It is never easy, as a pastor, to look at the text you’re teaching on Sunday and know how challenging it will be for your people. Last week, as I studied James 1:2-4, I became aware of a new cancer diagnosis, more relational conflicts, and a congregant battling lung issues. Extra-locally, I became aware of another pastor friend falling to a moral
To say I’ve been looking forward to our study of James would be an understatement. I’m thrilled to be in this book. One reason: it’s WAY different than Genesis. It’s shorter, and the study and prep work will focus on shorter sections of scripture. I’m eager to dig deep into the language and think deeply about each section. The other reason is that this will
Sunday was another privilege to share God’s word and mission with our church. Over the last few weeks, we have introduced our church’s mission statement and ministry process to our church. We have attempted to share some non-negotiables and how people connect and grow at CLF. It’s been a clarifying series. This past Sunday was about growing in Christ. It is implied in
Being known by and developing close relationships with other Christians presents many challenges. In this post, I will list a few of those and ponder some biblical solutions. But first, we prayed Sunday about the devastating fires in California, specifically for our brothers and sisters at Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena. I also announced that some of them have lost their
This post has much to cover, so let’s get to it. Clarifications After Sunday’s service, Chris Guastaferro sent this text to our elder group thread: “The example you gave about sick kids. I want to make sure I understand. Are we encouraging parents to attend even with sick kids? I’m sure I misunderstood.” My response was, “Haha! No. I got mixed up in
The last Sunday of 2024 was a memorable one. Preaching through the prologue of John’s gospel was an enormous task and treat. As I said in my introduction, that text makes me tremble because of its density and breadth concerning Jesus. Hearing our church worship at the end of the sermon was a joy because sermons should draw us to worship. I’m grateful that
There are many reasons for joy. Sunday’s sermon was another example. I want to explore a few ways to apply that sermon in this post. Why is the joy of the Lord our strength? Nehemiah 8:10 makes this case. In that text, the people of God were under duress while reconstructing the walls, and Ezra reads from the Law. It has been a long,
One of our hopes for the Advent series was to create a sense of anticipation. We arranged the series to start in Genesis, hoping to build each week upon the longing and anticipation that the Jewish people might’ve felt. As I studied Luke 1:26-38, I could feel this in the text. It was a sweet privilege to think about how Mary might have
My favorite sermon topics are those about mundane life. In this post, I want to clarify some points and give practical advice on serving Christ right where we are. The Lure of the Secret As a young Christian, I was deeply concerned about missing God’s will. I worried I would somehow miss God’s signs and wanted to know the secret of
Generally, the promises in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah were given in times of upheaval and distress. As each OT prophet foresaw, there was a future age of turmoil for the people of Israel. It was no different in the prophecy we looked at Sunday from Micah 5. As I noted in my sermon, the upheavals were caused by Israel
This past week is one of those weeks that Jill and I highlight on our calendar. We all look forward to our annual elder and wives’ planning retreat. There are many reasons for this, and I’ll use this post to highlight them. Lots of Discussions I collect information and ideas we must discuss each year to plan the retreat. Some
It will be challenging to keep this post short, so I’m preparing you now… As promised on Sunday, here’s a debrief of our recent trips to the Philippines, Sydney, and the SGC Pastors Conference. God’s gospel is Moving Forward When people ask me about my view of the end times, I tell them that God’s gospel will win. I’m an optimist. If
Greetings from Cebu City, Philippines! Today is Tuesday morning, and it is likely that by the time you receive this, Jill and I will be in Manila. We have been in Cebu since Friday evening. We’ve had a busy but incredible time. A Quick Update When we left Eugene on Thursday, our flight was delayed by almost two hours. Our connection in LAX to
If you’ve been in our church for very long, you have heard me talk about long-term faithfulness. In my mind, Joseph is the first biblical case study of that. We obviously can’t miss the big story of why God put Joseph in Egypt. Joseph was there to provide for God’s people during the famine in Egypt. He was also there
Talking about forgiveness is remarkably challenging. One of the daunting tasks for the pastor is to explain principles, knowing that there can be a variety of applications. Every situation is different, but the biblical principles are the same. And quite honestly, publicly preaching/teaching cannot get into every application. But it can give principle. That’s why faithful church ministry does not just happen publicly when we
