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Paul and the Philippian believers enjoyed a partnership grounded in the gospel. Theirs wasn’t a static fellowship based on a little bit of common belief. Rather, it was a deepening friendship that blossomed as they continued “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” and to “work out” their salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 1:27; 2:12).... continue reading
Every part of our stories is something caught between poetry and passing comments. One moment, the sun is rising and the birds are welcoming a new day as the breeze floats across the marshes. The next, you drop the almost-ready avocado you found at the grocery store and lament that it’s probably ruined. (Spoiler alert: you just paid almost two dollars for a ruined avocado.)... continue reading
The Puritans were people of prayer. Many Puritan pastors rose early to pray, like Joseph Alleine who spent the time between 4am and 8am in personal worship, and felt ashamed if he heard the blacksmith at work before he was at prayer. Each year Isaac Ambrose took himself off into the woods for a month to spend uninterrupted time alone in prayer and meditation. Puritan families were encouraged to read the Scriptures and pray together each morning and evening, with pastors providing model prayers for those who were unsure where to begin.... continue reading
Dear reader,
I am a compulsive doodler. Whether it’s a notepad to scrawl on when I’m on the phone or the drawings and notes I make during my husband’s weekly sermon, I can always be found with pens and bits of paper trailing in my wake.... continue reading
The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom of sour self-sacrifice, long-faced long-suffering, or dour duty. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom where people do backwards things, things like giving up everything they have, and they do it out of pure, overflowing, unstoppable joy (Matthew 13:44)! Why? Because everything you have is nothing compared to the untold riches of heaven. Because giving everything in service to God and the bigger story he is writing is no loss if you’re already secure in your identity.... continue reading
Jesus came to save small people, because that’s the only size people come in. The fact that he came to the lowest and smallest of humanity is stunning, but not as stunning as the fact that he came to humanity in the first place. The biggest step down for Jesus was leaving heaven. After that giant leap, the steps between human social classes were tiny. The best of our palaces wouldn’t be that impressive to a man who is at home on heaven’s throne. Nothing we have on our tiny speck of dust in the stars could compare to where he came from.... continue reading
When Esther hesitated to speak to King Ahasuerus about Haman’s plot against the Jews, Mordecai’s response was, to quote Iain M. Duguid in Esther and Ruth, Reformed Expository Commentary, “grounded in the reality and necessity of God’s intervention.”... continue reading
For the first time in ministry, I was genuinely tempted to close up my heart. I told myself I would love the church, counsel the church, pray for the church, and preach the gospel to the church as best as I could, but I would no longer befriend the church. Friends would be found elsewhere.... continue reading
Everyone who was friends with Chris knew he lived purposefully. Everything he did was intentional. Whether it was learning a new hobby, researching a leadership development tool, finding a new fishing lure that worked, or perfecting a card trick—all things we both loved—he was fully invested, which is why we got along so well.
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Normally, a disciple would ask a teacher if they could learn the Torah from him. But in this case, it is the other way around. Not only that, but Jesus did not ask. He commanded. In this sense he is more like a prophet than a normal teacher. But here the surprise goes further. Prophets did not call people to follow themselves but God. Yet Jesus commanded people to “follow me” (my emphasis). Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the Lord and King.... continue reading
