This past week Michael preached “Overcoming Anger” from James 1:19-26. Anger is an intense emotional response to being denied something we really want. It can be legitimate anger, but even so, typically the legitimacy of our anger soon intersects with the sin of our heart, and it leads us away from “the righteousness that God …
More →Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 I am a fan of profoundly simple and practical advice. There are plenty of instances in scripture where we are presented with spiritual …
More →I was texting with a friend of mine who, as I type, is in New Orleans, getting ready for the National Championship game tonight. He’s an LSU tiger fan and couldn’t be more excited to see his team fight for the highest prize in college football. No doubt the town is buzzing today with fans …
More →I have read through the Bible several times over the past few years and have found a couple of things helpful. 1. Use a Reading Guide to track your progress. Pretty much all you need to know can be found right here. Here is the plan that I like to use. 2. Choose a readable translation. Here’s a good rule …
More →In 2009, shortly after I moved here to Cincinnati, I mapped out a strategy for advancing our mission in this community. Although God has called us to plant a church in the inner city of Cincinnati, we have known from the beginning that our scope was much larger. So early on I developed a strategy …
More →This is the final part of this series, taken from the sermon “Barriers: Religion” at Christ the King Church. #7 Pharisees test others to include or exclude. The Pharisees did it to Jesus. In John 8:1-11, the Pharisees caught the woman in the act of adultery. But their whole point in doing this was to …
More →Continuing this post from last week, here are three more ways to tell if you’re a Pharisee. These are taken from a sermon at Christ the King Church called “Barriers: Religion.” #4 Pharisees don’t extend grace to others. The Pharisees were not interested in restoring this woman who was caught in adultery. Grace was not …
More →From a sermon at church yesterday, we discussed 10 Ways to Tell if You’re a Pharisee. I will post them all here throughout this week. The Scribes and Pharisees used a woman caught in the act of adultery as a pawn to get to Jesus in John 8:1-11. From this text, we can learn a …
More →This is a quote from Alexander Strauch’s book, “Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership” (p 98). Biblical elders do not dictate, they direct. True elders appeal to their [flocks] to faithfully follow God’s Word… Out of love, true elders suffer and bear the brunt of difficult people and problems so that …
More →This is a quote from John Dawson from YWAM (Youth with a Mission). Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a love for the lost? This is a term we use as part of our Christian jargon. Many believers search their hearts in condemnation, looking for the arrival of some feeling of …
More →Take 7 minutes and watch this video from Francis Chan.
More →This post from Kevin DeYoung lists 45 nuggets of wisdom for young pastors and theology students. If you’re a young pastor, a theology student, or someone who cares about the character of pastors, you’ll enjoy this post. Part One. Part Two.
More →Here is a very interesting video series where Mark Dever and Jim Wallis discuss the relationship between the gospel and social justice. The staff at my church has been wrestling through ways to practically live out the reconciling message of the gospel in our neighborhood. Part One deals with racial reconciliation in the local church. …
More →A recent article on CNN identifies what they call “fake” Christianity and describes it as a “watered-down faith that portrays God as a ‘divine therapist’ whose chief goal is to boost people’s self-esteem.” This brand of Christianity is very common in today’s churches, especially those geared towards attracting young people. But instead of attracting them, …
More →Every man needs to watch this video. The takeaway idea for me is this: I don’t want there to be another man who has a bigger dream for God’s work in my city than me. Watch it and see what I mean.
More →Read the whole thing here. 1. Am I fully persuaded that a course of action is right? 2. Can I do it as though I were doing it for God? 3. Would following a course of action be a stumbling block to other Christians? 4. Does this course of action promote peace? 5. Does this …
More →Great Post today from Dr. Russell Moore about Glenn Beck’s rally in Washington, DC. Read the whole thing here. A few gems… Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there …
More →In the heart of every leader is this inevitable dissatisfaction with the status quo which drives him to lead. That’s normal. Some have even called it a “divine discontent.” It is part of God’s call on a leader. There is an ugly and sinful side to this, however, and it affects those of us who …
More →I wrote and recorded this song with my band, Sign of Jonah, back in 1997. Since we are doing baptism at Christ the King Church tomorrow, I remembered this song and decided to post it here. Water Free Water Free All of my friends gather closely As we celebrate life and death and resurrection We …
More →“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.
More →There’s a guy in my church who’s gotten serious about killing his desire for pornography. After realizing that he has had a longer relationship with pornography than any girlfriend, he decided that he’d had enough. He was married to pornography and it was time to get a divorce. This isn’t a “struggle,” he’s not going …
More →I gave a recent sermon at Christ the King Church regarding the Bible’s teaching that we should “redeem the time.” This means that every second of every day counts and should be dedicated to God. But how do we do this when time always seems so short? After some reflection, I’ve compiled a list of …
More →Here’s a roundup.
More →Ray Ortland, a well respected pastor and teacher, talks about how sex with his wife keeps getting “better and better” even now that they are both sixty years old. He says your sex life as a married couple does not decline after 30 or 40 or 50. He offers four bits of advice for a …
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