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Transitions
This is the time of year for graduations and weddings. This is a time of year when I reflect often on transitions. Last December, when my oldest son got engaged, I felt a hard transition. Life had just radically shifted. It wasn’t scary. It was just… real. We went out to dinner to celebrate and all of a sudden I’m…
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The Need for Pastor-Scholars
One of my goals is to truly be a “pastor-scholar.” I certainly don’t think of myself in the vein of John Piper, yet I have as a goal the ability to strive to know God and then communicate him to my church. I don’t want to be a slouch intellectually or spiritually. Yet, I don’t want people in my church…
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John Piper Taking a Leave of Absence
This news came out this past weekend: John Piper is taking a leave of absence from ministry from May 1 to December 31, 2010. The letter of explanation is here. I have always had a deep admiration for John Piper and his ministry, though our theologies may have an occasional clash. His integrity in incredible, and it shines through in…
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Influence
One thing that simply cannot be underestimated in our lives is the influence of others. People only WE may know, but can change the course of our lives. They won’t make the cover of Time magazine, or be on American Idol or Oprah. They simply lived life and you were better because of them. The world will never hear of…
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My Great Loves
Happy Valentine’s Day! I confess my great loves today. First is my great love for God. I spent this weekend in a “silent” retreat contemplating Ephesians 1-3. I love Ephesians. For the past 15 plus years of my life it has been bedrock to my life. Once again I was blown away by my God’s great love for me. I…
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To the Apocrypha We Go…
To my knowledge, I have never preached from the Apocrypha in my ministry. (I have a bad memory, so somewhere in my distant past I may have attempted this before.) I don’t do this with any anxiety, but with a sense of excitement. We too often miss things because we don’t understand why the Apocrypha exists. It is used so…
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Love for the Church
I am working through Acts 20 for the class I am teaching. As usual, I am so humbled by Paul’s incredible heart for the church. He pours out his heart to the Ephesian elders and lets them know the high price of pastoring. My question is this: In today’s church environment are we training church leaders or pastors? Have we…
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Paul and the Athenian Experience
As I have prepared for the college class I teach on the Book of Acts, I am re-examining Paul’s ministry in Athens. I have never been comfortable with Paul in Athens. I personally think it didn’t go well. However, when I was in college the huge thing in that day was “apologetics.” The insistence was on learning how to debate…
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The World Was Not Worthy of Them
You can’t get harvest from a place you haven’t sown seed.
Category: Ministry
