How to Listen to a Sermon
Keys for getting the most out of what the preacher says Jesus said, 'Therefore consider carefully how you listen' (Luke 8:18). Here are some cautions and directions, in order to help you hear sermons with profit and advantage. 1. Come to hear them, not out…
The Offer of a Lifetime
A crisp gentle wind blows in the cool of the day. The humidity is chilly, and I can barely breathe because of its heaviness. The air is rank like the smell of decaying fish. I am on my way home when I decide to take…
The Storm
After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's Pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest Minister who was in the service that evening. In the introduction, the…
Teach Me To Forgive
One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had…
Angel On The Highway
I just had one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and wanted to share it with my family and dearest friends. Here it is: I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and my…
The Reality Of Hell
In Matthew 25:31-46 the Bible teaches that at the final judgment while the righteous will enter heaven to enjoy everlasting life, the wicked will go into eternal punishment. The thought of everlasting suffering is repulsive to many. No doubt this aversion lies at the bottom…
To Enemy With Love
But in ordinary life you are aware that opposites are always joined together, that they are not opposites but complementaries. You know perfectly well, your love can at any moment become hate, and your hate can at any moment become love. In fact if you…
When Your Twenties Are Darker Than You Expected
The human body starts dying at age 25. Our twenties slap us with the expiration date of sin’s curse (Genesis 6:3): slowly, in our ligaments; tightly, in our muscle fibers; subtly, checking for bumps; decimally, with a rising BMI. We feel death in our twenties;…
A Place to Start for Spiritually Stuck People
I’m spiritually stuck. We are stuck people. We get distracted, pulled down, undone. God feels distant and irrelevant. Dane Ortlund says, “You are not abnormal. So relax. We all go through this from time to time.” Seasons of spiritual darkness are common — even when…
You Are Not Damaged Goods
Talking about sexual history with the person you’re dating can go wrong very quickly. It can turn a healthy dating relationship into a game of manipulation and control in a millisecond. When sexual history is revealed, both parties may feel betrayed for different reasons. Every…