Last night, I watched LeBron James (supposedly the greatest individual player in the NBA) have an average game and lose. The Miami Heat consists of two tremendously talented players (James and Dwyane Wade) and a cast of basically nameless supporting players. In order for them to win, James and Wade must play extraordinary basketball. Against… Read More »
Learning Exercises (ugh!)
One of the key reasons I don’t do conferences is that inevitably someone wants you to do some kind of “learning exercise.” I am a high-brain, verbal learner which means that I learn best by taking in information and teaching others, and most “learning exercises” do nothing for me. At the Biblical Imagination Conference we… Read More »
Sports, Violence and Riots
You might remember that last year, when the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup there were widespread riots in Vancouver. Similar things have happened in many cities across North America, but all pale in comparison to the 1894 game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Stockings. (Despite the similarities in name, neither of… Read More »
Fred Phelps and Historical Precision
Apparently, Fred Phelps (the pastor of that bastion of hope and encouragement, Westboro Baptist Church) has some tremendous insight into the Scriptures. In the video below, Phelps pinpoints the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the year 1898 BC. This is tremendous news to me since until now I have wondered endlessly how to date the… Read More »
I Don't Like Being Away
This morning, our beloved congregation will worship without us. Nichole and I are in Syracuse, New York for a conference and concert. I’ll be completely honest. I don’t like being away. It is more nerve-wracking than being there. When you invest so much of yourself into something you believe is God’s thing, you become very… Read More »
I am Outta Here – for the weekend
I am headed to Syracuse, New York, for the weekend for the Biblical Imagination Conference with the man, the legend, the awesomely bearded Michael Card. While I could never aspire to have a beard like his, Michael has long been one of my musical heroes. He combines teaching and art in a way that you… Read More »
Hillbilly Preachers, Homosexuals and Speaking Grace
A video of a North Carolina pastor was making the rounds of the internet recently. Pastor Charles L. Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church begins a diatribe on placing “lesbins, q-u-weers, and hom-o-sessuals” (that’s how he pronounces the words) in what amounts to concentration camps so they will die out. The video has over a… Read More »
A Question of Faith
Recently, I spoke on Luke 8:4-18 – what is known as “The Parable of the Sower.” The passage deals with the complex issue of why some people are “saved” and others are not, and as I expected there were a lot of questions about the nature of salvation. Particularly, someone asked about the meaning of… Read More »
It's Memorial Day
So, I wanted to take a few minutes to note some veterans. My cousin Paul Bauschpies was a Marine. My cousin Michael DiVietro is still a crew chief in the USAF. Doug Pettit, my brother-in-law, served in the reserves. Ralph Thompson, another brother-in-law, was in the Marine reserves. And of course, my grandfather Jack Volkert.… Read More »
How to NOT Sustain a Congregation
This week, I heard news of yet another local congregation in our region that has been going through difficult times – “falling apart” as it was put to me. Every time I hear about something like this, it grieves my heart. I wonder, often out loud, how this could happen and what Jesus must think.… Read More »
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