Jared Olivetti

Part 1, Part 2 "As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven." (Neh. 1:

(See part 1 of the series here, on Acts 4:23-30) She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed and vow and said, "O Lord of

(In this and coming posts, I'd like to pull some lessons about prayer from some of the great examples in Scripture.) When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what

It is election day in America as I write. When this is posted, the results of the elections may or may not be clear. My prayers for the election have centered on seeking

Last night I finished Jim Newheiser's excellent book Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. It is structured around some of the important questions many of us ask about marriage at some point or another. He

How often the charge is laid that reformed churches are the frozen chosen, devoid of passion and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. And, as stereotypes go, this one is not always

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Why should we

As many young brains take up the great task of learning to read, it's a good time for the rest of us to join them. In a post a few weeks ago, I

The Enemy, capital "E", is afoot. Seizing opportunities afforded by pandemic and politics, by vicious murders and violent mobs, he prowls like a lion. He wields the weapons we've granted him: the echo

The Bible is, hands down, the most amazing book in the history of the world. Written over a period of about 16 centuries, it is made up of 66 individual books. These books

I don't have a life verse. I'm not really one to even pick a particular verse or passage for any given year or season in life. But this year, man. This year has

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are

...though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you... Philemon 8-9 On either side of the equation,

Like most Christians, doubt is a part of my life. I don't know if I struggle with doubt more or less than you, but it's usually not very far away, taking every opportunity

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4 On my worst, most selfish days, I just want everything clean

When people becomes members of our congregation, one of the commitments they make is to "diligently read the Bible." (While daily Bible reading is never commanded in Scripture, love and devotion for God's

In times of viruses, quarantines, economic upheaval, fear and change, the Christian's great comfort comes, as always, through prayer. When Paul was explaining his great suffering to the Corinthian Christians, he revealed God's

Our friend Laura and her family are part of the RPC of Australia. She blogs at lauracerbus.com. Does the story of Mary and Martha bother anyone else? Honestly, for much of my

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens,

[See the first and second post in this short series.] What goes on between our ears matters to God, probably a lot more than we realize. Equally important is the Bible's clear teaching

[See the first installment here. There I argued for four simple ideas: Your thought life matters. Your mind and heart are never really separate. You are called to a sanctified mind. And you

[Here, I hope to begin a short series of posts considering our thought life.] What do you think when you hear "thought life" or "life of the mind"? This doesn't seem to be

My friend Adam Niess preached for us last Sunday from James 3 with the exhortation to guard our tongues.  It was a helpful, clear and convicting sermon. Our family has been using

And when he [Paul] wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

I've been enjoying reading Ernest Kevan's book The Moral Law - it has been a helpful reminder of the goodness and greatness of God's law. It is also a useful tool for preachers