I have loved, led, and served the Oak Manor & Cornerstone dormitory at The Master’s College for the past four years. Living and ministering at the OMC has been a highlight of our lives and an experience we will always cherish. Tonight at 10:30pm I broke the news to my guys that all OMC students … More Remembering the OMC
I didn’t have it in me tonight (time, topic, or motivation) to write any kind of extended reflection, but I wanted to post at least something. I realize that this is a dangerous combination. But here are a number of quite disconnected thoughts either from various recent experiences or that simply jumped to mind as I … More Some Thoughts
The beginning of the spring semester always brings formal personal evaluations among the people I serve with. “Formal” not in the sense that the conversations are cold and businesslike — they’re actually warm and friendly — but “formal” in the sense that we have set forms of questions that we answer as we reflect on the fall and … More Thoughts on Being Corrected
This list was handed out at a TMS graduation luncheon a year or two ago. It may be helpful or thought-provoking for some, both pastors and others. It’s interesting how each mistake has a universal principle behind it that can apply to anyone. Attempting to out-MacArthur MacArthur — going beyond reasonable extremes set by John. … More “The Most Common Mistakes Made by TMS Graduates in Their First Ministry After Seminary Graduation”
Tonight I read the second chapter of John Piper’s The Hidden Smile of God entitled “Insanity and Spiritual Songs in the Life of William Cowper.” There are some precious quotes from the chapter, some on poetry because Cowper and Piper are poets, some on despair because Cowper’s was chronic, and some on John Newton because he was … More Precious Lessons from John Piper, William Cowper, and John Newton
O Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, build men and women at Bethlehem . . . Who don’t love the world more than God, who don’t care if they make much money, who don’t care if they own a house, who don’t … More “A Prayer for Our Church” by John Piper
This past week has been a full and good one. Last Friday morning I boarded a flight from LAX to DFW, arriving after lunch and spending the afternoon with old TMC friends before leaving for a weekend camp with the junior high and high school students of Grace Bible Church in Grapevine. Although we were only there for 36 … More A Week in Texas
Here are some approximate quotes from John Hannah’s lecture on Jonathan Edwards’ 1757 work The Great Doctrine of Original Sin Defended. The technical term for the doctrine of sin is “hamartiology,” from the Greek word hamartia). If there’s one doctrine that we instinctively revile or at least ignore, it’s this one. It devastates our perceived … More Wit and Wisdom from John Hannah (15)
I took a half-day away this morning, hoping to read through the four gospels. I was able to read three — Matthew, Mark, and John. For the past several years, Jesus has fascinated me. This fascination is increasing exponentially as I get older. His absolute boldness is awe-inspiring, and His undefeatable wisdom is mind-blowing. Time and … More Thinking About Jesus
Here are more loose, assorted quotes from John Hannah and his Winterim class that I took in January on the Life and Writings of Jonathan Edwards. These are from his lectures on three separate topics: (1) Edwards’ History of the Work of Redemption; (2) the “Communion Controversy” (which ended in Edwards’ dismissal from his pastorate); and … More Wit and Wisdom from John Hannah (14)
(Before you read too far, it might be good to answer the question for yourself. It’s worth thinking about.) This was the question I asked at a recent student leadership meeting. There were various answers given, and all had fair (yet different) reasons for their answers. I don’t think the answer is simple, though I do think it’s … More Should Everyone Be Passionate About Missions?
I was planning to preach on holiness at a summer retreat a few months ago but decided to change my topic a few weeks before the retreat. I had scribbled down some thoughts on a torn-out journal page, and that page has been sitting on my desk since mid-summer, waiting to be typed or discarded. … More Misconceptions About Holiness (1)
Half-hearted Christianity is the mark of the American church. We are infested with doctrinal compromise, cheap professions, nominal commitment, moral failure, and half-baked passion. No doubt most of you would agree. But I think that one of our biggest weaknesses in the conservative church is that we tend to think that these problems are limited … More What I’m Saying Tomorrow Morning
I know — no one probably thought that I had more John Hannah quotes from my class on Jonathan Edwards seven months ago. But I do. And I’m not recycling them. When taking classes from masterful professors, I lose all self-control in note-taking and basically end up with a partial transcript. Actually, it’s a choice I made awhile back in my … More Wit and Wisdom from John Hannah (13)
Over the weekend I read an article on Paul’s missionary endeavors. The article was good but the writing was occasionally constipated. I’m not wanting to embarrass or criticize anyone, but I think that some of the following examples illustrate the lack of verbal clarity that plagues a lot of scholarly writing. Long words and complex … More Isn’t There a Better Way to Say That? Scholarly Writing and the Need for Clarity
From time to time I find it personally helpful to type out a variety of thoughts that seem worth recording at least for my own personal benefit. Usually they are fairly disconnected except for the fact that every element of life is intertwined when related to God and His purposes. I record them together because there’s … More Some Recent Thoughts on Life, Eternity, Sacrifice, and Giving
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