“The Word work and Prayer work have the added problem of being difficult to measure. Prayer is done ‘in the closet’. Word work is done ‘at the desk’. But consider that the person who is in the closet or at the desk is largely out of sight. That means that it can appear as if... Continue Reading

Whenever parenting is reduced to our hard work, the child’s performance, and the reputation of the family, it becomes very hard for us to respond with selfless faithfulness in the face of our child’s failure. God-ordained moments of ministry will become moments of angry confrontation filled with words of judgment. Instead of leading our needy... Continue Reading

Idealism about daily devotions usually has some good in it, but it can be a recipe for frustration and ungodly guilt over time. I don’t want to disparage good intentions — may God fulfill your “every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). And as someone who’s walked... Continue Reading

True discipleship was largely not practiced in the mega-churches, which meant that myriad adults attended church for decades and learned little or nothing about either the gospel or the Law of God. Practically, and Americans love practical Christianity—or so they say—the bottom line was that dad and mom came out of church smiling and feeling... Continue Reading

When John’s father kicked him out of their house in North Africa, he joined the infamous European migration crises and made his way to Turkey by patching together a dangerous route—sometimes on foot, sometimes over water, sometimes at the mercy of human smugglers—always very dangerous for a young man, barely 20.    How does the... Continue Reading

Driven by a zeal for Jesus and propelled by a deep evangelistic fervor, men and women sought to leverage their cultural ingenuity to create churches that appealed to the masses and made it possible for many to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. As with any culture-driven ecclesiology, the upcoming implications of these ideas... Continue Reading

While we know Jesus was a disciple-maker, our contemporary versions of Christianity often struggle with or omit entirely any meaningful process of discipleship that can’t be labeled as teaching/preaching or supporting a church program. As a result, the continuing emphasis on Christian doctrine takes place in the midst of a movement that is clearly shaped... Continue Reading

When our songs and prayers are dominated by what we think and feel about God and focus less on who he is and what he thinks and feels about us, we run the risk of fueling our emotions with more emotion. We can end up worshiping our worship. What thoughts can bring balance when we’re... Continue Reading

In a couple of my pastoral theology courses, in seminary, taught by adjunct professors, we heard and read quite a bit about techniques for time management and church growth. Another of my professors warned me repeatedly about the dangers of “empire building” (about which he was quite right) but nevertheless, later, as a young pastor... Continue Reading

The Bible teaches us that something deeper than the Bible makes it possible for the human heart to submit to the Bible. Therefore, how will we ever articulate and justify the goal to pursue something in the heart deeper than the Bible without using the Bible? This means that among our aspirations for Christian writing... Continue Reading