G.K. Beale's work, The Temple and the Church's Mission, has been massively influential upon the field of biblical theology since it's publication. If you read the bibliographies of most of the major biblical theologies of the last ten years written by conservative Protestants, you will find that they interact extensively with Beale's work. The gist of…
"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. The Soul and Free Will Philosophers don't take into account corrupted human nature when they talk…
Jeanne Mayo wrote Thriving Youth Groups to record her process for establishing a friendship culture in the various Youth Ministries she has run in her career. She believes that building a culture of friendship is the key to growing a youth ministry. Students will not come back to the Youth Group if they are not accepted…
Mark DeVries points out that many youth ministries fail because they are not built in a sustainable way. Churches often look for superstar youth pastors to solve all their problems. But quickly the church will overload the superstar with expectations and responsibilities, leading to a gifted and promising young pastor burning out. So what can…
"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. Philosophers on the Soul Many ancient philosophers did not believe in the immortality of the soul.…
"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. Refuting False Teaching on the Soul Before I go further, I need to refute the false…
"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. Reflecting God's Glory We won't have a complete understanding of the image of God until we…
What are you doing with your life? Just about everyone wants a meaningful life. Of course, life can feel meaningless, pointless, and absurd; just as the writer of Ecclesiastes. But most people when asked would desire to life a meaningful life. The desire for meaning is why figuring out your life's purpose is so important. Once…
Cal Newport has a solid older blog post on the concept of "Monk Mode Mornings." Essentially, going monk mode in the morning means spending the morning doing deep work and scheduling any other meetings/people time in the afternoons. Applying the monk mode to pastors would mean focusing on your sermon prep and writing during the…
No one is keeping track of when you clock into work or clock out. No boss is holding you accountable for how you spend your time. Sound like a fantasy world? Think again. It's the schedule of a pastor. The schedule of a pastor is almost infinitely flexible with no one really checking up on…