Nuggets and Nuances: A Lesson in Careful Interpretation—Luke 8:52-53
Introduction I recently had the opportunity to preach from Luke 8:40-56 (yet again), the story of Jairus and his daughter. I do not usually like to re-preach sermons, but this was a last-minute fill-in for a pastor who was ill. I have had plenty of time to meditate on this text, having written the initial […]
Nuggets and Nuances—Luke 8:40-56: A Story Within a Story?
Introduction Recently I had the opportunity to preach for a second time on the story of Jairus and his daughter. The account I presented was from Luke 8:40-56. This story is unique amongst many Biblical narratives in that the episode appears to include a story within a story. The story begins with the account of […]
Paradigm Shifts for Churches in 2022 and Beyond–Introduction
Introduction The time we live in—this current period in church history, is a difficult one. This episode has been dubbed by several as “the great resignation,” due to all the pastors and men in church ministry who have resigned or have been forced to resign from their position in Christian service. Considering all of the […]
Real Life Discipleship–Part 1
Introduction I have been thinking about discipleship. Discipleship is a word that we hear a lot in “church circles”. Sad to say, many believers do not understand what God intends when it comes to discipleship. Too often we think of discipleship in terms of “us” and what we do for God. “I am a disciple […]
Nuggets And Nuances–An Introduction
Introduction For a while now I have been meaning to start a blog series entitled “nuggets and nuances”. In fact, the very motivation for this blog came from my desire to write on topics related to exegesis and to share what I learn as I do my exegetical work in sermon preparation. So much of […]
Leadership Lessons From Nehemiah–Part 6
An Honest Prayer As we continue our study in the beginning of the book of Nehemiah we come to Nehemiah’s prayer. What a completely simple and honest prayer in which God’s servant lays out his heart before God! As we think about the prayer of Nehemiah, I find several significant items in this prayer, and […]
What Seminary Did Not Teach–The Burden of Ministry
Introduction From time to time on this blog I will feature articles under the label of “what they did not teach you in seminary”. Usually these are random or miscellaneous items which I have learned through “on the job training” and not necessarily in the classroom. This is not to fault our seminaries or critique […]
Leadership Lessons From Nehemiah–Part 4
As we continue our journey through the life of Nehemiah, we have noted how he led the people in the vital task of supporting the remnant in Jerusalem and rebuilding the walls. I noted last time that Nehemiah was moved to bring this matter before the Lord. We talked about the importance of prayer in general, and how we need leaders who bring the burden of leadership before the Lord. As we think about […]
Leadership Lessons From Nehemiah–Part 2
Last week I mentioned how I’ve been thinking about the book of Nehemiah. In order for churches to move forward after the difficult year that God in His providence brought their way, I believe it is helpful to study the example of others who have led during difficult times. Last week we noted how the […]
