Psalm 40 From Pits to Praise - Psalm 40 March 18, 2019 Another favorite from childhood - I always loved this Psalm which we used to sing to Spohr: later it enthralled, during messianic studies, when I noticed it in Hebrews. Context It helps to
Now That's What We Mean by Gentle! March 18, 2019 Pastor Jared Havener, minister of the Trinity PCA congregation of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, spoke in the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary chapel last week. Jared is a graduate of RPTS and serves on our President&
Psalm 67 Joy To The World - Psalm 67 (or God's Ultimate Purpose) March 16, 2019 There are few hymns in the Psalms that can match this song for joy - it foresees, and fore-sings, the happy outcome of God's wonderful saving plan. Context Employed in temple
The Goodness and Pleasantness of Community March 15, 2019 A few weeks ago I was reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and was struck by the story with which he introduces the book. It’s about a little town in Pennsylvania called
Puritanism, preaching, postmodernism, KJV, post-Christian (Re)Incarnational Ministry? March 13, 2019 Preaching to the spiritually dead (Ezekiel 37, Ephesians 2) does not mean preaching to the ghosts of the past.
A Heart For Discipline March 12, 2019 There is a heart-wrenching chapter in Pat Conroy’s novel The Lords of Discipline . The roommate of protagonist Will McLean is drummed out of the Corps of Cadets. This is a solemn ceremony
3GT Episode 124: About That UMC Vote March 12, 2019 Turns out the pastor spent quite a bit of time watching the deliberations (and wrote a helpful review here [https://gentlereformation.com/2019/03/08/a_church_in_crisis/]). So after sharing some
Short Story Psalm Videos March 11, 2019 Recently Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary had a friend encourage students via a contest to make short videos based on a Psalm that tell a story. Some of the criteria given to the students
A Survey of Kingdom Activity in Indy March 11, 2019 The following article chronicling God's work in the city of Indianapolis in recent decades is a guest post by Russ Pulliam. Russ is an associate editor at the Indianapolis Star [http:
Reconciliation The Sheer Difficulty of Reconciliation March 11, 2019 I preached on Joseph several years ago now. This afternoon some thoughts came to crystallize in my brain. They basically deal with the potentially-massive problem of reconciling former friends who, for various reasons,
Christian living Marriage proportions March 09, 2019 What proportion is marriage? 50-50 seems like an ideal place to start. A fair input from both parties. Maybe some read this and think “50-50?! That’s a pipe-dream! If you knew my
UMC A Church In Crisis: Reflections on the UMC March 08, 2019 I don’t write all of this to heap up criticism on the United Methodist Church. This crisis knows no denominational boundaries. It's a sad story that has been retold a thousand different times in the history of the church.
2 Peter 1:2-8 The Everything Quilt March 07, 2019 Many of you have probably heard of the “everything bagel.” While they may vary from bakery to bakery, these favorites combine together many toppings which originally were found individually on bagels. Poppy seeds,
3GT Episode 123: L&E March 06, 2019 After Kyle assures us that theologize is really a word, he introduces the topic of this episode: L&E. Law and Economics? Nope. Labor and Employment? Naw. Rather, Leisure and Entertainment. What
fasting Lent: Glitter or Gold? March 05, 2019 Over a century ago William Ingraham Kip wrote: “For some years past each return of Lent has been, we believe, regarded with additional interest.” That observation remains true today.
A Prayer "Catechism" by TableTalk March 04, 2019 If you are familiar with TableTalk [https://tabletalkmagazine.com/]magazine, the monthly devotional periodical produced by Ligonier Ministries [https://www.ligonier.org/], you know that each issue normally has a main theme with
Psalter Thank God Always - Psalm 34 March 02, 2019 This has to be one of my very favorite songs. Yet it is only really this morning that I have put it all together. To me it reads like the Psalter's
Youth ministry Why I "Youth Group" February 28, 2019 I don’t swallow goldfish or do other stunts to try to impress the kids. I’m in my 50s, and any cool I may have had is long gone. So why am I in the midst of my ninth year running our church’s youth group?
Work 3 Keys to Meaning at Work February 26, 2019 When we put our work in Christ, He makes all of it meaningful—even the failures—as part of His larger mission.
Baptism The Case for Kids February 26, 2019 I sometimes think that the Church of Jesus Christ has complicated the whole matter of candidature for baptism. No doubt there is a place for minuscule debate, but surely it is sad if
3GT Episode 122: The Lord's Presence in His Supper February 26, 2019 The Apostle Paul asked, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in
A Guide to (Un)Fruitful Ministry February 26, 2019 Gehazi paves the route to unfruitful ministry that we all must avoid.
Loving Reflections on Roy February 25, 2019 Yesterday afternoon I received the news of Dr. Roy Blackwood's passing into glory. I can only imagine the joy he had in joining his beloved Margie around Christ's throne.
Psalm 6 The Long Night of Sorrow - Psalm 6 February 23, 2019 In this first 'Penitential' psalm, through David's cry, we hear Christ's Spirit sigh. We could aptly name his lament: 'The Long Night of Sorrow'. Is
identity in Christ Seeking Shortcuts to Virtue February 21, 2019 Yesterday, Jayme Metzgar wrote a fascinating piece in The Federalist, in which she drew parallels between the hate crime hoax perpetrated by actor, Jussie Smollett, and the sin of Ananias and Sapphira described