Sunday’s sermon on Genesis 42-43 dealt with one of the more challenging theological ideas in the Bible. I was trying to explain that practically, encouragingly, and clearly. What made this daunting was the unexpected trip to Texas for a family funeral. I crammed most of my study and writing in two days, and one of those was while I was on the
We have had some wonderful Sundays the past few weeks. I will share a few thoughts from those weeks, and I hope it’ll be helpful and encouraging. Genesis 37 and Baptism Preaching at One Champion Field is challenging because the net that separates the field from the stands creates a false barrier and makes it difficult to see everyone. But Luis
Through the years, Jill and I have sought to help our kids deal with the idols of their hearts. One of the ways that we’ve helped them identify these dastardly enemies of our souls is by helping them see that when idols are close to being exposed, sinful responses usually follow. Anger, dismissal, covering up, hiding, or other things have
The lifelong lessons of Jacob and his family keep coming. Remembering his compromise and his son’s overzealous actions is a great reminder that there is never a time in our lives to get sloppy or lazy. As leaders, there’s too much at stake. As young people who tend to be more zealous and idealistic, it’s imperative that you lean into
The story from Genesis 30:25-43 is a story about this very thing. The Lord is the provider. But the Lord gave Jacob wisdom, expertise, and resourcefulness to breed his flocks. We find this throughout the Bible. David’s building projects, Solomon’s Temple build, weapons of warfare that God’s people invented, and governmental laws were all given by God and done by
The study of Genesis has been good for my soul and the soul of our church. One of the areas that’s been good has been the warnings about jealousy and selfish ambition. It’s very interesting how often these issues arise in the Old Testament: In Genesis alone, we see Cain and Abel, Sarai and Hagar, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and
Over the course of the last 8-10 years, anything from sexual ethics to abortion politics has become a war zone. To enter these worlds, you must be prepared to speak courageously, as I mentioned above. But Galatians 5:15 reveals to us a truth that will help us as we engage in public with the truth: those who bite and devour
One of my trepidations about preaching about trials is the question: “Are trials in our near future?” Some have told me they might not be at church often during this series because of that (they said that sarcastically…even though I haven’t seen them at church lately😂). But the reality is that many in our church are already in the throws
Recently, as I was reflecting on the journey the Lord has had us on, I began to wonder if we, as a church, have become impatient and ungrateful and, in doing so, have lost sight of the mission of the gospel.
I have always been deeply affected by something the Lord told the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, when He said, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that
I’m writing this on Memorial Day. Like many of you, we will enjoy the day of rest, eat good food, and have family over for a BBQ. It’s the official start of summer, and outdoor weather is here. But today, my mind is drawn to another year of great freedoms in our great country. I thank God for those who
When you read this prophecy in Genesis 25:23, it’s essential to see this correctly. In the stories of Isaac/Ishmael and Jacob/Esau, the older will serve the younger. But we could also say the first will serve the last. Just because something comes first in order does not mean it’s first in prominence.
Think of Adam. Adam is called the
Genesis 25 is a bit of a bear. There’s the death of Abraham and Ishmael—the transition to Isaac, and the introduction to Jacob and Esau. As I stated in my post last week, Genesis 25 was on the docket for this past Sunday. However, once I started looking at it more closely, I had no idea how to cover it.
Hallelujah! What a Savior! Wasn’t that a great day at church? Resurrection Day service followed by baptisms was a great way to celebrate our Savior. I was reminded on Sunday about Luke 15:7, when Jesus said, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need
It dawned on me: look around and rejoice…all that we have needed, God has provided. Let’s use it for the mission of the gospel. Easter is coming, CLF…, and there are plenty of seats at Jacoby to invite friends to church.
Sunday’s sermon was a ‘sweet spot’ for me. I struggled with anxiety for much of my early Christian life. I wanted to please God and do His will, but I was always worried I was missing it. I was taught about God’s ‘perfect’ will and that, if I missed it, I would not be in the ‘center’ of God’s will.
