Church leaders love them some ministry models. They love to read about and study what other churches do and how to replicate those models in their own church. They love to debate the merits of the model. But guess what? Ministry model doesn't matter. Just about any model can be successfully implemented in a church.…
I was terrible at taking vacations when I first got married 10 years ago. Two days in I would think, "Ok, that's enough rest; time to get back to work!" The rest of the time I would be anxiously looking forward to the day when we would return from vacation so I could start working…
G.K. Beale displays his understanding of the New Testament's storyline in his book, A New Testament Biblical Theology. Biblical scholars regularly dispute what the exact nature of "biblical theology" actually is. For example, is biblical theology an attempt to find the "center" of the Bible or the tracing of certain themes from beginning to end? Beale…
It's helpful to create a "To Don't List" for the year. Here's mine for wrapping up 2019 and heading into 2020: I won't be pressured by outside organizations to speak or present. I need to focus on shepherding the LBC body and my school work. I won't give my word to reach out to "outlier"…
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Definition of Providence Let's remember what providence is. It does not mean that God just sits idle…
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. God Controls Everything God is omnipotent–all powerful. He wants us to acknowledge his power too. It…
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. God's Providence Over All Things We must believe that the providence of God is opposed to…
Many pastors don't really want their churches to grow in numbers. They have seen the results of the seeker-sensitive movement: sermons light on actual Bible teaching, pastors who function more like CEO's than shepherds, and people who may be attracted to a cool experience but aren't actually formed into disciples. But growing a church in…
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. God's Providence in the World God is not an absentee Creator, who made the world and…
Bill Walsh was the legendary coach of the San Fransisco 49ers in the 1980s. He took over a team that was previously 1-15 and in three years won a Super Bowl. The backbone of Walsh's success was his "Standard of Performance," his leadership principles. Bill Walsh assembled his leadership principles into 17 bullet points which…