There is no theological issue more complicated than the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. And this is no mere academic question, for our understanding here (or lack thereof) significantly affects such practical areas as evangelism and...
For years, when I thought about prayer, I mostly felt guilty for my lack of a robust prayer life. Reading stories of great saints praying for two hours a day or more left me with a gnawing sense of defeat. I would often resolve to pray more. But the resolves didn’t...
Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." Not many of us could be accused of this today. And, in any case, the statement is wrong-headed, for as C. S. Lewis observed, "If you read history you will find that the...
A few summers ago, my three oldest kids and I discovered a great hiking trail just a few miles from where we live. It’s a trail through the woods that winds in and out of several parks just on the east side of the St. Joseph River, complete with a river shelter and...
In his classic book Preaching and Preachers, Martyn Lloyd-Jones described three different kinds of sermons that every pastor needs to preach: Sermons that teach or instruct. These are messages for the church with a more doctrinal or theological focus. Sermons that...
What does the doctrine of the Trinity have to do with the practice of prayer? Well, the Trinity is something that all Christians believe, but often find difficult to understand, much less explain. And prayer is something that all Christians do, but rarely practice...
Editor’s note: The purpose of this series is to write on "Issues in the Church" that either aren't talked about, ignored entirely, or that we want to contribute to the discussion on. Our goal with this series is to help our readers think through these issues from a...
When our son Matthew was just two or three years old, he informed Holly and me that he couldn’t skate. “I can’t skate. I can’t skate,” he said. We didn’t really get it, until we realized that he was sick, but didn’t know how to tell us. He needed words and couldn’t...
The Puritans were the 16th century English Protestants and their successors in 16th-17th century New England, whose concern for church reform and spiritual renewal earned them the originally derogatory epithet, “puritan.” Unfortunately, when most people hear the word...
"Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.” So wrote the Roman philosopher Cicero in the first century B.C. But while all people long for friendship, genuine friends are hard to come by. Many factors...
In his masterful exposition of Psalm 130, the seventeenth-century Puritan John Owen gave the Church one of the most comprehensive theological and pastoral treatments of forgiveness of sin and assurance ever written. This is one of my favorite of Owen's books and one...
Editors note: The purpose of this series is to help our readers understand what sin is, how serious sin is, and how great the grace of God, who offers redemption to sinners from sin and new life in Christ. David Dunham opened our series on sin with a look at sin and...
Editors note: The purpose of this series is to help our readers understand what sin is, how serious sin is, and how great the grace of God, who offers redemption to sinners from sin and new life in Christ. David Dunham opened our series on sin with a look at sin and...
Editors note: The purpose of this series is to help our readers think through what holiness is, and how to reflect the holiness of God through Christ in a sinful world. Chris Poblete shares David Brainerd's thoughts on longing for holiness. C. Walter wrote on the...
Editors note: The purpose of this series is to help our readers think through what prayer is and how they can improve their prayer lives. Brian Hedges looked at John Owen on the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer. Today C. Walter wrote on the Lord's Prayer. Chris wrote...