Calling all Young People! An elder in the URC churches is taking a survery—and he wants you to participate. The survey is anonymous, takes 1 and 1/2 minutes (or less), and is on the use and view of marijuana. He’s hoping he can get many young people between the ages of 15 and 30 to…
First I have to say to you all: Congratulations! Your “Ask a Pastor” questions have completely overwhelmed us pastors and have now officially become a backlog, a logjam, a complete gridlock. However you want to call it, the list of questions is long, and the list of pastors to answer them… well, not so long.…
Since summer is the time of weddings, that means spring (for the pastor) is the season for premarital counseling. Once a week (or so) my wife and I find ourselves sitting with a stary-eyed couple, listening as they gush about how easy it is for them to work through their arguments together (Oh, they have…
Entreat me not to leave thee I’ll be ever at your side When you’ve sorrowed I have sorrowed When I cried You dried my eyes I will always call you mother All others I ignore Adoring the one God of your fathers Trusting Him forever more Wherever your foot steps take you You…
Scripture teaches us that the effects of sin are always serious. They are threefold: 1. Death in various forms The Bible teaches that sin leads to death, in all its forms, physical, spiritual, and eternal. As Dr. Ferguson says: As a result of sin, a “virulent disease” began “to spread through the whole of…
Perhaps one of the greatest tensions in the Christian life is that a we are at peace but also at war. We are at peace with God through the reconciliation made at the cross, and yet are called to war against indwelling sin. There is not only an individual part to this warfare, but…
Recently, I stood at the graveside of a dear Christian friend. Before addressing the gathered family and friends, I once again pondered the question, “Why do believers have to die?” The wages of sin is death, and believers have sinned. however Christ has paid the full penalty for our sins. So why do believers have…
Entertainment today is great. I mean really great. The XBox? The iPhone? Galaxy S7, 8, 9? 4K TV’s? Nothing in the history of the world has had the power to keep people entertained as much as these things. Add to that Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest, texting, Spotify—the internet—and YouTube and I can spend all day, every…
“Work”- When you hear the word what comes to mind? Is it the daily grind of producing purposeless papers or mixing concrete for long hours? Attending lectures with eyes half-shut or cleaning up some spill on the hall floor at the end of a long hospital shift? Whatever work means for you, it may have…
Photo by Abby Tolsma Writers write best when they are writing on their own terms. They write best when they are passionate about something, and deep feelings produce the best work. For this reason pain and heartache—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—often get the credit for the work that touches people’s hearts. I don’t want to…
