Category: Church Life

In our previous posts we have talked about what following really means and why it really matters. But sometimes, a worked example is worth a thousand words. So, consider the story of Nicholas Herman.

At this point, faithful following may suddenly sound both daunting and difficult. Biblically, it appears to be both.

As we began to study leading and following in the New Testament, we were startled by how much language there is about following, modeling and imitation, and how comparatively rarely leadership terms appear. Even more startling are Jesus' own statements about himself in the Gospel of John.

“I’m writing a book on followership?” “You are writing a book on what???” We can hardly count the number of times each of us have had this conversation in the past two years.

Young Latino protestants are rising as the fastest-growing segment of evangelicals in America. Biola University’s 43rd Biola Hispanic Conference...

The following is the second post in a series of eight posts exploring the beauty of gender from a biblical perspective. Read the first post,...

I’ve been asked by many alumni and other friends, “So, how’s retirement life going?” Fair question. My answer usually runs along the line of “Well,...

Years ago, a friend gave a provocative talk in a seminary chapel on “Why I Stopped Going to Church.” His point was that church is something we are,...

Ever since Easter Sunday, I’ve been thinking about the women who came to the garden tomb with spices to care for the dead body of Jesus. These...

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most crucial events of the Christian faith. Both events are united and make our salvation...

La muerte y resurrección de Jesucristo son los eventos más trascendentales de la fe cristiana. Ambos acontecimientos están unidos y hacen posible...

I am writing this post with one sort of person in mind: the student who has just discovered the depth and wonders of theology, including Reformed...

Read the first part of Eric's story in My COVID Lesson: Keeping Short Accounts – Part 1 published earlier this week. During this COVID season, God...

In the late summer of 2020, our local church transitioned from fully online services to holding in-person services outside in the courtyard, while...

Christmas and Easter are the two key events in the Christian calendar. At Christmas, we celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God who became a...

My wife is remarkably hospitable — far more than I. For ten straight years at her instigation, we invited all of my enrolled college students over...

My wife and I recently watched the first two seasons of The Chosen, a video series on the life of Christ being produced by Dallas Jenkins. We found...

Integrity is the essential distinctive for a follower of Christ. Our character defines, proclaims and demonstrates our faith in a holy God to all...

We just received the following letter from one of the leaders at our partner school, Kyiv Theological Seminary, in Ukraine. It is a plea for...

I read quite a few good Christian books in 2021. Here are seven of my favorites, plus a bonus book. Insider Church: Ekklesia and the Insider...

In a well-known sermon from 1987, Dr. E. V. Hill preached his wife’s funeral. Interspersed with remembering Jane Edna’s life and grieving her loss, Dr. Hill intones Job 1:21, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I recently read through Stephen Payne’s new devotional book, I Lift my Eyes to the Hills: God’s Help in Times of Trouble . Steve is a former...

What do pastors actually do? While the answer to many may seem obvious, others ask the question with honest curiosity. It really is difficult to...

Within the Gospel accounts, Jesus utilized a variety of metaphors to describe his relationship with his followers: vine and branches, shepherd and...