For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4.6). We could define generations by the new terms and catchphrases they (bit)coin. We could almost trace history solely using Oxford’s additions to its dictionary. The War. The Crash. The Bomb. The Pill. Watergate. […]
Victory is a biblical word and an especially exciting word for those in the prosperity “gospel” community. In their defense, victory is a rich biblical theme. We indeed have victory through and because of Jesus. Scripture is quite clear about that. “…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15.57). “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this […]
As part of God’s sanctifying providence Christians must endure difficult seasons of frustration. Some will be brief and others lengthy, but they will all test our affections and whittle away our worldliness. Our questions will not always be about God’s power or authority but about his care. Will he indeed mend the wounds he is right to cause? Answers will be few for most of them or at least selfishly […]
Football is king in Texas. Our pastoral stint in the Lone Star state awakened me to the hysteria that is 6A high school football. With its own Jumbotron and state-of-the-art turf field, the local high school had facilities fit for most small college programs. I watched a future Heisman trophy winner triple-option his way to championships, and former NFL players coach on the sidelines. The school also introduced each new season […]
The sun rose beautifully on Memphis today. And when the sun rose the gospel rose with it. I wonder if we might overplay our hand when we make the creation accounts in Gen 1-2 merely about, well, creation. Is God merely trying to explain how things came to be, the science of origins? Or is God weaving in the created order the very fabric of the gospel he will work […]
Right field. Every kid knows what it means to play right field. It means you’re not a playmaker. You’re not fast or a good glove. Coach doesn’t entrust bottoms of fifth innings to the awkward kid whose uniform doesn’t quite match. Right field is where you play when you’re not a player. You’re not there to make a play but so that you won’t have to. It’s the little league […]
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised […]
Bonhoeffer captured the heart of the royal priesthood (1 Pt 2.9): The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. […]