Seventeen82

                             2020 was a different year for all of us. A previously unheard-of virus spread across the globe, killings thousands and functionally shutting down entire societies. For the church, the Covid-19 virus provided its own unique challenges. For many of our churches, an adequate response to the virus required an overhaul of the way we’ve always done things. Of course, this shift led to extensive online discussion about the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of worship in the midst of pandemic. One of the most important questions to arise out of these discussions is the question of worship. More specifically, is online worship truly worship as defined by the Scriptures?             Before I attempt to answer that question, I believe that we can make a few important distinctions that clarify this discussion. First, there...

                Tensions are high. For Americans, one of the most highly volatile elections of our time is quickly approaching. For Christian’s, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty concerning the future of the American church and of our religious freedom. For many of us, it has become increasingly difficult to decide where we stand as both political parties seem to drift further and further from basic Christian principles, begging the question, “how should we interact with politics in a secular society?”             As we approach the celebration of the protestant reformation on Saturday, there are, I think, a number of similarities that are worth our consideration as we ask ourselves how we should interact with a politically dominant culture. While there are notable differences between 1517 and 2020, there are a surprising number of similarities. In ...

I want to begin this post with a confession: I struggle with self-centeredness occasionally. Ok, you got me, I struggle with it a lot. That should come as no surprise to you or anyone else reading this post. You know that I am no different than you. You are also well aware that we both struggle with self-centeredness. Like the Apostle Paul, we fight the fleshly temptation to honor ourselves rather than God (Rom. 7:15-19). This is true for us even after our hearts have been transformed by the gospel of grace in Christ. I don’t know about you, but my self-centeredness is periodically seen in my attitude before, during and after corporate worship. This was true before I became a pastor, and sadly it’s still true. (Shh, don’t tell anybody. Pastors are supposed to be super-spiritual.) There are times when I don’t want to get out of bed, don’t want to get dressed, don’t want be around people, don’t want to sing the selected songs, don’t want to lead the prayers, and certainly d...

  Battlefield             I am convinced that music is one of the greatest gifts God has given to us. In music we find joy, happiness, hope, and excitement. Music makes us feel things that mere words often cannot. Music, in all its various forms, is important for the soul. This is one of the reasons, I believe, that God has called us to worship through music.             A number of years ago now, a Christian hip-hop artist called KB released the song “Open Letter.” In this song, he describes these letters that he has received from various people coming to his concerts. They wrote to him about how encouraging his concerts has been. But, more than that, each letter sought something more of him. In the first letter, a girl named Ashley writes to him, telling him about her struggle with sin, singleness, and homosexual longing. As she finishes her letter, she pleads with ...