The Blog
Sola Gratia
We are saved by grace, and grace alone! Sola Gratia means, “Grace Alone,” and this mantra was essential to the heart of the reformation. Grace is one of the predominant themes in all of Scripture. Throughout history God’s people have stood upon and...
Sola Fide
500 years ago, Martin Luther was deeply troubled, and it was this restless torment that would lead to a discovery that would change his life and the lives of many who would come after him. Luther wrestled with his sin. He was painfully aware of his...
The Sola’s of the Reformation
October 31st marks the 500th anniversary of the momentous day in church history when a Catholic monk nailed a document containing 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. Although, most do not believe that Martin Luther intended to launch a...
Overcoming Bible-Marketing
We are living in an American Christian sub-culture that over-uses (and sometimes poorly-uses) Scripture. Before I write anything more, I need you to understand that I mean NOTHING against our local Christian bookstores. In fact, I worked at one during...
Jesus is Everything
Colossians 1:13-20 is one of the most powerful Scriptures about Christ. Just consider what this text says about Him. It begins with God the Father in verse thirteen, and then quickly moves us to consider the Son… Christ, the Redeemer. He has delivered us...
Comfort in Tragedy
I woke up this morning to yet another tragic news story. Although details were not yet available, the magnitude of the tragedy was already clear. The headline read, “The Most Deadly Mass Shooting in US History,” and the article described the gruesome...
Faith Seeking Understanding
Recently, I was asked by a stranger what I studied in school. For me, this question is quite revealing. I have a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and a Master’s degree in Theology. So by necessity, this means that I am going to talk about God and...
Shelter in the Storm
The power of nature is overwhelming. Humanity has accomplished incredible things, and we have never before seen such astonishing advancements in science and technology. Yet despite our advancements, we are left with a feeling of frailty in the face of the...
Top 5 Books I Have Read This Year (So Far)
Here are a list of the top 5 books that I have read this year (so far). This was a difficult list to compose, but after much deliberation I have settled on just 5. I would highly recommend any of these books. I hope that my list will give you some ideas...
Reconciled to Reconcile
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of...
Run Well
I am sitting in a coffee shop right now, and through the window in front of me I have seen, with much jealousy, five runners in the past five minutes who have run by my window toward the dreaded Temple-Run. The Temple-Run is a one of the steepest hills in North San...
Keep My Mouth Shut
Proverbs have a way of saying so much in so few words. In 20 words or less, I can read a Proverb and have sufficient wisdom on which to chew for an entire day. So, I read this proverb today and I thought I would pass it on to you for you to chew on today. A fool gives...
How to Deal with Compassion Fatigue
We live in a time in which we have access to an unprecedented amount of information. Our news feeds update by the minute, and our social networks give us up-to-the-second information from all over the world. Never before has our globe felt so small. Never before has...
A Rock that is Higher
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Psalm 61:1-3 (ESV) Consider what it means to be led “to...
A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23 – Book Review
As we read our Bible, we believe that it is fully and completely true. We believe that it is the word of God himself to us. We believe that it reveals who He is, and who we are in light of Him. We believe that all of it is inspired by God and profitable to teach, to...
Anxiety; Its Cause and Remedy
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” - Psalm 56:3 (ESV) Anxiety can be crippling. Anxiety will imagine a future, and then give us the potential fears of that imagined future. These imaginary fears then become real fear and anxiety in our lives as we wrestle...
What is the Pastor Doing to You? (Part 3)
Over the past two weeks we have looked at what our pastor is doing to us. Based upon a book by Alister Begg, we looked at seven negative caricatures of preachers, and we looked at some of the ways in which preachers can approach their task of preaching. Along with...
What is the Pastor Doing to You? (Part 2)
The preaching and proclamation of God’s word is vitally important in the church. We have been given the thoughts and truth of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to wonder what God is like, because He Himself has told us. We don’t have to...