This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day we remember the coming of Christ into Jerusalem to begin the Passion Week. I want to encourage you to read the account of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem and the events that transpired surrounding it. Over the next couple of days, take a few minutes to read Matthew 21:1-11 and Luke 19:28-44 which describe Jesus’…
If you are a father and still have children living in your home, I just finished a book you should consider reading. It’s called Family Worship by Joel Beeke. If you are like me, you’ve probably struggled at times wondering how to lead your family and children in regular, productive worship times at home. What should you study? How long should it…
Do you want to listen to some great preaching this week? The Shepherd’s Conference is taking place at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles. If you have some time during the day or evening the next few days, check it out. Just click on the link below and click on the video streams: http://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/sc/live/player/default.aspx Here is a link to the conference schedule:…
The first book I read after I was saved was Disciplines of a Godly Man. It changed my life! It showed me that I needed to put effort into my relationship with the Lord and, when I do, my life is blessed richly. Kent Hughes shows that personal discipline is the indispensible key for accomplishing anything in life, but particularly growing in…
My greatest desire for myself and for each of you in our beloved church family is that we would know Christ better, live out of His life and power, and become more and more like Him. The secret to becoming like Christ each day is not in trying harder or finding some spiritual formula. The key is in trusting Christ and walking…
I have been thinking about Jeremiah 9:23-24 for a few days: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord…
We have been reminded recently of the brevity of life and the fact that life is a vapor. The deaths of 2 people close to our church family and the earthquake in Haiti have caused me to reflect on how short life really is. How do we respond to these tragedies and sorrows? Listen to this quote from The Thought of God…
It’s been said that believers are most like Christ when they are humble. If that’s true (and it probably is), then humility is the quality believers should zealously pursue in their quest for Christlikeness. Yet, because of indwelling pride and selfishness, this pursuit of humility is a daily battle and one that must be waged relentlessly. To aid us in this battle,…
Do you have kids? Do you want to join me at the Answers in Genesis Conference? I will be taking my boys to the conference with Buddy Davis on January 10 and 11 at Calvary Grace Brethren Church in Alto. If you have elementary or junior high age kids this would be a great conference to go to to help them have…
Attempting to navigate the labyrinth of making decisions can be daunting, confusing, and at times paralyzing. It doesn’t have to be that way, however, as Dave Swavely describes in his book Decisions, Decisions. This easy to read, practical book cuts through the confusion of how believers should and should not make decisions. The first half of the book debunks many of the…
The great Protestant Reformation which occurred in the 16th century is undoubtedly one of the greatest moments in church history. Although Martin Luther’s pounding of the 95 theses to the door on October 31, 1517 was a momentous occasion, the Reformation did not happen instantaneously. It happened over a number of years through many different people. In this book, Diana Kleyn and…
In a day when the church needs to catch a renewed vision for world missions, John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad! is a breath of fresh air. In typical fashion, Piper pleads for the church to catch a God-centered vision for engaging in global outreach. His premise throughout the book is that missions exists because worship doesn’t. In other words,…
Have you ever wondered, “If God is in control of everything, then why evangelize?” In his classic work on this issue, J.I. Packer explains how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (and privilege) to evangelize are not only compatible, but necessary. In a careful review of the biblical evidence, he shows how a right understanding of God’s sovereignty is not so much a…
This little book of 86 pages by Ligon Duncan is an excellent read. “This book considers suffering in the light of the sovereignty of our wise and loving God”. The author attempts to handle the issue of suffering as the Bible does and how God is at work in the middle of our hardships. Suffering is not to be just endured, but…
The book, RENEWING YOUR MIND IN A MINDLESS WORLD – Learning to Think and Act Biblically, is an excellent exposition of Romans 12:1-2 by James Montgomery Boice. “We live in mindless times, days in which millions of people are drifting along through life, manipulated by the mass media, particularly television, and hardly know it.” “Even Christians are unaware of thinking and living…
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE GOSPEL OF GRACE? Rediscovering the Doctrines That Shook the World by James Montgomery Boice is a must read. The publisher’s forward summarizes by saying: “Jim Boice has given us a three-fold message, calling us as Christians: 1) to repent of our worldliness; 2) to recover the great salvation doctrines of the Bible as the Reformers did five hundred…
In Mathew 6 Jesus tells us to store up treasure…in heaven, and not on earth. This is the basis for the treasure principle: “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.” Discover the secret of joyful giving by learning what Jesus has to say on the topic of money and the giving of your resources, including your…
Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ by John Piper is an excellent read. It is a short book of 121 pages packed full of insights that show the sovereignty of God over sin. Chapters cover such topics as the creation of all things for Him, Why does God permit Satan to live?, how Adam’s sin serves the…