If joy (noun) is a deep-seated peace and contentment even in the face of challenging circumstances, than rejoicing (verb) is the ability to be glad and experience well-being even when challenges, pain or uncertainty are present. Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (ESV) So, when we respond to the …
Category: Musings
5 Solas–a brief summary
Salvation is based on… the Scripture alone by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone Or, put another way, the core theology of the Reformation advocated for the… sufficiency of Scripture to lead us to understand the sufficiency of grace for salvation through the sufficiency of faith in …
Martin Luther: Guilt versus Grace
As I watch a documentary on the reformer, Martin Luther, I am struck by the contrast between guilt and grace. As a Monk, Martin Luther was driven by guilt. The feeling that he may never be able to live up to the standard of God. A guilt fulled by the teaching of the church. The …
The election in light of Hebrews 11
I was reflecting on Hebrews 11 this week and with our national election one week away, I was reminded of the need for perspective—faith over the long haul in the same direction. Reflections on Hebrews 10:32-39; 11:1-40; 12:1-3 In light of the Election Pray—seek God, not to manipulate but to discover His will, prioritizing what …
Reflections on the Cross
The Impact of Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement on the Cross God could not accept us as we are, sinful, rebellious, selfish, unrighteous, unholy, unloving. He could not just ignore our condition without the cross. God does not accept us as we are, but in spite of the way we are, He… declares us righteous in Christ’s …
Books I Enjoyed this Year
The Best Books I Read This Year Some of these were read, others a combination of listening and reading. I’ve become a big fan of audiobooks (I am an auditory / visual learner.) Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, by E. Randolph Richards, Brandon J. O’Brian Excellent book to remind us that not only must we …
What creates unity and maintains fellowship?
For the last 5 months I have been studying and teaching 1 Corinthians, Paul’s letter to a dysfunctional, divided, immature, selfish and immoral group of churches. One general recurring question that continues to resurface as I study is, “what creates unity?” or “how do we maintain fellowship?” If a church started by Paul in a …