I’m a warrior at heart. I like competition, and I don’t mind getting in the fray. However, I have learned through the years that living a “peaceful and quiet life” has afforded more opportunities for the gospel than being loud and aggressive. I have learned through the years when to fight and when to create conflict (even though I don’t
In my sermon on Genesis 20, a question came to me about God’s sovereignty over human sin. I stated that God works with, in, and through human sin to accomplish His purposes. I placed a high view of God’s sovereignty and made it clear that even though Abraham sinned, God’s purposes were not thwarted, and God used Abraham’s sin to
The Church is the only eternal institution in the Bible. The Church started before time began (Ephesians 1:3-6). The Church is the only institution that Jesus said He would build, and the gates of hell would not overcome it (Matthew 16:18). The Church was given by God to make disciples of all nations for the good of all nations.
I’m grateful to have finished the Sodom and Gomorrah story. It’s been a long, dark, and challenging week of study. I’m thankful that the sermon culminated with a sighting of Jesus because it’s not good for my soul to be left in the judgment of Sodom. I hope it was good for you as well.
One point I didn’t have time to cover in the sermon is something that I find very important when thinking about God doing the impossible. Often, people get frustrated or disillusioned with God because they believe He hasn’t come through for them on issues not clearly addressed in His Word. Let me explain.
I have been looking forward to getting back into Genesis. I enjoy expositional preaching and exegetical study. I knew when I planned to jump back in that we would start with Genesis 17 and the sign of the covenant: circumcision. So you can imagine my angst as I thought about how that might go.
Last Friday night, before heading home, I wrote down three different conclusions for Sunday’s sermon. All three would be good. But all three together would be confusing. I let myself roll into Saturday and let the sermon ruminate in my head. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I still did not have clarity on how to end the sermon.
What I learned through this experience is this truth: correctly understanding God’s character changes us to be more like Jesus, and improperly understanding God’s character causes us to stay dominated by sin (namely condemnation and guilt).
But one reason I didn’t mention is that sometimes we lack peace because we knowingly sin against God. You can see this example in Genesis 4 when Cain offered a sacrifice that God did not receive. He instantly lacked peace. As Christians, this happens to us, as well. Conviction of sin can cause anxiety when we don’t repent. This is
When hard things happen, if we think God’s character is sinister, mean, or, at minimum, can’t be trusted, that makes us hopeless. But, if we believe that God’s nature is always good, loving, and merciful, then we know that He has reasons for these hard things, and His reasons are good, loving, and merciful. Even if we don’t understand ‘why’
The last Saturday I wasn’t out of town or didn’t have a ministry event was September 2nd. Since September, I have traveled to Denver, Manila, Bend, and Orlando. In between, we’ve had local conferences and weddings. I realize I’m weak compared to many of you who travel a lot, but I’m happy to be home now for a while. I
I haven’t done the math yet, but since the beginning of the summer, my preaching schedule has been the lightest it’s been in years. I feel it in my soul. I love preaching at CLF. Sometimes, like Sunday, it’s like we’ve come into our family room at our house and we’re rejoicing in Christ and learning from Christ. It’s amazing
This made me consider generosity. Most of the time, we ask questions like, ‘Can we afford to give?’ ‘Do we have enough at the end of the month to give?’ These are all good questions…for an accountant. Farmer thinking would be, ‘How can I afford NOT to give? And ‘If I give at the front end of the month (sow),
I’m writing this from my last flight home from my trip to the Philippines. I’ve been trying to think about how to summarize this trip. Quite a bit happened personally and in the work we’re attempting to do in developing Sovereign Grace Philippines. So, I think I’ll divide this post into those categories to help me write.
As I stated on Sunday, our main reason for covering the shaping virtues is to show what we believe defines gospel culture in a church—most who stay for very long experience this at CLF. But knowing why it’s important and how it’s happened is important.
I was reminded not to go through the motions and that God is evaluating our worship gatherings and my heart. I was struck by the fact that Colossians 3:16 shows people singing to one another, where we remind one another of God’s faithfulness and our hope in the gospel. I was encouraged to intentionally engage with the people of God
I tried to do this on Sunday with this statement: CLF exists to equip people to worship Jesus, serve Jesus, and love others. I said that a few times. While this is not our written ‘mission’ statement (we’re working on that), it does define what we’ve tried to do and what we believe is our part in the Great Commission.
