Proverbs 26:20
Observing Created Things
Sitting at my desk this morning, I noticed this beautiful, though damaged, spider web on my balcony. Two things almost imperceptibly sprang to my mind: First, a spider had spun this web and, second, it was damaged. It then occurred to me that it would have taken so much more effort to convince myself that…
A Manifesto of Grief
On Sunday, I shared an excerpt im my sermon from the post Tim Challies wrote the day after his 21 year-old son, Nick, suddenly died. Today, I want you to read the “manifesto” he wrote as a resolution to how he would deal with it that he recently shared. I know you will be challenged…
Powerful Paragraph from “When Sinners Say, ‘I Do'”:
“…True biblical wisdom will often have a courageous edge to it, as we walk in faith, seeking to please God in all things. It might seem that life will be easier if we take the timid path of avoiding certain uncomfortable truths or winking at selected sins, but we always reap what we sow (Galatians…
Trials are a Gift. No, really.
Trials are a part of God’s comprehensive protection we read about in Psalm 91 and lead to godly maturity written about in James 1.
Profound statement on the gospel
The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. ~ Tim Keller
Our only righteousness
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21
Do You Believe Into Christ?
Do you ever consider the difference in believing in Jesus as compared with other things you believe in but that don’t have much impact in your life? If not, you probably should. Consider the opening words of J.I. Packer’s classic book, Growing in Christ: When people are asked what they believe in, they give, not…
Getting Off of the Emotional Rollercoaster
As I prepared for my message (54:20) this past week, I gave a lot of thought to the role of emotions in the Christian’s life. How much do we rely on them? What weight should we give them in assessing our spiritual health? Is the presence of deep emotion the sign of deep spirituality or…
Shaking Away the Chaff
Anyone who knows me knows that I love everything about coffee, from roasting to drinking. I have roasted my own coffee beans for about 20 years. Even so, a very simple but profound truth came to mind while roasting this past Saturday. When I finish roasting, I take the round cage full of beans and…
Is living in peace your priority?
Are you actively pursuing peace in your life? It usually takes great intentionality and always humility. Let’s be honest, neither of those comes easy. Conflict is exhausting and pride is strong. Even so, living in real peace is a worthy prize — something I’m trying to focus on and improve in my own life and…
Dad at 90: Still Defying the Odds
87. That was it. 87. No more. His condition was too bad. He was too far gone. 87 years was all he was going to get. It’s what everyone thought — except for Mom. She was determined he was going to live. He was going to be OK. As it turns out, she was right. …
Obituary for my mother, Martha Lee Price
Martha Lee (Gartee) Price was born in Canton, MS on February 7, 1933, to the late Clifton Cornelius (Buck) Gartee, Jr. and Lessie Lee (Ross) Gartee. While still very young, Martha and her family moved to Jackson, MS, where she lived for most of her life. She peacefully entered the presence of Jesus in the…
Book Recommendation: The Songs of Jesus (A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms)
The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms read.amazon.com This Sunday at The Gathering, we kick off our annual Summer preaching series “Summer Under the Psalms”, a multi-year “walk” straight through all 150 Psalms. In light of that, I’d like to recommend a book to you that will help you if you…
Boston Bound: Two Months of Summer Missions for Jacob
We just put Jacob on an early morning flight bound for Boston. He will spend the next two months working with a church plant in the Back Bay area of the city. He’s really been looking forward to this for a couple of reasons: he’s interested in church planting, so this will be a good…
