Here is an extended quote from G. Campbell Morgan's teaching on Luke 8:19-39, concerning Jesus calming the storm on the sea. The next thing that we observe is the concern of the disciples. They did everything they could before they woke him, and do not forget that they were not novices. They knew how to …
During the last two years of his life, Seneca wrote a series of letters to his friend Lucilius, in which he gave his friend moral counsel. They are often published as "Letters from a Stoic" today. Interestingly, Seneca was an advisor to Nero and very likely could see the pattern of untimely deaths among those …
Continue reading Saving Time: A Reflection on Seneca’s First Letter
Translated Scripture is Scripture. That is a beautiful Christian doctrine that we do not meditate on enough. The Bible, of course, was originally written in Hebrew and a bit of Aramaic for the Old Testament and in Greek for the New Testament. Even though we acknowledge that no translation can perfectly capture the original languages, …
Last Sunday I preached the Aaronic Blessing, one of the richest passages in all of Scripture. It is the blessing Yahweh commanded the priests to pronounce over Israel, likely as the people departed from the tabernacle after presenting their offerings. The blessing consists of three lines, two of which speak of God's face turned toward …
I haven't seen Christopher Nolan's Odyssey. I don't know if I will. The internet seems divided. Some call it one of Nolan's greatest achievements; others call it a desecration of Homer. I suspect the truth is somewhere between those extremes. Great artists have always reimagined great works, and viewers have always been free to embrace …
Continue reading Whether You See the Movie or Not, Read the Book
Author Moses is traditionally understood to be the author of Numbers, since it belongs to the Torah or the Pentateuch, which are also called the Five Books of Moses. I say "traditionally" because some scholars argue that Moses was only one source among several and that the Pentateuch was compiled much later than Moses' lifetime. …
Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace was my big reading project last year, and it was excellent. I loved the great epic journey of the book. Of course, any book that large is bound to drag in places, but the characters always kept me going. I enjoyed War and Peace so much at, at one point, …
Continue reading Why I Keep Coming Back to the Lord of the Rings
Explore the history of altar calls and why the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are Christ’s intended, biblically-grounded ways to call us to repentance.
The simple and honest answer to the title's question is: as often as you do. When Christ held up the cup, He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:25). In other words, there is no explicit command …
Continue reading How Often Should We Take the Lord’s Supper?
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 …
B. C. Newton 