One of the reasons for our new series on the Great Commission is that we need to see how the everyday Christian life is to represent Jesus in a Genesis 3 world. We see this clearly throughout the New Testament. We hope to show how ‘minutely’ and ‘daily’ this making disciples is to be in our lives. In this post,
We’re tempted to trust in measurables in adversity. When we look across the metaphorical battlefield and see an army bigger than ours or an enemy stronger than us, it could be the cultural war on morality, the business competitor flooding the market with their product, or the sin that so easily snares us. We measure our strength and capacity compared
Rick’s sermon ends a study this summer of many Psalms of lament. I’m grateful we covered psalms like this for a few reasons: 1) it gave us biblical answers and hope; 2) it gave us categories for times when life doesn’t make sense; 3) it shows that we’re a congregation that doesn’t want to ignore hard things in God’s word.
What struck me was how ‘real’ our sermon series in the Psalms had been to them and us. I have noticed a remarkable theme through our summer psalms: hardships and trials that seem to come without rhyme or reason. We are left with asking the Lord to alleviate the pain, and we’re left with, ‘How long, O Lord?’
These last two weeks have found our family in Ferndale, Washington, for a baseball trip with a 14U Babe Ruth team and at our church campout at Bastendorff on the Oregon Coast. It was a full two weeks with tons of memories made. It was nice to get away, and it was needed.
This is very helpful and encouraging for people like me who talk to themselves (don’t tell anyone). I have to say aloud to myself things like “Don’t say that!” or “Don’t think that!” And I repeat gospel truths to myself regularly. I remind myself that I’m forgiven, that I have access to God, and that God looks upon me favorably
Life did not get easier after that memorable night. I wrestled with the frustration of what my place in our family was after my father’s death. I was that “poor wandering sheep” that Henry described. Thanks to God He took me up, all be it bleating loudly, and brought me into His secure sheepfold. Maybe you also wrestle with the
I was thinking about this recently as I took some time off. I could have done a better job taking time off over the last few years. I love to work. I love my job. I love my church, and I love serving the people that I mentioned above. When people love the church, it makes pastoring them easy. But
It’s been a few weeks since my last post, and there are a few things that I’ve had stored up to share. I have planned on writing each of the last few weeks, but inevitably something came up that kept me away from the keyboard. Today, I’m finally able to get some things down. I hope these things will inform
As I have said over these past few weeks, each sermon has had a very personal feel to it. Sunday’s was no different. Only this time, it wasn’t just targeting my heart. It was targeting ‘our’ heart as a church. Last year, during my sermon planning, discussing jealousy and selfish ambition seemed like an excellent follow-up to Sarai and Hagar.
I don’t know if enough attention gets drawn to the idols of our hearts. Idols are generally not evil or sinful things. Usually, they are good things that we want too much and want now. They move from desires to needs. They become things we crave and think we cannot live without. And they dominate our thinking.
In the last two posts, I have mentioned how I’ve been dealing with some spiritual ‘heart’ issues. In the 34 years of Christian ministry, I have found that the Lord does not leave me alone, and He normally walks me through texts that I’m preaching on to get my attention. That has been true over the last several weeks. Some
Sunday, we were introduced to one of the most mysterious yet intriguing characters in the Bible, Melchizedek. As I said in the sermon, we don’t know much about this guy, but Hebrews 5 and 7 give us the biggest references about him.
I needed to be in church on Sunday. I had an odd week. It had no rhythm to it. It was long. I was frustrated with some things that went on, and I was battling through some heart issues. Then, the church service started. The lyrics from the songs began to re-speak the truth of the gospel to my soul.
There are so many directions that a teacher could take on Genesis 12:10-20. The amount of preparation for Sunday’s sermon and the differences in commentators was interesting. It was a wonderful study, and I learned a ton. I like hard texts like this, and I enjoy exegeting the text for interpretation and our congregation for application.
One of the things I said on Sunday needs to be drawn out a bit more. And that’s Easter hope. I was very encouraged by the quote I shared from John Piper at the end of the sermon. Piper wrote, “The best news of the Christian gospel is that the supremely glorious Creator of the universe has acted in Jesus
I was provoked by Luis’ treatment of John 8 and the Jewish leaders’ interaction about being Abraham’s people. It is not those who are physical descendants of Abraham who are his people, but spiritual descendants by faith. But this also struck me as I raise my family and teach my church.
