Button Gwinnett and the Lamb’s Book of Life

by | Mar 1, 2019 | Devotional

If your Georgia family history goes back to pre-1776, you might want to ransack the attic of grandma’s house next time you’re visiting. What are you looking for? Any piece of paper that has the autograph of Button Gwinnett on it. Who was Gwinnett? He was a Georgia...

Don’t Ask the Universe, Ask God!

by | Feb 25, 2019 | Devotional

For all his brilliance, Jim Carrey made a statement in his 2014 commencement address to the graduates of his alma mater, Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, that could have come from the lips of his character “Lloyd” in Dumb and Dumber: Fear is...

Dancing on the Bully’s Grave

by | Feb 22, 2019 | Devotional

Everyone despises a bully. My first real encounter with one occurred early in the 7th grade. In those days, leaving elementary school for junior high school was a rite of passage. In the 6th grade, you were at the top of the food chain. In the 7th grade, you were...

Why I Love Commentaries, and You Should Too!

by | Feb 20, 2019 | Preaching

I have always loved books. When I was called to preach at age 16, a retired minister gave me 400 volumes from his library. Since then, I have been something of a collector of theological books, including hundreds of commentaries. These have served as treasured...

Holiness: Proceed with Caution!

by | Feb 13, 2019 | Devotional

In the 19th Century, J. C. Ryle, the great preacher and Bishop of Liverpool, preached a sermon on Hebrews 12:14: “Pursue holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.” This verse suggests a question to us all: are we holy? This is a question that should concern...

Preaching by the Numbers

by | Feb 8, 2019 | Preaching

Charles Seife’s Proofiness: How You’re Being Fooled by the Numbers is nothing short of fascinating. For some reason, most people are addicted to the stupefying combination of numbers and credibility. “If you want to get people to believe something really, really...

Sin’s Cause and Cure

by | Feb 6, 2019 | Devotional

What is our biggest problem? Sin. Sin is what ails us. It brings with it all kinds of symptoms: selfishness, strife, loneliness, and broken relationships. Worst of all, as an act of rebellion, it separates us from the God who made us. Some try to ignore their sin;...

Nailed to a Bed of Pain

by | Feb 4, 2019 | Devotional

Following the British defeat of the Spanish Armada, English warships retaliated in 1596 by raiding the Spanish port of Cadiz. Fifty-three merchant vessels and warships were destroyed at port, and the town demolished. Amidst the booming cannon, the rancid smoke-filled...