“Nothing can be more cruel than the tenderness that consigns another to his sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe rebuke that calls a brother back from the path of sin.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, trans. John W.…
Conspicuous Providence
All things are providential. But, there are times when we have a particularly vivid view of how God orders things together in our lives. Here is an especially vivid example regarding a family from the GSOI (Great State of Iowa)…
No Quitting!
You can probably think of someone who has stepped away from involvement in a local church. There are many reasons people decide to pull away. They find a sport or some other form of entertainment that takes the place of church,
they keep putting off finding a new church home,
they are disillusioned with churches because of a past conflict,
or they feel guilty about choices they have made.
ESV vs NIV in Philemon 22
I have been disappointed with the NIV while preaching through Philemon. An example would be the translation of χαρίζομαι / charizōmai in verse 22:
John Murray Quotes
John Murray was a professor at Westminster. His collected writings (4 volumes published by Banner of Truth) are among my favorite all time books – –
The second quote below describes a goal that we all should pursue.
A Lloyd-Jones Quote
“You need not always announce, and talk about what you are doing; and to act is more important than to talk. Knox did not attack, and call attention to it, and put up a placard and say that he was…
Don’t Let Failure Give Way to Failure
Here is a word of encouragement for living the Christian life. “Don’t let failure give way to failure.” Perhaps there is an area of your life where determined to do better. You prayed that you would have victory. And, yet you find yourself continuing to stumble. So, you are tempted to just say, “Oh forget it.” I will never be able to get a handle on this.
Bonhoeffer Quote on Cheap Grace
“But do we also realize that this cheap grace has turned back on us like a boomerang? The price we are having to pay today in the shape of the collapse of the organized church is only the inevitable consequence…
Pastoral Search Committee Sermon Evaluation Form
Pastoral Search Committees / PNC’s / Pulpit nominating committees usually say their first goal is a pastor who preaches well. Yet, few evaluate sermons against any objective criteria.
Below is an excerpt of material I wrote that gives suggestions for how search committees should evaluate sermons.
If you would like more information, you can e-mail me at chris at theredbrickchurch.org.
Pictures of Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
NY Times slideshow of the I35 west bridge collapse. HT: Kevin Cawley