“Abraham saw Sodom destroyed and lost nothing, but Lot lost everything. Only his life was spared. Abraham brought the world blessing, but Lot brought trouble into the world…” (Warren Wiersbe).   Here the story turns to what we might call certification: through two events God grows Abraham—sanctifies him, as we would say in a New... Continue Reading

History has shown that the church has often been most potent when she has been the least impressive—when she has been faithful, suffering, and humble. And this, far from being a flaw in the Master’s design, has actually been a feature, a wisely chosen means of ensuring that human boasting is removed and glory, honour,... Continue Reading

God defines who we are. He calls us His sons and daughters, and the trials we walked through with Him were the means to reinforcing or awakening that true and complete definition. When we experience those trials, we are stripped of all those things we might have trusted in…and we find our true and lasting... Continue Reading

Plenty of Christians enjoy sports. That means plenty of Christians are exposed to and are likely enticed by the idea of sports gambling. But many are wondering if it’s something they should be participating in.   Sports betting is the new opioid crisis, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warns. “Our kids, especially our boys,... Continue Reading

While collectivism is sold to the masses in the language of compassion and concern for justice for the downtrodden, it is in truth, as the Belgic Confession notes, a subversion of justice.  Simply put, this means that it punishes those who are innocent and rewards those who are guilty.   One of the issues before... Continue Reading

The church has an incredible opportunity to meet the felt needs of the “spiritual but not religious” who are seeking something bigger than themselves and can’t seem to find it.   Over the past three years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say something like “I believe in God, but I’m... Continue Reading

Romans 8 teaches that the Incarnation is the foundation of the Christian’s hope of glory. The eternal Son entered our fallen condition, condemned sin, secured our adoption, sustained us through suffering, and guaranteed our future inheritance. Because God has already given His Son, His saving purpose cannot fail.   Every year Christians celebrate the birth... Continue Reading

Bigger issues about the theology, polity, or direction of the church might require a longer attempt at getting alignment. Not all decisions carry equal weight. The challenge is to figure out how to weigh them.   The Case It’s been three months with no decision. The longest serving elder, Nathan, believes that the church should... Continue Reading

Ultimately, the only genuine guarantor of institutions and property is a successful handoff to successive generations of faithful, competent stewards of them. There’s no substitute for proper generational succession.   The archdiocese of Detroit signed a $1 per year, 200-year lease to rent one of its own churches, after transferring ownership to a non-profit controlled... Continue Reading