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General
Some Updates on Things Above Us
We have been going through some transitions lately so I wanted to share a bit of what has been happening. Personally, I have been really busy pastoring Covenant Bible Church so my time for writing has been limited. No one has reached out to complain that I haven’t written lately, so I’m not as motivated […]
What Can Rural Church Pastors do in the SBC?
Recently, during a public conversation with SBC 1st VP, Dr. Lee Brand, I had the opportunity to share what I think pastors in rural churches can do in the current tumult of the Southern Baptist Convention. I thought I would share these thoughts in writing as an encouragement to pastors in situations similar to my […]
Making Baptist Great Again: The Path to a Conservative Resurgence in the SBC
This blog post is reworked from a sermon preached on June 13, 2021, at Perryville Second Baptist Church. You can listen to that message here. An Exposition Ephesians 2:19b-20 says, “you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ […]
The Pilgrim’s Progress by Rogue Valley Fellowship — Movie Review
This is my second review of a The Pilgrim’s Progress movie, and I’m glad to share this movie with the Things Above Us readers. When my friend posted on YouTube that he and his family watched this adaptation of John Bunyan’s classic allegory, I was at first a bit skeptical. But I’m glad I sat down […]
Then Nathan Went To His House
In 2 Samuel 12:15, we find the phrase “Then Nathan went to his house.” It appears to be an inconsequential detail of a greater narrative. Yet every Word of God’s revelation is profitable, and we should meditate upon why God chooses to include certain details in His Word. What strikes me most about this verse […]
Encouraging the Church After the Violence in Washington DC
The following is what I told my church on January 10, 2021. Click here for the audio. Our commitment at CBC is verse by verse and expositional preaching. By exegeting scripture and applying its wisdom every week, we think the saints are most edified and prepared to live godly lives. We also recognize that there […]
From Death to Life – Third Printing Pre-Sale
Sometime in May of 2020, From Death to Life: How Salvation Works ran out of its second printing! At that point, we were in the process of buying a home so I wasn’t able to put the upfront cost down on buying a 3rd printing. But, things have changed in 2021 and we are now ready to […]
My Top 7 Books of 2020
It would seem that with the large amount of downtime we had in 2020 back in the Spring, that I might have read more books this year, but all in all, this was probably a below-average year in terms of reading. A lot of that was probably due to Seminary work as well as finishing […]
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 […]
Giveaway and Book Review: CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible
About The CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible is a visually immersive Bible reading experience featuring over 1,200 images, maps, and illustrations to provide greater insight and understanding of the people, places, and events of scripture. Book-specific introductions provide the setting and circumstances of writing for each book, and every image includes a descriptive caption to […]
Roundup for Early November
Here are some of the posts that you may have missed. Garrett digs deep into Romans 5 Adam’s Offense and Christ’s Righteousness — Digging Into Romans 5:18 Tim excites us to think that God hears our prayers, and exhorts us: God Hears Your Prayers: STTA! The beginning of Chuck’s theology of adoption series: Received Into […]
Fear God Gear is Back and We’re Giving Away Books!
Great Gear at a Great Price Once again, we have partnered with Wrath and Grace to offer you a great tee or hoodie with the Fear God & Nothing Else slogan from Charles Spurgeon. You can head over to Wrath & Grace and buy the tee or hoodie or both for 20% off with the […]
Uncle Tom (movie review)
Uncle Tom Movie Review From https://www.uncletom.com/ An Oral History of the American Black Conservative In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America’s most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a different look at being black in America. What’s It All About? Uncle Tom is a series of interviews in a documentary-style format […]
Genesis 1-11 Series Recap and Commentary Suggestions
On Sunday, August 9, 2020, we concluded our Genesis 1-11 sermon series at Perryville Second Baptist Church. This was a 57 sermon series that began May 19, 2019. For what I hope is both fun and helpful I thought I’d share a few stats as well as what I found to be the most useful […]
Tweets I Didn’t Send
ICYMI, I have been avoiding Twitter™ since mid-July. As part of a church plant (yay!) my priorities have changed (a quote on that in the body of this post). So the social media world has missed my “words of wisdom” as of late. But my avoidance of Twitter™ doesn’t necessarily imply I didn’t think of […]
4 Conversion Stories
John Wesley I disagree with Wesley on several important doctrinal points. But consider how he recounts his own testimony from May 24, 1738: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he […]
I Still Believe: Coming Soon
We will be hosting a giveaway contest and posting a review of the movie I Still Believe (about Jeremy Camp) soon on the blog. Jeremy Camp is a Christian singer whose music made an impact on me when I was a new Christian. I know some of the details of his story, and I am […]
Strong-Willed Child or Weak-Willed Parent?
Anyone who has been around someone who is the parent of a child has heard the term strong-willed child. It should identify a child who is unusually resistant to usually effective discipline. This child laughs at a spanking and scoffs when their parent takes away privileges. He or she is so dead set on their […]
Banned! A Curious Story from G3 2020
However, one other thing emerged from those talks as well: the G3 audience may disagree with the methods the Hardings employ, but they don’t necessarily disagree with the message they bring. In perhaps the most surprising finding of this entire investigation, some G3 attendees told me repeatedly that their issue was HOW the Hardings communicated, not what they communicated. There is a sizable subset that both sympathized with Buice and agreed with the Hardings. I was shocked to find that as annoyed as many were with the Hardings, some G3 attendees I spoke with were almost as annoyed with MacArthur.