Archive – 2018

I’ve recently befriended a young man who is in the process of undergoing training for an elite military unit. I’m not only impressed by the challenges of the training but also by the young man’s quiet and humble spirit. He has followed his superiors’ instructions and does not divulge the…
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Within any decent-sized congregation there are bound to be some who are widows, usually those that are older, but in some cases, there might be younger widows. In the world outside the church, many might look upon widows as a regular part of life. Death is common and thus widows…
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I regularly receive notices of ministers who have served the church for decades but reach the end of their lives and die. As I read of such men I often wonder who they are and how many lives they impacted for the sake of Christ and his gospel. In the…
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When I was a recent college graduate I had expressed an interest in attending seminary. I sensed a call on my life to serve in ordained ministry. At the time I was a theological neophyte and was looking for good books to read. One of my friends who was working…
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Over the years I have had many students come into my office and ask me about pursuing doctoral studies. One of the first questions I ask them is, “Why?” I ask this question because many students don’t know that pursuing doctoral studies is a long, difficult, and burdensome path. Once…
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As Christians we commit ourselves to the truth of God’s word—we profess to worship and believe in the truth incarnate, Jesus Christ, and we devote ourselves to the study of God’s written truth, namely, his word. We regularly seek the truth of God’s word each and every Lord’s Day as…
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There are preachers and theologians to whom we listen and read. They fill our hearts with joy because they excel at pointing us to Christ. They move us to tears when we hear them preach, or they instill zeal in our hearts when we read their thunderous prose. We elevate…
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One of the terms that has become popular in the last year is the deep state. In other words, people recognize that there is the recognized government, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, but that at a deeper level there is a group of people and institutions that truly make…
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As a professor and minister I regularly evaluate students to determine whether they possess the requisite theological knowledge to pass their exams. After a thirteen week semester students must take their final exam to demonstrate they have mastered the knowledge they have learned. It’s not enough to sit and listen—students…
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