Call to Worship Adapted from Psalm 31

Our church does a call to worship each week. This week I created one by adapting the text of Psalm 31 into direct communication to my congregation. I offer it below for your edification and to use as you please. May it cause you to worship Christ!

Sin: Not a Reason to Refuse Communion

Enjoying communion with your local church is truly a blessed time. It is not only a sober and convicting remembrance of our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection, but it is also a joyous celebration concerning our salvation and His return (1 Cor. 11:26). This means of grace is truly an essential ordinance to our worship … Read more

Soft Chauvinism

It seems we have ventured into a time in Christianity where every time we write about or exhort women, it must be qualified in such a way as to soften any offense or blow to the reader or hearer. We live in a time of ‘soft chauvinism’ in the way we treat women in the … Read more

An Empty Seat on Christmas

I want you to consider your Christmas activities. For some of you, Christmas is a day filled with presents and joy, worshipping God, and visiting with loved ones. Maybe you’ve saved for months to get your children that perfect gift. My wife is making me one of my favorite meals (lengua tacos) as a gift … Read more

The Aim of Shame

I don’t buy the argument that says Americans are worse today than we were 50 years ago, 100 years ago, or even 240 years ago. Some may be baffled at such a statement given present cultural controversies over marriage and abortion, and the general disdain we seem to have as a society for the things … Read more

A Word to the Hurting

2020 has been nothing short of perilous. Bloggers and preachers regularly employ hyperbole, but what we are seeing due to the coronavirus pandemic is unique. At the time of writing, I’m a 44-year-old man who was born and raised in the United States, and I can confidently say no one my age has ever seen … Read more

Is Male Headship a Gospel Issue?

Men, mean, and misogyny all start with the same letter. Obviously, guys are jerks and need to calm down. And women need to be filling the pulpit because the resurrection of Jesus was first announced to women. Believe it or not, that’s the sort of argumentation you get in the Twitterverse when you say anything … Read more

Give us EARS to Hear

I am wholeheartedly committed to the priority of the preaching of God’s Word in our regular church gatherings.  True, I am a pastor, so I guess by default I “have” to say that, but even apart from that role, there is a deep conviction running through me that the Word of God itself bears testimony … Read more

Why We Should Have Seeker Sensitive Churches

I can’t really document the dates so well, but I think most will generally agree that at the turn of the century the “Seeker Sensitive” movement was in full gear. This movement’s mantra is, essentially, that churches should be designed for seekers. In my own state of Arkansas, I hear a lot of talk about … Read more