As a gift for graduation from college in 1985, a professor of mine gave me a copy of The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. My professor was both a deeply committed Christian and a historian. So, the book was a perfect representation of himself...
Every generation of Christians since Christ has had its challenges to discipleship in the world. Christians have not always been aware of these challenges, and so, have not faced them with faith and in faithfulness to Christ. Some, being aware, have made the decision to...
The calendar tells me it is Pride Month. Jesus tells me it is time to hear and accept his word, which is something pride will not allow. Pride is nowhere in the Bible represented as a virtue. It is a heart disease that leads to death....
For several years I was overly ambitious about a summer reading plan. I recall packing more than one book to take with me on vacations and mission trips. After a few years of lugging books around that I never got around to reading, I changed...
How does one bring a preaching series on the book of Isaiah to a close? That is the question I have asked myself this week. After a few mental “run-ups” to this final sermon, I realized there is no need to try to make it...
We often pray for the Lord to do things for us without expecting that the answer will call for anything from us. But the greatest answer to prayer is the Lord himself. And when he stands before us and says, “Here I am”, we are...
We shouldn’t be surprised that at the end of Isaiah, we hear a loud cry for the Lord to rend the heavens and come down (Isaiah 64:1). An intercessor has heard the previous prophecies of sin, grace, repentance, renewal, and the newness that Messiah will...
Isaiah 61 is a chapter about the Anointed One and his preaching. His name is Jesus, and he preached the gospel. This Sunday morning at Grace Community Church we will hear his voice through the written word of God. Isaiah 61 closes with the voice of one,...
I’ve never been very good at predicting the future. I’ve missed picking the outcomes of elections and ball games so many times I’ve stopped trying. I can't name a trend or movement in culture that I saw coming. The one thing I have learned about the future...
This blog post was originally posted on January 20, 2023. When a congregation gathers on the Lord’s Day to read from a portion of the Bible and give its attention to what is read in the form of a sermon, what is happening? From one perspective, it...