We hit another weird moment in Genesis 9 with Ham’s sin and Noah’s drunkenness. So I thought I would give you an inside look at how to see odd moments, like this, in the Bible.
This is one of those posts where I brag about our church and our family of churches. The weekend we just had gives me ample reasons for this, and I thought it would be great for you to hear about.
One of my favorite topics or ideas to preach on is big themes found in the Bible. I tried to accomplish that on Sunday with an overview of the biblical covenants. What’s challenging about doing overviews like this is knowing what to cut out and what to include that fits the overall big theme. But teaching on big themes gives
What a remarkable Sunday. As I wrote to our group leaders, if anyone predicted what happened on Sunday, they need to get me the winner of the 2023 World Series. You’re prophetic! I’m not sure if it was my lack of faith or my knowledge of who was preaching, but I was not anticipating what I experienced on Sunday. I
On Sunday, after the second service, someone approached me and said, “that was the adult lesson for Noah’s Ark.” I appreciated that. That’s how I felt. Sometimes we forget the wonder and awe of stories like Noah’s Ark and the Genesis flood. There is simplicity and joy in just reading a text as if it’s the first time.
Over the course of our study of Genesis, we will bump into some weird or odd stuff. And because of the pace with which we’re covering Genesis (so we’re not in it for 8 years), there will be times when we can’t cover all the perspectives on particular things. Sunday was one of those days, and Genesis 6:2 and 4
I mentioned to you last Sunday that I would be out of town last week. I went to Louisville, Kentucky, to the Sovereign Grace Pastors’ College to take a class on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). This is a part of the ongoing growth that I feel is important as I get older. At 52 and in the
As I said in Sunday’s 2nd service, I firmly believe that one reason why the church has lost its voice in the gender discussion in our culture is that we have compromised the gender roles in the church. We have failed to honor gender roles, protect gender roles, and deeply value one another.
So, when we look around the world today and see the confusion about any of the issues listed in Genesis 2, we need to realize that it’s because sin and Satan have clouded our vision of what God intended and why God gave us these things. There is no confusion with God. The confusion is with us. We want something
One point of clarity that I want to bring up from Sunday is that I believe there should be a time to discuss things like “old-earth,” “young-earth,” science challenges to the Bible, and so forth. I just don’t think that it has a place in the pulpit for a Sunday morning gathering. I think the point of that moment is
Sunday, as I got up to prepare for our Sunday gathering, I knew that preparing my heart was more important than re-reading my sermon manuscript. The Lord was working on me, and I knew it. There were issues in my heart that needed to be addressed before my Maker, and He was already pursuing me. So as I bowed my
This past week as I was reading through the gospel of John, I came across this verse in John 7:16, “So Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.’” As I sat and considered this statement, there were a few things that struck me: 1) Jesus’ humility continues to amaze me, 2) Jesus’ understanding that
Sunday’s sermon from Isaiah 9:6-7 was so much fun. It was fun because of the example I just gave. But it was also fun because our series from the Minor Prophets that we had just finished prepared us for some of the history of Isaiah’s text.
What a Sunday! That’s how I feel this morning (Monday). I’m exhausted, for sure, but I’m amazed at God’s kindness to our church and me. There are several things on my mind today.
I can’t remember a week of sermon prep that was more challenging than last week. Zechariah is a tough book. It would be challenging to teach that book in a series of sermons. But to try to do it in one sermon made this a difficult task.
There is quite a bit of content that I want to get to in this post, but let me start with a few areas of conviction from the message from Haggai. The Lord used Haggai to “adjust” me a bit in these areas.
The challenge that Zephaniah gives the student of the Bible is immense. As with most Minor Prophets, there’s constant friction between immediate and far-off future prophecies. This is why studying end times (eschatology) is so challenging.
This week’s edition of musings will be more like ramblings. It’s been a few weeks since I last posted anything, but I thought I would touch on several things in this post that might be of interest.
There is simply too much to talk about when it came to my trip to the Phillippines. Here is a trip report that attempts to describe how grateful I was to be part of this ministry team.
