VP of Research & Resource Development at
@NAMB_SBC
- Visiting professor at Cedarville University - Columnist
@TGC
- Author of "The Thrill of Orthodoxy"
Just weeks ago, the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian (and father of one of the children killed yesterday) preached on Jesus as Death’s Conqueror, even as He wept before the tomb of Lazarus.
Pray for this family and for this church. God, be near.
When a kid has a rough day and bedtime comes and they’re sorry for acting up, I love saying “I love you on bad days, not just good days. You wake up to new mercies tomorrow. Don’t you forget it.” God knows I’ve needed to hear that myself after rough days of parenting.
"Conversational narcissism" -- this is the mistake that is so easy for us to make when we're trying to comfort a grieving friend. I've done it. I've had it done to me. This article explains why it's a bad move.
Fascinating to see how parts of Jesus’ sermon on the mount and the letter of James can be found in seed form in Mary’s song of praise. This woman prayed and sang songs like this to her boys. And the fruit is everywhere.
Watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” with the family and just realized that it’s 1919 when Mr. Gower the druggist lost his son to the flu. Never thought of the Great Influenza pandemic as being a part of this movie, and I’ve seen it so many times.
Do you feel the world is broken?
We do.
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
We do.
But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through?
We do.
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
We do.
“It does cost something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run.” –J. C. Ryle
"People who cannot restrain their own baser instincts, who cannot treat one another with civility, are not capable of self-government... without virtue, a society can be ruled only by fear, a truth that tyrants understand all too well." - Chuck Colson
Sotomayor asked aloud whether the court would “survive the stench” that overruling Roe and Casey would create. With all due respect, Roe and Casey are the source of the stench.
#SCOTUS
It is bizarre to me that some are now championing Roseanne as ‘conservative.’ Growing up in a conservative Christian home, I wasn’t allowed to watch that show because it was a crass example of cultural decline. Everything’s upside down nowadays.
Democrat presidential candidate Robert Francis O'Rourke says that he will take away the tax-exempt status of churches if they do not believe in same-sex marriage
Regarding reports about "gender affirmation" surgeries and treatments on minors at Vanderbilt, it is not "bullying," "terrorism" or "hatred" to recognize the permanent physical effects on children and to reject the perverse financial incentives of hospitals involved.
Writing tip: don't let your inner author and your inner editor in the same room at the same time. They won't get along and you'll be paralyzed by their infighting.
The older I get, the more I study Scripture, the more life experiences I have with Jesus, the more I find the most profound and necessary and desperate words I can pray are this: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."
.
@BethMooreLPM
has been a consistent source of wisdom and encouragement to me—someone who has prayed for me over the years, and I will be forever grateful for her kindness.
Here’s something to remember, for perspective— what happens on Sunday in churches across our nation, where the gospel is preached and King Jesus is exalted, is exponentially more eternally significant than what we’ve witnessed tonight.
I just can't get my head around the fact that Rachel Held Evans has died. I knew it was serious and had been praying, but man... we're the same age, with young families, in good health. What an awful reminder of how fragile we are. Lord, be with her family.
I’m glad these reporters enjoy seeing faith in the public square. But when Republicans do this, we get cries of “theocracy” and “extremist.” Please, for the sake of unity in the future, be consistent.
What kind of Great Commission people are we if we move heaven and earth to send out missionaries to spread the gospel abroad, but cannot muster the will to stop predators from “slaughtering the faith” of people at home?
#SBC
Wherever you stand on comp/egal debates, surely biblical manhood should be marked by a visceral reaction and forceful opposition to any man who would belittle and mock a woman in this fashion.
I know the SBC has welcomed politicians on occasion going back 45 years, but has there ever been a full-blown campaign speech like this one?
#SBC18
#SBCAM18
Tim Keller’s last video recorded message for Redeemer.
“Forget yourself. Forget your reputation. Seekest thou great things for yourself? Seek them not.”
Some thoughts I wrote down in 2007: If a “fundamentalist” is someone who believes in the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith (virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection, inspiration of Scripture), then count me in. I’m not ashamed of that label.
If you're a classic TV fan, you've got to admit this is pretty cool. The Brady Bunch cast is reuniting on HGTV to do a renovation of their iconic house. Let's hope they don't find that Tiki necklace anywhere.
