fisher of men

A couple of years ago, my wife and I went to see the disturbingly interesting film Contagion, which has been described as a “medical thriller disaster” movie. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film is about the rapid spread of a virus that results in a pandemic, until a team of researchers are finally able to produce a vaccine. One of my friends who did his graduate work in infectious diseases said the film did a good job with the science, except the discovery of the vaccine was unrealistically fast. That’s pretty scary and enough to turn any normal person into a germaphobe. Maybe that movie wasn’t the best choice for a date night, after all.  The Contagion of Sin As scary as infectious diseases are, there’s a more deadly virus that you and I already have – the sin virus. As the 16th...

Satan hates God and therefore he hates God’s people, the church. His great plan for the church is to cause Christians—true believers who ought to be together in the gospel—to find ways of disagreeing among themselves, to divide, to be bitter and jealous, and ultimately to “bite and devour one another” (Gal. 5:15). Here are twelve ways that you can repulse Satan’s attacks. #1. Spend more time considering evidences of grace in other Christians than you do pondering their sins and weaknesses. You, as a Christian, probably have a much greater ability to see weakness in other believers than to see strength. It is as if you use a magnifying glass when looking for weakness and a telescope when looking for grace. Brooks warns, “Sin is darkness, grace is light; sin is hell, grace is heaven; an...

As the father of a young man, I know the talks parents have with their sons — or should have. I have had plenty of those talks, and I know them from both sides. But there is one talk I never had to have with my son, and my father never had to have with me. That is the talk about what to do when the police pull you over and you are a young black man. The talk about what to do when you are eyed suspiciously by people just because you are a young black male. The talk about how to act and how to respond when people watch just to see if you are trouble. America is divided once again in the aftermath of the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. The decision of the Florida jury to acquit Zimmerman on charges of murder and manslaughter in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has reverberated...

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A lot of people are either unnerved or angry, or a combination of both, by the thought that the National Security Agency (the NSA) has evidently conducted extensive surveillance of American citizens, whether it be of their telephone calls, texts, e-mails, web-searches, or daily conversations. The ultimate outcome of it all, at least from a legal point of view, has yet to be determined. I find it intriguing that people are so concerned about the government knowing what in actual fact is very little about their lives but typically ignore altogether the fact that God knows everything, literally and exhaustively, everything about them. Does your knowledge of God’s knowledge of you frighten you? Or do you find in it comfort and security and strength? David, King of Israel, celebrated God’s know...

I can tell you two subjects on which I’m not an expert: the Trayvon Martin case and racial reconciliation. As to the former, I did not follow the Zimmerman trial carefully and have nothing to add to the many fine pieces that have already been written (see, for example, Trillia Newbell’s post). And as for the latter, I’m a pastor who longs to see the gospel break down old (and high) barriers between people, but other than trying to faithfully preach, pray, and love I’m no authority on this thorniest of issues. And yet, like many Christians, I want to do something that may, perhaps, by God’s grace, over the long run, in some small way, make a difference for good. To that end, here are four things I’ve learned, am trying to learn, and you should probably learn as well. 1. Don’t bail.&nbs...

In old episode of Seinfeld George cleverly attempts to establish his own charity. Since he doesn’t really support any cause except himself he creates a vague shell organization called “The Human Fund”. As he promotes the “cause” he finds that people are generally pretty happy to be associated with this nice sounding foundation. The sarcastic sitcom makes its point: we like being a part of something that makes us feel good as long as it is also comfortable for us. This is especially dangerous for Christians, particularly believers living in the West. If we are honest we’ll admit that we can hear the crackling social eggshells underfoot. As we attempt to live as Christians in this world we have a choice to make: 1)      Walk on the cultural eggshells, fearing any whi...

For more information about David Powlison, visit: www.ccef.org For more information about Christianity, visit: www.christianity.com David Powlison Christian Counseling and Education Foundation Originally published December 07, 2012.

As women’s ministry coordinator at my church, one of my most frequent requests from younger women is the desire for a spiritual mentor.  For each lady requesting, there are a variety of hopes behind this longing.   Some know they need to grow in their faith and desire an older woman to provide advice and wisdom.  Some long for a nurturing figure to encourage them.  Some lack direction and hope that a mentor could give them advice.  Some are hurting and hope for healing to come as she shares her hurts with another.  Others feel overwhelmed and are looking for someone who might provide help to ease the burdens of life.  When I approach older ladies with the request of mentoring, they are often hesitant.  Most of them have never been mentored and t...

Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College and a former pastor, knows that artists who are Christians often feel like fish out of water. Ryken says, “Their faith in Christ seems odd to many of their friends in the artistic community — almost as odd as their calling as artists seems to some of their friends at church.” This is more than a tragedy. It’s a lost opportunity. Ryken notes that “Christians called to paint, draw, sculpt, sing, act, dance, and play music have extraordinary opportunities to witness to the grace, beauty and truth of the gospel. … The arts are the leading edge of culture,” he says. So with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Ryken asked some of his artist friends what churches do to discourage them from their dual calling as artists and Christians. First, they said, treat...

Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty is an entertainer who looks like Moses and jokes like Bill Cosby. But having a quick wit isn’t a bad thing when the message is sin, righteousness, and judgment—a.k.a. the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Apparently something rather large must have happened two-thousand and thirteen years ago, or we wouldn’t all be counting time by Jesus of Nazareth,” Phil Robertson dryly remarks during one of his messages at Saddleback Church in Southern California on July 21, 2013. Laughter erupts.   “So, what happened?” Phil continues, imitating a conversation. “Uh, that’s the year Jesus showed up.” “Oh, no. You mean here I am, an atheist, I don’t even believe in Him and I have to be reminded of the date He showed up every time I write a check?” More laughs. Phil then del...

Some topics intimidate preachers. And that’s actually a good thing. When preachers realize they’re handling a difficult issue, they know to be careful, aware of the hazards on every side. The problem comes when someone launches confidently into a sermon without realizing the complexities of their topic. That’s like boldly flying your spaceship into an asteroid field, blissfully unaware that your odds of survival are only 3,720 to 1.  In the last few weeks, I’ve heard several people do this with sermons on poverty. It’s as though we think poverty is a relatively simple topic, something that you can handle in a single, 30-minute sermon. Just offer some thoughts on the importance of hard work, make sure you point out that we’re supposed to be nice to p...