After disputes over worship music, possibly one of the most debated issues in conservative church culture is what should be worn to church. Are only suits for men and dresses for women acceptable? Are shorts too casual? In Part 1, I walked through the Bible's storyline with special concern for its theology of clothing. Clothing…
Do you feel like a Loser?
Jim Hamilton commenting on Revelation 12 and how God works through weak things: It's almost as though God shows up on the playground to pick his team, and instead of picking guys who look like they can play, he picks the obviously inferior team...Do you ever look around your life and feel like God has…
Great Walls of Fire! (Zechariah 2:1-5)
“Will things ever turn around?” I think that’s a question all of us have asked ourselves at one time. Zechariah probably asked himself that question on a daily basis. At the time, things look bleak for the returned exiles. Their city lies in ruins. The city walls are torn down. Things seem hopeless. God, however,…
You Don’t Make A Decision To Join a Local Church
Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, in their book Total Church, speak on the true nature of church membership: By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means…
The Trellis and the Vine–A Short Review
Six years ago I started a college ministry called SPUR with my best friend. I think about 15 people came to the first worship service we held. Our first ministry budget was $3,000 which covered about three months salary for us both as well as all our expenses. In the early days, we spent a…
Four Horns and Seventy Years Ago (Zechariah 1:18-21)
Zechariah and his contemporaries are trying to rebuild their lives after seventy years of exile. Back in the Promised Land, the Jewish community faces innumerable obstacles to actually accomplishing anything of significance. Then God sends another vision to Zechariah. After Zechariah sees a vision at night of horses in a valley (1:7-17), God gives him…
How Long, O Lord? (Zechariah 1:7-17)
When your country has been invaded, its defenses torn down, and its capital city burned with fire, you probably need some hope. When your people have finally returned to the land, attempt to rebuild the main city and main religious center, you will probably be quite uncertain as to what will happen next. That is…
It’s Like Waiting for a Christmas Gift that Will Never Come
“I know that when you died and went to heaven, the angels sang the alleluia song but the silence that you left here behind you is empty like the day without the dawn”--Drew Holcomb, “Sweetness” RIP, my boy, LazChristmas is not the same without you here.I am hopeful to see you again because of the "good…
Small Group Advice from Big Church Pastors
Most people have a cursory knowledge of seven deadly sins: sins which could derail a person’s life. In their book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, pastors Russ Robinson and Bill Donahue also argue that there are seven deadly sins. But these sins have to do with mistakes churches make concerning small groups,…
A Theology of Clothing
After disputes over worship music, possibly one of the most debated issues in conservative church culture is what should be worn to church. Are only suits for men and dresses for women acceptable? Are shorts too casual? Before delving into an answer to such a question, a prior issues needs to be settled: What does…
Raising Lazarus 