2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. 3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return … Read More
Advent: Jesus is God’s Sign of Deliverance
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14 Despite all of the problems that humanity faces on earth, God has promised to deliver His people. This promise was originally given to the Israelites, but He also promises to deliver us today. … Read More
Christmas as God’s Sovereign Will
“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:10 Isaiah’s prophesied to the people of God that a Savior was coming. Through an heir of Jesse, people from all nations would be saved. This was a message of … Read More
Beginning of Advent
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; … Read More
God Provides
I think Jesus may have hacked into our bank account. Somehow, he always seems to know when my wife and I are low on cash. Now that I am a seminary student, our cash supply is often limited, and at times, nearly nonexistent. But when we reach the bottom of the barrel, we are always provided for. This has happened … Read More
Lyric Formatting for Worship
In many churches, there has been a subtle change over the past decade. When we started using PowerPoint for worship, the majority of churches would use a slide for a verse, another slide for the chorus, and so on. Today, however, the trend is to use a slide for 2 to 4 lines — more like a snippet — in … Read More
What is a Hymn?
A friend recently asked me to explain what a hymn is, and it is a great question. Here are a few observations. Feel free to comment and add any of your own. 1. A hymn is not determined by when it was written. The date is irrelevant. Many hymns are being written today — usually more modern in style and … Read More
Intervention Needed
Driving through various parts of Chicago, I was reminded of how scattered and isolated we have become as a nation. This is nothing new, of course, but I realized again how many social and economic barriers we have created amongst ourselves. One block is home to one ethnicity, while across the street is another. As a society, we are not … Read More
All of Creation – Psalm 19
Before God created music, He created the heavens and earth. Think about it for a moment. There are many styles of music, but we all share the oceans, the stars, the sun and moon. All over the world, we look at the same handiwork of God. Incredible! Psalm 19:1-2 tells us that the skies display the glory of God. David … Read More
Come, See, Go, Tell, and Everything Else In-Between
What is evangelism? Is it inviting people to church? Is it sharing the gospel? Is it about helping the suffering? Christians have used different methods of evangelism. Willow Creek and Saddleback are prime examples of the “come and see” approach, where a large gathering is used to attract people who do not normally attend church. On the other hand, some … Read More
What It Means to Be Missional
Missional has become a buzzword in Christian circles, but what does it mean? There are many different responses to that, but in my mind, here are a few descriptions of what it means to be missional: Incarnational: You display God’s good news in the way you live. Contextual: You connect God’s good news with everyday life. Personal: You view yourself … Read More
Contentment
I wonder how much time we spend wanting something else. When a child, we want to be adults. When we are adults, we want to find a job and a spouse. Then we want a child, maybe a few. When we have children, we want a house, then a bigger house. We also want a car, a television, a computer, … Read More
Thanks for Leviticus
The book of Leviticus can seem daunting, irrelevant, boring, and downright frightening. Honestly, I have avoided the book from time to time, as have many others. It is easy to overlook the book because the “rituals” no longer apply to us, and it can be difficult to discern what those rituals teach us. After reading just the first few chapters, … Read More
Suggestions for Meaningful Worship
Recently I was asked, “What are your suggestions for a Christian to experience meaningful worship?” What a great question! It can be answered in a variety of ways, but here I will limit my response to the weekly worship gathering. In this post, I would like to summarize a few observations that I have made over the last ten years. … Read More
Technology & The Church
I am a huge proponent of incorporating technology into the local church. It deserves to be said, however, that when it comes to technology in the local church, we need to think through our options. Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean that we should. On a practical level, one instance of this is the recent increase of multiple … Read More
Where are you, God?
It is good to ask God, “Where are you?” Some of us are afraid to ask, thinking that our faith or our soul is in jeopardy. But in reality, it is quite the opposite. If we are asking God where He is, it means that we care and that we want to know where God is. In fact, we are … Read More
Poem: Belated Eulogy
Nearly two years later, it is still difficult to write about our son, Jeremiah. For months, I could not write about his death. Then, after it became possible for me to write, I felt like anything that I wrote was far too trivial. About a year ago, I wrote my first song about our experience and memories. Now, about two … Read More
Going Public
For Christians, the “good life” is not something reserved for an exclusive few. It is not hidden, or kept for those who have an ecstatic vision or some kind of secret experience. It is not monopolized by a particular class of people. Christianity is unique in that life is accessible to everyone, regardless of who you are. In 1 John, … Read More
$1 Christmas Gifts
If you need a Christmas gift that’s a bargain and immediate, remember that individual MP3’s are available at DiscRevolt: http://www.discrevolt.com/albums/view/2334 It’s really easy to download the songs. You can even email the MP3’s to your friends online. It’s a perfect way to keep in touch this holiday season! 1 MP3 = Someone you barely know 5 MP3 = Someone you … Read More
Preparing for Revival
Spiritual revival, or the renewal of our relationship with God, does not merely happen by chance, nor does it descend from heaven without our awareness. Both Scripture and history attest to the fact that certain conditions need to be met before we are spiritually resuscitated. We do not slip and “fall” into revival, but we prepare for it. Thankfully, revival … Read More