Friday Five: Charles Drew
Charles D. Drew, M.Div. has pastored for thirty years in Virginia, Long Island, and New York, all in university settings. He presently serves as the senior minister of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, which he founded in 2000 near Columbia University. He speaks frequently to university and churches and is the author of An Ancient Love Song […]
Asking the Wrong Question in Salvation
“So you mean I can do whatever I want and still be a Christian?” I’ve been asked that question numerous times when sharing the gospel. It’s a hard question to answer and mostly, up until recently, I would answer with a “Yes, but.” sort of vague statement. Yes, technically, grace covers all of your sins, […]
5 Myths About Spiritual Depth
All Christians want “depth” in the preaching they hear, the books they read, the Bible studies they attend. I’ve never once heard a Christian say to me, “I just wish I could get more shallow preaching.” But what exactly is “depth”? It’s a nebulous term that almost nobody knows how to define. “Give me the […]
Friday Five: Andrea Palpant Dilley
Andrea Palpant Dilley grew up in Kenya as the daughter of Quaker missionaries and spent the rest of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. She studied English literature and writing at Whitworth University. Her work as a writer has appeared in Rock and Sling, Geez, and Utne Reader, as well as the anthology Jesus Girls: True Tales of Growing Up […]
We are Believers Instead of Disciples
I’m currently reading Your Church is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan. I was deeply, deeply convicted by this section: At some point we stopped calling Christians disciples and started calling them believers. A disciple is one who follows and imitates Jesus. She loses her life in order to find it. She steeps in the language and […]
Why They Dislike Us: Christians and “Branding.”
“and this is why so many people reject the church . . .” How often have you read this in the last year? In the last month? In the last week? It’s a premise for a wide variety of ideas about the Church, a repeated refrain that has almost become a cliche. It goes something […]
Immigration Policy and Ministry
The Gospel Coalition is running a two-part blog series I coauthored with Matthew Soerens of World Relief on the sensitive subject of gospel ministry and immigration policy. In the first part we concentrated on a pastor’s role in shaping the attitudes of Christians toward immigrants, both legal and illegal. In the second part, we dived […]
Chuck Colson and Hope for the Next Generation
In January, Russell Moore wrote a provocative column entitled, “The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now.” It was a terrific column pushing back against some of the handwringing among evangelicals about the lack of good leadership for the future. His premise was simple: God may be in the process of raising a leader […]
5 Leadership Lessons I’ve Learned in 4 Years
I’m nearing my fourth years as Senior Pastor at Gages Lake Bible Church, which means I’m just beginning. I’m still learning. John Maxwell need not fear. I won’t be dethroning him from the position of Leadership Guru anytime soon. However, being on the job has taught me a few things about leadership, especially for young […]
Some Great Easter Links
Some great Easter Reading: “He’s Calling for Elijah! Why We Still Mishear Jesus” – Al Hsu in Christianity Today: A fantastic piece pointing Jesus’s last words to Psalm 22. Did God forsake Jesus or was Jesus telling the world that he was the fulfillment of Psalm 22? I preached on this passage last Good Friday, […]
Five Reasons to be a Member of a Local Church
As a pastor and a lifelong church man, I’m concerned about the increasing tendency among young evangelicals to dismiss church attendance as irrelevant to spiritual growth. Today, my friend, Dave Jenkins shares five biblical reasons for being a member of a local bible-believing church. Dave is as pastoral intern and blogger and the director of […]
5 Reasons Why Pastors Should Write
I’m a pastor who writes, but I know I’m not alone. In fact, many, many pastors around the world supplement their teaching ministry with a writing ministry. God blessed me with a writing ministry before I assumed the pulpit at Gages Lake Bible Church almost four years ago, but it has only been enhanced as […]