Yesterday (February 1) marked the eleventh anniversary of my pastorate at Western Meadows Baptist Church. Here then are eleven thoughts from eleven years of pastoring. CLARITY FOSTERS UNITYTHICK SKIN; TENDER HEARTA SHEPHERD, NOT A CEOPASTORING TAKES TIMETEACH FIRST, AND MAKE BIG CHANGES SLOWLYORGANIZING SERMONS BY YEARTHE PRIMARY WORK IS LARGELY UNSEENREADING WIDELY AND DEEPLYLEARNING THE …
The ages before the birth of Christ are called BC, before Christ. The years after are called AD, which does not mean after death. Rather, it stands for a Latin phrase: anno Domini (the year of the Lord). We are now counting years since the arrival of Christ. And though He died, He did not …
The internet gives us a false omniscience, presenting everything from everywhere to everyone at any time. But we are not God. We were not designed for omniscience. Not even the digital imitation. Yet here it is. Everything. All the time. I can listen to the greatest performances of Mozart, ponder over the most beautiful artwork …
This is not an easy question to answer, especially whenever we consider the church local or universal, visible or invisible. Thankfully, this answer applies to both. God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life. Those opening words contain terms that can be uncomfortable for some Christians, but this is simply language …
Three things are too wonderful for me;Four I do not understand:The way of an eagle in the sky,The way of a serpent on a rock,The way of a ship on the high seas,And the way of a man with a virgin. Proverbs 30:18-9 ESV The text before us this morning is itself the embodiment of …
Continue reading The Way of a Man with a Virgin | Proverbs 30:18-19
AUTHOR The superscription for the whole book is Song of Songs 1:1: "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's." That is why the book is often called the Song of Solomon. Indeed, most evangelical commentators argue for Solomon as the author. A popular speculation throughout church history is that Solomon wrote Song of Songs in …
My last sermon of 2025 was titled Why Did God Write Poetry? I attempted answering that question because most of us today treat poetry as unnecessary and purely intellectual, ornamental rather than essential. Yet roughly one-third of Scripture is written in poetry. Thus, if we lack a proper appreciation for poetry, we will also struggle …
Continue reading Soul in Paraphrase: A Treasury of Classic Devotional Poems | Leland Ryken
This question builds on the previous one, which answered: What is the Lord's Supper? Now, just like with baptism, we have a clarifying follow-up. Baptism is a beautiful picture of our saving faith in Jesus Christ, but it does not wash away sin itself. Baptism is necessary for the Christian life but not for salvation. …
Continue reading Question 47: Does the Lord’s Supper Add Anything to Christ’s Atoning Work?
Psalm 45 is a love song. But it may not be the kind of love song that we are expecting. One commentator writes: This psalm is a hymn celebrating a royal wedding. As its title says, it is a love song. The term translated "love" (Hb. yedidot) indicates deep personal attachment but is not in …
The New Year is here. Have you already started a new devotional? A devotional is book of sort, often daily, readings. Many have 365 readings for the whole year. They are usually written to be relatable and encouraging. The more theologically robust ones typically reflect on a particular verse or passage of Scripture, sometimes encouraging …
B. C. Newton 