad of examples of how the church has responded to false teachers in the past. From excommunication to execution, Christendom has always, though often imperfectly, fought to defend the faith once … Continue reading “Rebuke Them Sharply”: Critical Rebukes, Gentleness, and Tone in the Pastoral Epistles
There are plenty of resources out there that answer other questions about what marriage is and is not. I do not intend to answer those questions in this article, at least not directly. My aim here is to imagine I were sitting down with you in my office to discuss how to respond to a real, flesh and … Continue reading I’ve Been Invited to a Same-Sex Wedding. What Do I Do?
Here is the idea: if you have the ability, you should build/buy/rent a home with a spare bedroom(s) with the explicit purpose of using it for the Kingdom. There are many ways we can use our house for the Kingdom. You can have people over for meals, host a small group, use it to bless your own … Continue reading Use Your Big House to the Glory of God
Teach me, my God and King, In all things Thee to see, And what I do in anything To do it as for Thee. Not rudely, as a beast, To run into an action; But still to make Thee prepossest, And give it his perfection. A man that looks on glass, On it may stay … Continue reading The Elixir by George Herbert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtS1InmRo-s Note: This talk was given to High School guys. Transcript “All things were created through Him and for Him.” – Col. 1:16 We host Let’s Talk every quarter because of that verse. If your view of the Bible is that it is only a helpful guide when dealing with “spiritual” things, like church, … Continue reading Let’s Talk: Sex
"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils." C.S. Lewis' brilliant work, The Screwtape Letters, a fictitious correspondence between two demons, begins with these now famous words found in the introduction, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve … Continue reading Charlie Charlie: Screwtape’s Great Hope
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. - Mark 4:9-10 I have often been perplexed by Jesus' reasoning for why He used parables - mostly because Jesus' answer seemed to be the opposite of what I had always been … Continue reading Jesus’ Confounding Parables
Marc Sims 