Brothers Sisters, This past Sunday in our study of Deuteronomy 31, I made a big deal about the reading of Scripture (both public and private). It may surprise you then again, maybe it won't that I didn't say everything I could have possibly said on the subject. If you'll recall, I mentioned that the Apostle Paul instructed young Timothy to give himself to the public r...

Brothers Sisters, I've been thinking about the subject of missions lately. A couple of months back I read Andy Johnson's new little book, Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global. It is an excellent and clear book. When it comes to thinking about missions one of the things that first jumps out at us is where do we look to think through all the questions related to mis...

Brothers Sisters, On Sunday as we studied Deuteronomy 24 and 25 we were confronted with the need to protect our neighbor's dignity and integrity. We even learned that some within Israel (and perhaps even we) may be tempted to love money and possessions more than our neighbor. Our love of money can endanger others, but it can also endanger us. That's part of Graham Beyno...

Brothers Sisters, One of the things that I have been wonderfully surprised by in our study through Deuteronomy is the relevance of God's Word to our everyday lives. As a child of God wandering in the wilderness of this world, I have found it to be full of profound and practical instruction for my pursuit of Jesus today. To be sure, there are a number of significant disc...

Brothers Sisters, You need more Jesus. Me too. We simply cannot have enough of him, and we never will have had our fill. Still, so often he seems to fade from our sight. I was recently encouraged by Michael Reeves and his book Rejoicing in Christ to remember that Jesus is my very great reward. Reeves wrote: Even for Christians, overlooking Jesus is easier than fall...

Brothers Sisters, Suffering is not just a part of Christian experience, it is also a part of human experience. Still, as members of Arlington Baptist, we have especially promised to "bear each other's burdens and sorrows." How do we do that? What should we say to a brother or sister who is suffering? What can we do to help? How can we express God's love, goodness, contr...

Brothers Sisters, Earlier this year I read through Michael Kruger's excellent book The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate. It is a thorough examination of the prevailing notion that the Biblical canon arose through what is known as an extrinsic model. In other words, the Church created the canon. As a protestant with a capital P, I...

Brothers Sisters, Have you ever wondered, does the day to day, the minute by minute, miniscule and minor details of my life really matter to God? Christopher Ash, in his helpful little book, Where was God when that happened? answers that question like this: "Yes, God cares about all things in your life little and big, present and future. He numbers the hairs on yo...

Brothers Sisters, Back in January a brother in the congregation texted me and asked for some advice on how to read through portions of the Bible like genealogies and geographies. Let's be honest, the Bible is a big and daunting book as it is, and those sections can only add to the feeling of distance between those days and our days. As we sit down to read, a natural que...

Brothers Sisters, I love reading the Gospels. The Gospels are good and glorious accounts of the life and ministry of our Savior. One of the reasons that I love reading the Gospels is that I can see myself in them. I am the man in need of healing. I am the prideful Pharisee in need of confrontation. I am sinner in need of saving. This is one of the reasons why I love the...