I wrote a series of devotional readings for the upcoming youth group trip to Kingdom Bound. One of the most convicting ones for me was my reflection on Psalm 46:10. I have adapted it for a different audience, but the message of the text remains the same (and equally convicting, blogs would be much easier if they didn’t have to be … Read More
Trusting God In The Midst of Opposition
Today was a day of looking forward and looking back for me. I was reflecting on the sermon from this past Sunday (Trust In God), and I was also getting excited for the Acts series coming in the fall. I was reminded of a passage encompasses both of these thoughts. In Acts 4 Peter and John are arrested for proclaiming Jesus’ … Read More
Freedom In Christ
Happy Independence Day! The Birthday of our Country’s Independence is a time of joyous celebration. It is also a time to reflect on the fact that our freedom did not come without great sacrifice. Freedom is costly. A well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence is “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This phrase gives examples of … Read More
The Mission Field In Our Backyard
Recently the Barna Group came out with a new study that showed Albany/ Schenectady/Troy as the #1 Post Christian Cities in America (See study HERE) and the 2nd from the bottom of the most Bible-Minded City in America (See study HERE). It is easy to see his finding when looking around at our immediate culture. We think, “ya, that makes … Read More
The Blessings of the Work of God
As I prepare to officiate a wedding this weekend, and three more in August, I am reminded of what a blessing and privilege I have to be involved in the lives of God’s people. God has given me a tremendous love for His people. And in doing so, He has allowed me the honor to see Him work healing in … Read More
Unceasing Worship
In Harold Best’s book Unceasing Worship, he describes the Trinity as the uniquely “continuous outpourer” who continually pours Himself out between the persons of the Godhead in unceasing communication, love, friendship, and joy. He writes: “We were created continuously outpouring. Note that I did not say we were created to be continuous outpourers. Nor can I dare imply that we were … Read More
Why I’m Excited For Gospel 301
Coming up this Sunday we will be beginning our three part Gospel 301 class. The focus of this class is Looking To Multiply: Intentional Disciple Making. I myself am very excited to sit down and look at what it means to be a disciple maker. One of the focal points of our church is being missional, living on mission with … Read More
The Transforming Work of the Gospel
It was Dr. Tim Keller who said, “The gospel is not the first ‘step’ in a ‘stairway’ of truths, rather, it is more like the ‘hub’ in a ‘wheel’ of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C’s but the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but … Read More
Created To Bring God Glory
The first question of the Westminster Catechism is, “What is the chief end of man?” Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Isaiah wrote, “bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name-whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and … Read More
Praise The Lord
One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Psalms. I love the imagery and the emotion that are found in the words of the authors. Perhaps my favorite of all the Psalms is Psalm 150, which is a call to worship. It starts and ends with the same exclamation “Praise the Lord!” This psalm can be broken down into … Read More