Author: S&P

Image Credit: St. Peter Orthodox Church The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is one of the most important events recorded in the New Testament. But though it occupies a vital place in Scripture, it doesn’t get a lot of attention today, even among Christians.  My guess is that you probably haven’t read any books about it or heard many sermons on it. Usually we focus on the crucifixion and...

Image Credit: www.spurgeon.org Pastors often struggle with feeling isolated from the world. They are in meetings with Christians, counseling Christians, preparing sermons and lectures, developing leaders, and before long find that they have very little interactions with people outside of the church. To whom, outside of the church, do we testify that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? It...

As I look around there seems to be a lot of suffering in the lives of my friends. Maybe even more than usual. Mother in laws that are terminally ill, a mom who is dealing with the news that her little son has cancer, another mom who has just miscarried twins, a couple who long for a child and yet their arms remain empty. Suffering and sadness is everywhere. Whenever I think of suffering I think of...

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) often tells audiences, “Republican Party events need more people with tattoos.” It struck me, as I heard him say this, that this is kind of what evangelical Christians ought to be saying about our churches. It struck me further when I read this tribute my former student Spencer Harmon wrote about his new wife and her past that this is precisely the issue facin...

Spanking. The act and even the word itself have become controversial. To many it is abuse, not discipline. People claim that it gives birth to frustration, anger, and violence. They say that it does not bring about any good, instead it does harm… and they are right. “Spanking has been shown to weaken the bond between kids and parents, slow mental development and increase antisocial, violent and cr...

Holidays such as Easter and Christmas are often times when pastors and congregations focus not only on Jesus but on the potential for an increase in visitors. Everything is extra-special on those days. There are special programs, worship is typically different, and we even take the time to throw out our everyday dress in exchange for something new. These holidays are indeed special and draw a crow...

Hardly a month goes by without another article being released on the internet that analyzes who is leaving the faith and why, as well as what reasons are given by those who reject Christianity. Our interest in this subject is not surprising. Christians in every generation have wondered why certain friends and family members still reject Jesus after hearing the gospel many times. While there is no ...

The other morning I woke up while my children were still sleeping and began to pray. I started thinking about my identity. What am I? Who am I? As I settled into my prayer time I began to rejoice at the thought that I am a mother. It is part of who I am. To my children it is my name: “Mom.” The modern mom doesn’t always like to be identified as a mother. We are “liberated.” W...

If you haven’t figured it out yet let me encourage you to see something that will greatly help you. Not all of your ideas are good. Some of them are bad. And God will often let you flail and fail out there for very good purposes. And when you fail do not lose the opportunity to find grace in the midst of it. I believe this is especially important for pastors to understand. It’s one of ...

I was raised in a devout Muslim home, confident of the truth I had been taught all my life about Allah and Qur’an. So how did I move from believing adamantly in Islam to telling others about Jesus? It started with a friendship during my college days when a Christian named David befriended me despite our differences.  If you want to connect with your Muslim neighbors, classmates or coworkers, ...

In light of the recent action of the Romans Catholic Church to canonize two Popes, it is vital for Christians to understand what the Scripture actually teaches about sainthood. There are certain topics that I am reticent to write about—the question of sainthood is not one of them. This is not because I believe that I’ve attained to some level of holiness more than that of my brothers and sisters i...

Every Christian must be a theologian. In a variety of ways, this is something I tell my church often. And the looks I get from some surprised souls are the evidence that I have not yet adequately communicated that the purposeful theological study of God by lay people is important. Many times the confused responses come from a misunderstanding of what is meant in this context by theology....