“$99 for a flashlight?!” At an outdoors class I attended several years ago, one of the students asked the instructor what he planned to do with the money he made from his Saturday side job. He replied by showing what he had bought using the money from a previous class earlier in the year. He … Continue reading Surefire Christianity →

Youth ministry consists of ceaseless acts of delegation and helping others, and summer camps are a prime example. Earlier this month, I took our teen group to our annual summer camp in Tennessee. Transporting about 30 people across multiple vans and vehicles is never without stress, and there are always surprises along the way. But, … Continue reading Delegation →

Being in the ministry as a youth pastor can lead to some very awkward predicaments. Some of those involved people, and some of them involved problems. Sometimes it can be the preaching of strange passages, and sometimes it can be unclear planning. But besides people, problems, preaching, and planning, there are two “P”s that will … Continue reading Church Projectors →

Christian, when you go to church tomorrow remember that behind most of the smiles are hurting hearts that are desperate for hope. When you hear the songs, what you won’t be able to hear are the nagging doubts in souls who wonder if the lyrics they sing are true. There will be visitors who feel … Continue reading A Little Bit of Compassion Goes a Long Way →

Inside of every hurt, broken, struggling… healed, restored, overcoming Christian there’s a perfect holiness within. It isn’t earned; it’s freely given. And one day, despite the doubts of their mind and heart and despite every outward disappointing appearance, it’ll shine brighter than anything else… except the Holiness from Whom it came. Christian, every single time … Continue reading O Lord, Haste the Day →

Justification? Instantaneous. Glorification? In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Sanctification? Seconds… minutes… hours… days… weeks… months… years… decades.

“Tony Walker never heard the gunshot. Back in his room, playing video games with a neighbor boy, the 10-year-old only heard what he called the usual ‘fussing’ between his mother and (step)father. Then he heard his mother say something like, ‘Don’t do it.’ When Tony came out, he found his mother, Judy S. Walker, lying … Continue reading Sound Doctrine →

(Continuing our study through Wayne Grudem’s Christian Beliefs workbook) This of the greatest rivalry you know… now go beyond that and think of the strongest hatred you know… next try to think of something more (far apart) than a holy God and sinful humans: holy vs sinful, God versus human, one versus billions. As undeserving … Continue reading Lesson 10: What Is the Atonement? →

The acclamation of those who initially proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus featured the third person and the past tense, not the first person and the future tense. Their touchstone wasn’t “God will raise me from the dead” or “God will raise us from the dead.” Rather, it was “God has raised him from the dead.” … Continue reading Christ Rose > I’ll Rise →

Introduction Psalm 8 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible; probably from working 3rd shift and wishing I could make the world work around a night owl schedule. Psalm 8:3–6⠀3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, … Continue reading Lesson 7: What Is Man? →

Introduction About 20 years ago, I drove to CompUSA to spend $100 on an AirPort Extreme Card. Why? So that my laptop could connect to Wi-Fi—yes, there used to be a time when computers and laptops didn’t come with Wi-Fi. demonstrate installing the card In its original factory, it would have been able to connect. … Continue reading Lesson 6: What Are Angels, Satan, and Demons? →

Introduction Praying the Bible Did anyone pray through Psalm 12 this morning? Remember our Praying the Bible series this past fall? So this morning we are going to see the doctrine of prayer. We might think we are already familiar enough with it. But, as someone has said, “The best way to make a Christian … Continue reading Lesson 5: What Is Prayer? →

“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem us…” Luke 24:21 Follower of Jesus: there was once a time when Jesus’s followers referred to hope as something they used to have—hope had changed from a present reality to something spoken in the past tense. They once were hoping, they used to be … Continue reading Hope’s Not Gone →

After a followup with the heart doctor this morning for an expensive way to be told all the tests say I'm fine, this is just what I needed to read for the first time in PNTC and to be reminded of again in an email from Chuck Fuller: CF: "At some point, Dr. Seifrid noticed … Continue reading The Kingdom Comes Small →

Since nothing in creation can separate the genuine believer from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, then we must conclude that every earthly separation is not meant to separate us from our Savior. Instead, it is intended to draw us nearer. Though earthly separation may be the result of sinful … Continue reading All Things →

Often someone will criticize another for having ‘too tight a hold’ on items. It may be an item of hobby or a material possession that is greatly admired. True, our covetous hearts are bent towards idolatry (and that right quickly, see Exodus 32:8). But, if we possess the item and use it to accomplish a … Continue reading God’s Grip →

If I understand the gospel more today than I did yesterday, does that mean I’m not really saved? How many times have you heard of someone claiming that they finally understand salvation and now are truly saved? How may times have you heard testimonies of people claiming that after years of serving God and knowing … Continue reading Assurance of Salvation →

Christian (who doesn’t seem to fit in), With all of your quirks and oddities, remember that you’re made in the image of God. You may not connect with everyone and may not be understood by everybody. That’s ok—God doesn’t intend for you to carry a burden that heavy anyway. Connecting with everyone you know and … Continue reading Square Pegs →