Taken as a Whole Called the greatest sermon of all time, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount not only sets the tone of His entire earthly ministry but defines the very essence o f the Gospel. Like His seamless robe, which the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus cast lots for rather than divide, Christ's sermon must be taken not as a collection of teachings but as a whole. As the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament's Ten Commandments, Jesus' sermon is morally binding upon

The Ark Encounter Two years ago, I got to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. I had wanted to go for a long time, and it finally worked out. The entire experience surpassed my expectations. The late-June day was overcast and cool, so it was easy to imagine a looming storm. If you have been there, you remember your very first impression. Mine was fear wrapped in safety. You enter semi-darkness amid ominous thunderbooms as you inch your way through the

Many years ago while on choir tour with Spring Arbor College, my undergraduate alma mater, I had the privilege of visiting the Billy...

Introduction: This past week was extremely sad for those of us who took the assassination of Charlie Kirk personally. It seemed that...

Introduction Our culture has long ago lost the inimitable charm of living for others. "Please yourself" has become the mantra of the...

Fulfillment of Promises Andrew Murray said, "A promise from God is worth just as much as fulfillment." The Lord has given us well...

The Dead Tree Perhaps every neighborhood has one--the dreaded dead tree in a neighbor's yard that you hope does not fall on your house...

It was Sunday, October 29, 2017, in High Point, North Carolina. I had pulled in my parents' driveway on my way home from church, as I often did in those days. Somehow their sweet spirits lingered in their house among all their precious things, even though my father had passed away at the end of June and my mother had died a week before Christmas in 2016. Losing them six months apart had taken a toll I was not capable of comprehending at that time. My own health had broken

Most of what I have learned about teaching over the course of many years in the classroom has nothing to do with professional learning...

Many years ago when I was only six years into my teaching, a little episode happened at school that I have remembered all these years. I...

I am reminded that there are still those small lanterns burning in the world, no matter how dark things become. It was 8:45 p.m. on May...

"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" If you can relate to the days of hymnals, you might have opened one in which "All Hail the Power of...

Can you imagine polling people on the street and asking them if they have sinned today? If they don't attack you first, chances are, the ones who say "yes" will claim to be Christians. In fact, I have frequently heard Christians say that they sin every day. What do they mean? Is this a transparent and humble confession of sin, or is it a boastful and entitled profession of sin? Of course, this is an extremely broad topic, and truth gets lost in the complexity. We mig

Is this not the essence of worship? What more can we desire of a worship experience than to KNOW that God is God? And does being still...

In the famously misinterpreted Matthew 7 passage against judging (7:1), Jesus tells us not to give that which is holy unto the dogs and...

A few years ago, I inadvertently stirred up a hornet’s nest in a private Christian school classroom because I answered a student’s...

“Put on—” Without any hesitation at all, most of us could finish this sentence with, “The whole armor of God,” and most of us could name...