Of all the things Martin Luther is known for, among the foremost is his dedication to prayer. He is famous for commenting, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” He wasn’t exaggerating, either. Many of his friends and students could attest that he would spend several hours on his knees in fervent, daily prayer — often at seemingly inopportune times in the middle of the day.

At one point, Luther’s barber and longtime friend, Peter Beskendorf, asked if he wou..

It has been too long since I’ve shared a selection of letters to the editor. Here, then, are a few that have come my way in recent weeks.

Letters on Do Children Have a Financial Obligation Toward Their Parents?
I appreciated your article and feel convicted, as I have in-laws that were frugal, and had the foresight to prepare for their retirement, while my parents were not. I have had conversations with them to consider their future more seriously, only to face argument and hurt feelings. I woul..

Affirmation: God has established a pluriformity of institutions (e.g. civil society) for the sake of social order.
Denial: the church has no calling to establish social order but will have an indirect influence on peace and order by encouraging godliness in her members.

Thanks to Zrim, I remembered another internet intervention about 2k. This one was at Greenbaggins at the instigation of Reed DePace. It was a three–part series but here reproduced in one post.

Theological Affirmations

1) Affir..

What characteristics should you look for in a biblically solid church?
Expositional PreachingIf you are at a church that does not preach from the Word of God, then you are at nothing more than a social gathering like a country club, because if they are not preaching the Word, they are not feeding the flock, and they are being disobedient to Christ’s commands to feed His sheep (John 21:17). The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, ..

President Trump has announced that he has nominated 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court as the replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

“Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support,” Trump stated in introducing his pick to the public Tuesday night.

“Mr. President, I am honored and I am humbled. Thank you very much,” Gorsuch, an Episcopalian, said to applause in acce..

Article January 31, 2017

Preaching as a Means of Survival

Preaching, doctrinally robust and exegetically rich preaching, is the only mechanism for the church’s survival in a secular age.

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This post is the last of three in a series on Preaching in a Secular Age.

With our cultural analysis behind us, I would like to consider the role of preaching in a secular age, particularly preaching as a survival strategy for the church. Many today are reconsidering the role and ..

Self-control: the gateway to joy and peace

Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the evidence of the Spirit’s work in the life of God’s people. This means more than just physical or mental discipline. Only someone who is born of the Spirit of God can practice biblical self-control. What this means is that self-control is the way to joy and peace in this life. Here is one biblically based definition of self-control:

“Self-control is the ability to say no to my wrong desires and yes to ..

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Morning
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. § Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. § Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness.

Everyone who co..

Our Twitter and Facebook habits make praying harder than ever.

But before we look at the stats, let’s take a moment to appreciate the magic of conscious life, the capacity to focus on one thing, like this article and this unfolding sentence, following it along until it ends with a little dot. No doubt, as a reader, you’re fighting the chronic digital urge to skim.

We give our attention because we have attention to give. With our attention we can attend to one thing and avert from another t..