"After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself." -2 Chronicles 32:1 After...these acts of faithfulness. Well, if that don't smart! King Hezekiah was a good king. He followed the Lord with his heart. He kept the commandments. Chronicles … [Read more...] about The Curve Ball
Articles
Bryan Chapell on the Importance of Sermon Illustrations
A sermon of nothing but illustrations and stories feels thin and will leave the hearer hungry. But a sermon without any illustrations will fall short of deep impact. A healthy sermon needs truth illustrated. Bryan Chapell makes this point well in Using Illustrations to Preach with Power: "The mind yearns for, and needs, the concrete to anchor the … [Read more...] about Bryan Chapell on the Importance of Sermon Illustrations
Input
Output requires input. The more input, the more output. Pour water in a cup and eventually it will overflow. Output follows input naturally. But we are a culture obsessed entirely with output. We look at numbers. We analyze sales. We count heads. We tally wins. Focusing exclusively on output can lead us down rabbit trails and away from, ironically, further … [Read more...] about Input
Insisting on the Beach
C.S. Lewis suggested as we approach God our desires are never too big; they are too small. We are too easily pleased. Lewis described us as kids content playing in a mud puddle because we have no idea what a holiday at the beach would be like. We are creatures of weak, small desires. As a result, we miss out. We see this phenomenon all the time with our children. We find … [Read more...] about Insisting on the Beach
Old Liturgy
Growing up, the old liturgy at my church seemed tedious at times. Sit down. Stand up. Repeat. But Kevin DeYoung's got me thinking. DeYoung comments on the New Evangelical liturgy. He points out what few of us consider: We all have a liturgy. We may not think of this or that church as particularly liturgical, and yet, technically, every order of service is a type of liturgy. … [Read more...] about Old Liturgy