I do not pretend to understand the depth of grief experienced by those who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Though I have lost very close relatives to death and have 4 children in Heaven due to miscarriages, these losses are different and the grieving process has been of a different sort.

I have heard and read many words of condolence from the media coverage, as well as personal correspondence sent in, literally, from all around the globe. The sheer volume of support for our community has been astounding over these past couple of weeks. I personally have friends from London, South Africa, Croatia and many other countries who are praying for us. My church has received hundreds of emails mentioning prayer support. For all of this, my church is thankful.

It has been one month since the shooting, and the main lesson I have come away with is simply this;   Continue Reading…

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure.”

It’s a Christmas classic that has been around for almost one-hundred and seventy years. Scrooge has taken his place right alongside of a red-nosed reindeer, a talking snowman, and a little boy named Charlie Brown. Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the old miser’s “Bah, humbug!”

While Christmas may have been a “humbug” for Ebenezer, it certainly wasn’t for Charles Dickens. Continue Reading…

A Christians most powerful weapon in evangelism is a persuasive personality and lifestyle characterized by good deeds. Right? If you were to look at some of the most prominent evangelical figures and “evangelists,” you might come to that conclusion.

.But if its true, I’m in trouble.  I’m not much of a salesman, and I’m sure if someone knows me long enough, my own sin will undermine the very gospel I desire to model to my neighbors. Too many Christians have fallen into this salesman trap, and they try to sell people on the “benefits” of being a Christian, but their message lacks authority and does not produce conviction. The idea is if you flash just the right smile, surely unbelievers will see how genuine and wonderful you are.

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It is not a secret that most tracts and gospel presentations are either silly or seriously flawed (if not both). However, many conservative and reformed churches that have traditionally avoided these materials all together do often use a form of evangelism titled Two Ways to Live.

Two ways to Live is a Gospel presentation produced by Matthias Media in Australia. Its website describes the program as, “simply a memorable summary of the Christian Gospel. In six simple points it conveys the key information that the average non-Christian person needs to understand in order to become a Christian.”

Most will encounter Two Ways to Live through their 15-page tract subtitled, “The choice we all face.” But the program also comes in a 1-hour Bible study, a kid’s format, and in resources designed to be given away. The material is well made, avoids theological gaffes common to these types of programs, and is endorsed by D. A. Carson.    Continue Reading…

Since I took a church in Hillcrest South Africa and Jesse took a church in Washington DC, we have been looking for a central location to meet so we could hang out and so Jesse could lose at chess. I’m not sure the location we chose was geographically central in any way, but our hearts were both knit to a common cause that drew us to the Himalayas. There is an enclave of first generation believers hunkered down in the inhospitable religious terrain of classic Buddhism. Jesse and I were give the privilege of coming alongside their pastors to train them in theology and practical ministry issues. This is where we have been hanging out the past few weeks.

The Himalayas boast the highest altitudes on earth, and forge the most breathtaking scenery you can imagine. I never tired of seeing peaks towering well above the cloud line. The people who inhabit this majestic territory are of hardy stock. They breathe thin air all their lives and wrench rice crops from their paddies year after year. The brunt of the Monsoon is felt in these mountains and winter temperatures are constantly teetering on deadly.

The people live in a serene harmony with nature and each other. They are a happy, humble, and hard-working population of many tribes and dialects. The Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Tibetan cultures all intersect in these mountains to form pockets of hybrid Buddhism with traces of Hinduism. The gospel here almost always falls on rocky ground. And yet, there is a burgeoning evangelical presence that can only be explained by Jesus’ triumphant promise in Matt 16:18 “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Continue Reading…