This stat! "African Americans are the only racial group in the US that sees the Bible as more important for the moral fabric of the country than the Constitution."
President Biden quotes the book of Isaiah in his speech addressing those killed today in Afghanistan: “Who shall I send?” “The American military has been answering for a long time, ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’”
Mighty Moses says, “But I can’t speak, Lord.”
Jeremiah says, “I’m too young, Lord.”
Gideon says, “Give me some sort of sign first!”
But Mary hears the news and says, “May it be so.”
Our daughter in sixth grade has been reading on The Johnstown Flood for a book report, and when she looked at the library card, she saw I checked out the same book from the same library when I was nine years old!
Pray with me for some of the pastors in the Parkland, FL area:
@eddiebevill
@bradleyboyette
@JimmyScroggins
Sal Cavarretta, Larry Brister, Adam Alley, Jeffery Smith -- that they will "to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort they receive from God."
Contrary to what many popular self-help books will tell you -- your heart is too small, your life is too short, your will is too frail for you to base all your hope for happiness in yourself.
Apparently, thousands of Romanians have been waiting in their personal vehicles to pick up
#refugees
at one of the NE borders with
#Ukraine
.
I'm not often elated at news from back home, but this makes my heart swell.
#StandWithUkriane
#standwithrefugees
This morning at 9:30, my grandfather Nevin, went to be with Jesus. 89 years old. Natural causes. His wife of 64 years, kids, and some of his grandkids, were surrounding him, singing, as he died. He loved Jesus, his church, and the Word. It was an honor to be there to see him off.
“It costs something to be a true Christian. Let that never be forgotten. To be a mere nominal Christian, and go to church, is cheap and easy work. But to hear Christ’s voice, follow Christ, believe in Christ, and confess Christ, requires much self-denial.” –J. C. Ryle
Read through Paul’s letters and observe that it was his relations with Christians that gave him the greatest pain. Should you end up in vocational ministry your experience will not be any different.
- D.A. Carson & John Woodbridge, Letters Along the Way
“Hating heresy is not the same thing as loving Jesus.”
- Ray Ortlund, from a sermon on Jesus’s letter to the church in Ephesus
They (rightly) hate the Nicolatian teaching… but they’ve lost their first love.
Opened the mailbox today and found the
@CTMagazine
edition devoted solely to Billy Graham. Choked up just flipping through it. Graham's life makes me want to dig deeper into the Word so when I speak, I'm always saying through the power of the Spirit -- "The Bible says."
People say what happened in El Paso was "senseless." The truth is, there IS a sense behind these actions -- an evil, twisted racist sense fueled by the sins of pride and hatred. It is the wickedness of racism. Deliver us from evil, Lord.
A self-published book got sent to me today. It's anti-Trinitarian.
It has this gem:
"The doctrine of the Trinity has been around since a few hundred years after Jesus' life on earth, but it seems the internet has brought the Trinity into more prominence in recent years."
Grieved to hear about
@JarridWilson
and longing for the day Jesus will restore broken minds and bodies and make all things new. Pray for his family and his church.
I don't know how I could live the Christian life without the Lord's Prayer. 3 times a day. Reorienting compass. God's glory above all. A cry for the kingdom. Yearning for sustenance and forgiveness. Deliverance. It's the heart of everything. Thank You, Jesus, for giving it to us.
If you're in the academy and can't bring yourself to condemn without equivocation the beheading of Jewish babies, please spare me with all the "silence is violence" and "speech is violence" stuff.
A pastor asked me today what’s happening in the country and the church today, and after some thought, the best explanation I could come up with is, “People have lost their ever-loving minds.” Carrie Underwood said more than she knew when she sang there’s “something in the water.”
The Christian task remains unchanged: to seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God, pray for those in authority, witness to the sanctity of life, and spread the fragrance of Christ in all our words and actions. Where we fail, we repent. Where we succeed, to God be the glory.
Oh man, this scene from Avengers. And the crowd reaction. Spectacular. It resonates so strongly because it’s classic good vs evil, and Thanos (death) is overcome by resurrection life. When Jesus returns, He’s coming with His saints, y’all.