The next time you get worried about sharing the gospel with someone or worried about how God could use someone like you, just remember that Jonah preached a 5-word sermon, and God flipped Ninevah upside. Just give that some thought…much like God speaking through a donkey (Numbers 22:28), God did the miraculous in a most unusual way. The Lord will
Bruce’s sermon was fantastic. It was clear, challenging, and faithful and made us long for Jesus more. I think if the Apostle Paul were writing about men today, Bruce Wells would be one of those who have the interests of Christ in his heart and who have given their lives for the Lord. I’m grateful for Bruce, and I know
One of the reasons why Amos is such an intriguing study for me is because I like straight talkers. I’ve never been a fan of people hiding their intentions, playing games, and never telling me the straight truth. I’m not a veiled communicator, and I’m not a fan when others are veiled in their communication to me. So, while Amos
I mentioned on Sunday that my hope for us to learn the book of Joel was to see how big our God is and how He is intricately involved in every facet of universal history. And I said in the 2nd service that I would write a little on this from the book of Job.
This new series that we began on Sunday is one that I’ve been looking forward to teaching. Most of that is because of the cultural moment we find ourselves in being “on the outside looking in.” But also, I know how refreshing it was to my soul to spend in the Minor Prophets. I found solace in the fact that
I have always been reluctant to extend myself beyond my “borders” regarding leadership. So, I declined anytime an outside organization asked me to serve on a board. I did this because I want my time given to my family, church, and community. And when it comes to community things, I’ve limited myself to the game of baseball because that’s about
Several people approached me before preaching on Sunday to let me know that Romans 8:12-25 was one of their favorite passages in the Bible. So, I sure hope that I did that passage justice for those of you who love it, and I hope that the wonder of that passage still resonates in your hearts. What a text!
This is why we must cling to the truths of Romans 5-8. In our union with Christ, God no longer determines our relationship with Him based on our sin, our fickle love for Him, or how we feel in the morning. God relates to us solely on our union with Christ.
Throughout this series, “United with Christ, I see things in Romans 5-8 that I’ve studied before, but they have come to me with new freshness and joy. Focusing on these chapters has given me a new sense of freedom from the power and penalty of sin and Jesus being my righteous advocate before God. It is simply a stunning display
Romans 6 is a breath-taking look at how the power and penalty of sin do not dominate our lives anymore. It is a text about true freedom. Freedom to live as God intended and the joy that living in that freedom brings us. It’s a chapter about how sanctification (being more like Jesus) happens in our lives. It’s a chapter
Romans 6 talks about our real, spiritual union with Jesus. It’s about how God sees our position and status before Him. He not only relates with us based on Jesus’ righteousness, but He frees us from sin’s power and penalty because when Christ died, our old sinful self died with Him, and when Jesus was raised from the dead, our
So, one of my prayers for our nation is a prayer I have for our church (which is who this blog post is for), is this: that we would be respectful, grace-filled people, who treat others who disagree with us with gentleness and kindness, and we commit ourselves to let truth win our hearts. It’s a big ask for the
Sunday was a rich day with our church. I knew going into Sunday that it would be one of those days that I would look back on fondly. The main reason was the text and sermon series we were beginning. Romans 5-8 are some of the most theological encouraging chapters in the entire Bible.
Now, with this crazy week, I decided not to preach on 1 Timothy but to preach on “The Functional Centrality of the Gospel.” It really is the most important lesson of my life. And like I said Sunday, “if I were to preach the last sermon of my life, this would be it.” Lord willing, this wasn’t my last one,
the church that pastor and I love the people that I get to serve alongside. I have told the Lord many times that I just can’t believe that I get to do what I get to do. Yes, pastoring is hard. But it’s joyful labor. And the church I pastor makes it that way.
I had a few of you ask on Sunday about how the Good Samaritan story would fit into the sermon on Sunday. It’s a great question. But here’s a very brief summary with an explanation: The Good Samaritan story was taught by Jesus to the Jewish people about their lack of love for anyone who wasn’t Jewish. 1 Timothy 6
Join us as we come together to honor and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This special gathering will include heartfelt worship, a brief message reflecting on the hope found in Christ, meaningful fellowship, and prayer as we rejoice in the gift of His coming.