Posts with the category “shepherding-from-a-joyful-pastor”

I remember being a fairly young Christian and thinking to myself, “That’s what those other churches do, you know those congregations who believe that you are saved by your works. They don’t understand...  Read More

It is one small commandment, one of the Ten, that has big impact: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). It is easy for us to pass over this commandment that simply means a person cannot take what does...  Read More

There are some words we use as Christians that are a regular part of our vocabulary and yet we never stop to define them or to think about what they mean. There is no word of which this is truer than ...  Read More

During a recent morning walk I saw a sad encounter between a mom and her child on the sidewalk in front of their home. The mom was trying to get the young boy to go to school and he was yelling and sc...  Read More

Imagine these following scenarios. A car traveling east on Interstate 80 decides to construct its own rules and speed limit by driving in the west bound lane at 100 miles an hour. The outcome? Disaste...  Read More

In Jeremiah 13:23 the prophet, after telling Judah they will face judgment from a northern enemy, addresses the topic of repentance. Yet rather than calling them to make a 180 degree turn from the imm...  Read More

When it comes to God, too many people, including Christians, are like an individual who thinks they know the president of the United States since he greeted them during a White House tour.  In other w...  Read More

In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus gives us an important lesson in hope without using that word. He says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in...  Read More

Over the past nine years I have encouraged the use of The New City Catechism (hereafter NCC), which debuted in 2017. This catechism derives from both the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647, hereafter...  Read More

Church, I am writing this article with my own self-interest in mind. I would like to encourage you to pray for me and all our pastors/elders at the church. This guidance for prayer arises from gloriou...  Read More

It is easy for people to think that my continual emphasis upon joy is a secondary issue that a Christian can take or leave—it doesn’t really matter. If that is how you respond, prepare to change, for ...  Read More

I enjoy reading biographies. Not long ago I read one that had been on my reading list for a long time: My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir, by Clarence Thomas. In this work Justice Thomas tells how he was ...  Read More

Recently Karen and I have had significant time watching all or a portion of our grandchildren. Not only have these times been special because we love them and love to be with them, they have been such...  Read More

In this article I cover the remaining eight biblical reasons to oppose Socialism and Communism and, at the same time to advocate for a biblical approach to government, work, and economics. 9. God’s de...  Read More

Socialism and Communism are political and economic theories that advocate centralized, government-focused ownership, control, and distribution of goods, services, and property among a nation or people...  Read More