Advent and Hope

Advent helps us ponder hope in three ways – associate, celebrate, and anticipate. First, during Advent, we associate with hope.We associate with the exiled Israelites. We think about what it must have felt like to live under oppression and how they were desperate for God to do something. We read prophecy and we connect with…

What is “The Unforgivable Sin?”

I recently preached through Matthew 12:22-32 which includes what is known as the unforgivable sin. It’s not an easy task to speak on this topic in a concise way! Here are my notes from the part of the talk addressing this unforgiveable sin. There’s a lot of debate and questions that surround these verses. Wait,…

Fit For Life

Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) How are we to think about the areas in which we should grow in our Christian life? Jesus provides a model for us as he grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially (Luke 2:52). This past month in one of…

Prayer in Life

  This semester one of our young adult groups studied prayer. Each week we focused on a topic related to prayer and used a resource together to practice weaving prayer into our daily lives. The following list contains the notes from my talk each week and resources we created or used together.   God’s Promises…

Walking with God Resources

Walking with God requires two healthy legs working together for a steady speed. The two legs of walking with God are the Word and prayer. Here are some of my favorite resources to help you have a steady, healthy walk with God in the areas of Bible and prayer. Bible Reading Resources Read the Bible…

Why Membership?

Some people think that the idea of church membership is outdated, too rigid or constraining, optional, or totally unnecessary. Yet David Platt says, “You cannot be a disciple of Christ and you cannot fully make disciples of Christ apart from total commitment to a local church.” And Matt Chandler explains that, “local church membership is a…

The Bible Project

I wanted to recommend a website that has impressed me recently as I have used some of their resources during my talks and in my devotions. It is called the Bible Project. At the website you will find animated videos on biblical themes, videos explaining each book of the Bible, and a Bible reading program…

Praying the Bible

I learned this prayer pattern years ago in a class I took from Donald Whitney on spiritual disciplines. Like no other discipline, prayer through the Bible in this way, especially using the Psalms, has been used by God to sustain and refresh my prayer life. The videos help people learn and practice the prayer pattern for…

Union with Christ – Emphasized Little Yet Vast In Scope

The theme of union with Christ may be the one of the most under-emphasized doctrines today. I recently asked a group I was teaching to raise their hands if they have ever heard a sermon or talk on union with Christ. Nothing! Yet as I have been studying this theme recently, I am increasingly convinced…