Seventeen82

  After becoming a believer at the age of 18, I quickly realized that not all sermons were made alike. My categories were rough, but they worked for me. There were “salvation sermons” that really only worked for the unsaved. Another type was the “how-to sermon” which focused on some tidbit of wisdom that helped us live better. Last, there were the “deep sermons” that really focused on the original languages or some theological concept. Those deep sermons drew me in and I started gobbling any theological book I could get my hands on. I started listening to sermons on the radio (this was before they were widely posted) and I knew that if I ever did pastoral ministry, I was going to be a “deep sermon” kind of guy. Fast-forward 7-8 years and I’m in full-time ministry at New Albany ARP and I’m a new seminary student taking my first Bible classes. I had “Genesis to Joshua” with Dr. Richard Pratt who taught the book in a way I had never heard Genesis (or any book) taught. I had been asked to

Patronage is not a word we hear in everyday conversation. However, the concept behind it is alive and well in today’s church. To get the current gist, we need to know the past debacle. The 16 th  century Reformation resulted in the Church of  Scotland that was  Presbyterian in structure and Reformed in doctrine.  While God used John Knox in the founding of the Church, further  reform came with the National Covenant of 1638 and the reception of the Westminster Standards of the 1640s. In 1711 the Parliament of Great Britain restored the ancient feudal rights of nobility to present a c andidate to Presbytery in the Church of Scotland when a pulpit was vacant—the Patronage Act. Essentially, the chief landowner of the parish had primary influence and veto power over the parish’s selection of a pastor.  If the landowner, a patron, failed to put forward a candidate for a vacancy within six months, his right of patronage fell to the Presbytery. The General Assembly of the Scottish Church in 17

  “Repent, Just Repent” 10.04 .2020   This morning I will read a series of Scriptures. These are linked by their common theme and sewn throughout the New Testament. To hear them tog ether as God’s voice, I will not interject the book and verse citations as I read.   John:  “ Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   Jesus:  “ Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   John: “B ear fruits in keeping with  repent ance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ”   Jesus (implied): Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Jesus as our Savior.” For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up true disciples.   Jesus: “ I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to  repent ance.”   “ …H e began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not  repent . ”   “ Those e

On the afternoon of September 18, 2016, I sat in a hospital conference room with my pastor. It was a Sunday, and after leading worship that morning he had come to be with my family — and to pray with my father one last time. My brother and I needed to make difficult end-of-life decisions, and our mom needed to sit bedside for whatever time she had left with her cancer- stricken husband. Our pastor prayed with us, he shepherded us through ethical questions by pointing us to Scripture, he listened through our tears and celebrated the victory of Christ in my father’s life, even as the blight of sin’s curse was exhausting him a few doors down the hall. Nine hours later, when my father drew his final breath, he prayed with us, he hugged us, he loved us — he pastored us. In the weeks, months, and even years that have passed since that Sunday afternoon, our family has spoken often of what a blessing our pastor was to us in that season. To be sure, he was a blessing to us before and after that

  As I sit down to write the words for this blog article, I am currently under day 10 of a self-imposed quarantine for exposure to COVID-19. After our family found out last week, we isolated ourselves from contact with others. It has meant several inconveniences, such as cancelled meetings, doctor appointments, and no trips to the local gym. It even meant that last Sunday's worship service had to be virtual after it was discovered that there may have been another potential exposure within the congregation. Thus far, there have been no symptoms and no news of sickness, and we are on track to have Sunday's service be in-person once again. This time of quarantine has not been fun. In fact, it's been pretty miserable. For all the talk months ago about lockdowns and quarantines being "the new normal," they are anything but normal. And quarantines serve as a powerful metaphor to describe an unhealthy relationship with God. Take our natural status before God. As sons and