Arnold Dallimore’s book on George Whitefield has been one of the most enjoyable and spiritually profitable biographies I have encountered in some time. I was especially struck by what I read today concerning Whitefield’s popularity and humility.
Although his ministry in England drew the contempt and jealousy of many clergymen (couldn’t help but notice the similarity [...]
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When it comes to dealing with discouragement in pastoral ministry, I am no physician of the soul. No, I am the patient who has merely begun to receive help from the Great Physician of the soul. And in these posts on becoming a more gentle, joyful, loving pastor, I have simply tried to speak as [...]
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I believe the enemy will go to great lengths to discourage and frustrate God’s under-shepherds to turn them into joyless, complaining, ineffective talking heads. I know this from experience. And so as I mentioned last time, I am on a journey to become a more gentle, joyful, loving pastor.
So I’ve been sharing a few things [...]
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It has been said that the role of the preacher is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. We reformed types tend to be quite good at the first half of that statement. Our “discerning eye” can spot complacency a mile away, and many of us are ready to bring the hammer down [...]
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Demolition. That’s what characterized my Memorial Day.
Our church recently suffered some serious flooding in the basement, and I spent a good part of yesterday helping to rip up carpet and tear down drywall. As I was doing this demo work to the physical church building in which I minister, I couldn’t help but think [...]
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I’ve not posted much lately. Not been in a blogging frame of mind. I’ve been too busy thinking through too many things to blog about any one of them. I will pass along this inspiring charge, however, given by J. Gresham Machen to the 1931 graduates of Westminster Seminary:
“You, as ministers of Christ, [...]
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As a church we have been spending some time thinking about the implications of the Great Commission. What has become increasingly clear is that the Great Commission is not one aspect of the Christian life or one department of the church, but is a summary statement of everything the church of Jesus Christ is to [...]
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Christians are in the “growth” business. We are often concerned about our own spiritual growth, and those of us who pastor have a particular interest in the growth of others. But when we look at the progress being made in our own lives or the lives of our people, sometimes the only we thing we [...]
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I wanted to pull my hair out. It was one of those days where everything seemed impossible. As I looked out over the landscape of the task God has called me to do, all I could see were giants in the land. “They’re too big and numerous,” I thought. To put it bluntly, I was [...]
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Hebrews 11:6-7: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this [...]
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