"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18). Too often, I wonder if my words are more like sword thrusts than a healing balm. Perhaps you feel that way too. The tongue is incredibly challenging to tame, James 3:1-12 makes that clear. James says some surprising things about the tongue, some things th...

I know that many of you think I'm a big cry baby. I really don't cry all that often. Really you can ask my wife (back me up, dear!). There are few things that move me to tears. Chief among them is remembering how God has lavished his saving love upon me in Christ. I also tear up when I see sick kids in the hospital. I hate that. The other cause for the formation of liquid ...

At each elders' day away I assign a book to myself and my fellow elders. Often we'll think about an issue in church history, a specific pastoral issue, a theological debate, or some aspect of ecclesiology. However from time to time I think that it is important that we simply stop and talk about that which is of first importance. That's why for this past elders day away...