The Ominous Threat Surrounding Missionaries in Ukraine

“What keeps my wife and me here in Ukraine? We’re staying for the sake of the little band of believers in our church whom we love. We’re walking together with them in good times and in bad. And what keeps me coming to the seminary? It’s the Ukrainian students who hunger to study and put into practice Bible exposition and Christ-saturated biblical theology—even in these uncertain times.”

Marks of Manhood

“No one reveals true manhood more than Jesus. The Christ who boldly threw tables over in the Temple and faithfully rebuked evil religious leaders, is the same Jesus who compassionately dealt with the sick and the sinful, loving laid down His life for His people, and affectionately allowed Himself to be leaned upon by the Apostle John. Jesus teaches us that manhood is not first and foremost a sort of grizzly outdoorsmanship. Rather, in Christ we find the complexity of characteristics that God intended for Adam to embody at creation.”

Entering into the Loneliness of Job

“The friends came with kind intentions. They came together. They brought with them the wisdom of the world, all the resources available within the world to comfort their suffering friend. But they were bankrupt, able to sympathize up to a point but utterly unable to comfort.”

Imagining Your “Well Done”

“There’s one thing that always bothered me about the practice of writing your own eulogy. It emphasizes living a life motivated by what other people will say about you. When, instead, we should be living for an audience of One.”

Every Need Is Not A Call 

“In such a sea of needs, how are we, with our limited abilities and understanding, to discern which works are ours to do? How are we to know when to say yes and when to say no? How will we know which people we can help, which causes we can support—and which ones we can’t?”

You Just Can’t Have it All

“A pastor who is an especially powerful preacher may be an especially weak counselor; elders who are skilled and vociferous in defending the truth may fall short in grace and love; a church that takes worship services seriously may be lax when it comes to evangelism. None of these weaknesses is defensible and none of them is okay. Yet some kind of imperfection is always inevitable on this side of glory.”

5 Myths About Sin

“Sin is deceptive, both in its capacity to tempt us to follow its lead and in the way it confuses and clouds our thinking. It is the latter and sin’s many myths that I want to address in this article.”

What A Pastor Brings Race Conversations – A Review of Talking About Race by Isaac Adams

“It’s one thing to theorize about the importance of hard, honest conversations. It’s quite another to be a pastor in a multiracial setting who learns how to moderate those conversations and move them in a productive direction. To this end, Adams relates his experiences as a pastor shepherding individuals of different races.”

For Those Disheartened in Serving

“It’s easy to become disheartened in our serving, when we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Leaders become weary and exhausted amidst changes and forceful pushback. More than one are asking the question, “Why keep doing this?” 

Songs in the Night

“We would not, at first thought, naturally reason that a time of struggle, suffering, or pain is also a time for singing, especially when God seems absent and hidden. It can almost seem cruel to suggest that a hurting, disillusioned soul should sing. Crying, wondering, and groaning seem more fitting. But singing?”

The Success of Others

“Real life was never intended to be a race to power, influence, or wealth, as if the prize of significance is only won by the most talented achiever and everyone else is just a runner up (which is a nice way to say loser). Real life is not a reality show. It’s a gift.”

My Story: Finding God’s Grace Sufficient in a Messy Relationship

“It was then I realized, I needed to accept this relationship for what it was. It would never be what it could’ve been, but by God’s grace, it was more than it should’ve been. It wasn’t what I had envisioned reconciliation looking like for us, but at least it was something.”

Who in the World am I Preaching to?

“The clarity of my speech will matter, the integrity of my exegesis will count for a lot, the fervency of my prayers is crucial, but self-consciously thinking through who I am addressing can easily slip from the list of priorities. In this post I want to suggest that this is a key mistake, and one which can act as barrier to effective communication from the pulpit.”

Unwrapping our Expectations

“The astounding grace of the gospel is the discovery of our Saviour and His promised return to make all things new. Every wrinkle in our plans points to the fact we are not in control of this world. God is.”

So It Is With Grace

“Christian, if you are experiencing minuscule growth in your walk with Christ, don’t become discouraged, frustrated, or annoyed. There is certainly value in some discouragement simply because you shouldn’t be complacent. However, don’t despair. God is still molding you, still shaping you, still forming you into the image of Christ.”

No Creaky Wallet Love

When a Good God Seems Far from Good

“No matter what we may be enduring, we usually know the right answer – “Yes, this is hard, but God is still good.” And yet there are times when we say those words and truly want to believe them, but underneath we’re wrestling with, “How can a good and loving Father allow this? I don’t feel his love and care for me right now. No matter how hard I try, I can’t see any way that he can bring good through this.”

Pastors Should Have Friends in the Church. Do They?

“Yes, pastors and their wives should have close friends within the church, but this doesn’t mean they will. Such a sentence is hard to write; it is an even harder reality to face. Friendships within the church are so often difficult for pastors and their families.”

The Neglected Ministry of Specific Encouragement 

“You will almost certainly come across someone today who needs encouragement. Yes, today. Make the most of this opportunity by making your encouragement specific, asking how the person did it, and giving credit to the Holy Spirit.”

Know the Ideal Church. Commit to the Real Church.

“You will never find a local Church that perfectly exhibits all the desired traits given in the New Testament. In fact, local Churches in the New Testament time didn’t even exhibit those traits perfectly (see 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and the letters to the 7 Churches in Revelation). So when you are looking for a local Church to join, look for one where you see its members and leadership who are aware and are striving for the New Testament ideal.”

In the Darkest Night: Draw Near, Hold Fast, Consider Others

“In the darkest season of my life, I was lifted decisively out of the pit by a passage in the book of Hebrews. The three simple commands embedded in it made all the difference.”

When the Soul Feels Its Worth

“Christmas declares that our souls have worth – the greatest worth – and that we have been seen. Noticed. Wanted. Loved.”

Sin, Sorrow, and the Joy of Christmas

“If this Christmas season is passing you by, and the thoughts of your Savior have not yet moved you to worship, may the meditation of our great God and his gospel invigorate our sin-embattled hearts and produce once again the childlike wonder of the Christmas season.”

Tis the Season for Regret?

“Christmas is often filled with regret, especially when we compare the Hallmark ideal with the realities of life in a broken world. It shines a bright light on pasts that are often filled with trauma, the gaping wounds where love once was or should’ve been, and the hardships nibbling at us in the present.”

Bethlehem: Little Town, Big Significance

“But even as frazzled, self-focused, world-enthralled people rush right past the Lamb of God born in Bethlehem for us, we remember the angels who sang, the shepherds who came, and the wise men who knelt before the Lamb of God, the Shepherd-King, the Bread of Life.”

Marvel’s Universe, TikTok Timeline Shifters, and the Kingdom of God

“Modern people live in a disenchanted world, where the universe is reducible to meaningless, material stuff. You do not find yourself by looking outside yourself, but rather by looking inside. This me-centered universe promises freedom—you can finally self-define, self-discover and self-express—but only delivers anxiety because the possibilities of selfhood are endless. Without a creator God to define me, how do I know the right me to become? And what if I choose wrong?”