I am blessed to pastor a small church in the hills of Northeastern Pennsylvania for more than 12 years. This church has been a blessing to me in many ways. I want to share one important way they have supported me, hoping to inspire other churches to do the same: continued theological study. I will… Continue reading Three Ways to Support Your Pastor’s Theology
We use this word “disciple” a lot, but often we either do not define it well, don’t understand it’s fullness, or do not help people practically enough to be able to help actually disciple someone else. The simple goal of Christian discipleship is to help someone follow Jesus better. A disciple is someone who learns,… Continue reading A Quick Discipleship Guide in John
When we think of the Old Testament we often think of only God the Father as being in existence. This can be attributed to how little the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament, as well as Jesus’ birth and His coming as man to Earth is not mentioned until the gospels of Matthew,… Continue reading The Blessing of Christ-Centered Theology
Almost a year ago I wrote articles on what is known as cross-centered theology. Cross-centered theology basically declares that everything that we are called to do as Christians is directly related to the cross. Salvation is our primary benefit of the cross, reconciling us with God again and securing our eternity in Heaven to worship… Continue reading Why Cross-Centered Preaching?
A question was posed to me recently from someone trying to understand Amos 4:11: “‘I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD.” In this verse Amos is speaking God’s words… Continue reading Did the Old Testament Prophets Promote Polytheism?
You may not be aware that my wife and I currently homeschool. Now, we are not one of “those” families whose children don’t see the light of day until they turn 18. Our kids also are involved in dance, library programs, and other community activities. I want to give a short disclaimer here. Let me… Continue reading How Classical Education Changed My Preaching or “Let’s Define our Terms”
In the fall of 2017 I hosted a “Bible Study Training Night.” Those who came saw it as very profitable, and I thought I would share this with you. Helping people understand their Bible for themselves is of key importance. Since every Christian should be pursuing to understand God and to better minister to others,… Continue reading A Serial Killer, My Wife, and a Drunk Stranger: Bible Study Part II Context
If you read ahead, the title is not as scary as it sounds. In the fall of 2017 I hosted a “Bible Study Training Night.” We spent over an hour studying one verse, Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to… Continue reading Read Until You Bleed: Bible Study Part I
Several years ago I took a new position at work. I often joke about it as my forced promotion. The position that I left was one where I usually was in the same classroom all the time. I would often bring my leftovers from home those days and also kept spare tuna fish, soup and… Continue reading Fast Food Theology
Every once in awhile I attempt to point you to other voices I enjoy. One of the ways I do this is by having guest bloggers. Steve Adler and I met several years ago at an educational convention. We chatted a little, figured we may see each other at some point again, then I ran… Continue reading Some Devotional Thoughts on Reading or “Fake It Till You Make It”
