By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
On April 25, 2020, six weeks into ceasing Sunday morning worship at the directive of our governor, I preached a sermon entitled, “Who Says We Can’t Meet During the Virus?” It was an exposition of Romans 13:1-7. In it we spoke of “sphere sovereignty,” the teaching from Scripture that God has ordained three major “governments”—the […]
There was a time in our past where the ascetics headed for the desert and the monks hid behind high walls. Removing oneself from society was thought the way to keep oneself pure. But like our shadow, we take our sin with us wherever we go. For two-plus centuries the church has had a good […]
We breathe culture. We do because society’s norms are all around us. Culture codifies acceptable conduct. And therein lies the problem. Culture is dictated by what man thinks. Therefore, we must be careful. The question becomes, “Are we breathing in man’s wisdom and norms, shaping how we act and think, which often runs counter to […]
Does faith work? That is, does faith show itself. James definitively answered that question a long time ago, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:13). So yes, faith works. It shows itself. It declares itself. It does so out of gratitude for undeserved salvation. I am all in on […]
I get weary. It’s not predictable. It’s not seasonal. It’s not even brought on by the same stuff. It just seems to happen from time to time. Sometimes it’s from dealing with my own sin; sometimes it’s from dealing with someone else’s. There are times it’s financially related. The service engine light in the car […]
According to the world’s math, he was average. Academically and athletically he was right in the middle of the bell curve. Professionally, as a teacher and coach, he took home an average paycheck. He chose to live, work, and worship within a mile of the school he graduated from. He had a wife, two kids […]
Most of us haven’t had to choose between God and Caesar—at least not yet. Times are changing like the seasons, however. Secularism is on the march. If religious freedom was an apple, government has been taking quite a few bites from it lately. Case in point, Georgia. The state legislature passed a bill this week […]
Christian Little liked to read the paper. He liked knowing what was going on. In November 2012, he read that his state legalized marijuana. He wondered if the sky was falling. Christian Little liked to listen to talk radio. He liked knowing what was going on. In June 2015, he heard the United States Supreme […]
My blog is a letter I sent this week to Bob Ecklund, President and CEO of the Pierce and Kitsap County YMCA. In addition, I sent the letter to each of the YMCA’s Board of Directors–ten of them. It concerns the “Y’s” recent decision that members are free to access whatever bathroom/locker room facility based […]
Last time I piggybacked on Muggeridge’s observation that when the masses believe God is dead, the resulting vacuum will be filled by those driving for power or promising pleasure. If God is in the grave, there’s a mad dash for his throne. The 20th century is full of examples of peoples and nations oppressed by […]
“If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” Malcolm Muggeridge Muggeridge said that over half a century ago. He did so from his perch in […]
The hubbub this week has been the discovery of water on Mars. What is interesting about the find is the pronouncement that followed: life may exist on our neighboring planet. But listen and read carefully what constitutes life. From the reports I am reading no one is saying this means there are little green men […]