Category Archives: Uncategorized

Four Kinds of Sermons: Against, Without, Above, From

I’ve spent years thinking about preaching. First, as a listener at church. Later, as a pastor, the guy doing the preaching. Now, I teach it to new ministry students at Biola University, or at least I try. One thing I … Continue reading

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Hell’s Cheerleaders (Or, the Unlove of Unconditional Affirmation)

Following Jesus involves a lot of intentional learning and a lot of intentional unlearning. Believers need their thoughts, feelings, and actions continually renewed by the life-giving truth of God’s Word and freed from the soul-destroying untruths of the world that … Continue reading

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You Only Have Three Choices in Hard Times

When you meet a hardship in life, it is helpful to know you have three options. You Can Stop Quitting is always an option and it isn’t always a bad one either. If the pain or harm of something isn’t … Continue reading

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Courage, Dear Heart

I feel scared, a lot. As a teacher, I have begun many semesters thinking, “What am I getting myself into? What if I fail?” I have driven to many meetings feeling like an ulcer was forming in my stomach because … Continue reading

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Life Is Hard. Sin Is Why. Wisdom Is Necessary.

Life is hard and confusing. School demands our time and energy. Homes need fixing. Work disappoints. Money gets tight. Friends drift away. Kids break our hearts. Marriages get complicated. On this side of glory, life is not for the faint … Continue reading

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Screwtape Lives in Your Pocket

Robert Ordway retrieves an ancient danger in a modern device. C. S. Lewis published The Screwtape Letters in 1942, during World War II, when men faced extreme adversity and hard times. The fictional book is about a senior demon, Screwtape, … Continue reading

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Love in the Right Order

Jesus gave us the golden rule: do to others as you would have them do to you. In love, that sounds like, “Love others the way you want to be loved.” Good rule. I think we sometimes misread it, though. … Continue reading

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Is Your Life Built to Sink?

The Titanic was, by every measure available to human engineering, a triumph. Naval architects and shipbuilding journals called her practically unsinkable. She carried the finest materials, the most advanced construction techniques of her age, and a master crew that knew … Continue reading

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God Wants More for You Than You Do

I once heard Billy Graham tell a story I haven’t been able to forget. A young man was about to graduate from college. For months he had been eyeing a beautiful sports car at a nearby dealership. He knew his … Continue reading

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Beautiful Coffins

Some coffins are quite beautiful. Polished mahogany, brass fittings, silk lining, with flowers as the finishing touch. Craftsmen spend careers perfecting them. But nice coffins don’t fool anyone. However fine the box, we all know what’s inside and none of … Continue reading

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