In the episode, Michael and Cuatro discuss with Oliver Allmand-Smith the phenomenon of churches...
General
Episode 64 – Seeking Counsel vs Standing Firm on Convictions
In the episode, Michael and Cuatro discuss how to seek wisdom when you receive contradictory...
Giveaway: CSB Explorer Bible for Kids
As you probably know, bloggers are often given opportunities to review products in exchange for...
Episode 63 – Are Nativity Scenes OK?
Cuatro and Michael discuss the Christian trend to erect, display, and defend Nativity scenes, particularly those which include an image of the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. Are these depictions violations of the second commandment?
Episode 62 – What Did Andy Stanley Say Now?
Cuatro and Michael react to a recent Andy Stanley clip where he apologizes to nonbelievers.
Episode 61 – Cuatro Reacts to a Letter
At the campus of West Virginia University "a concerned citizen" gave Michael a letter detailing the real reason evangelicals street preach and do the things they do. Michael thought it would be fruitful for Cuatro to hear the letter and react.
Episode 60 – Blood Red Church with Jeff Kliewer
This interview seeks to get to the heart of why Jeff Kliewer, an Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) pastor, would write a book called Blood Red Church: How Redemption Colors Our Politics. You can find Jeff's books on Amazon. I hope you'll listen to the episode,...
Episode 59 – UK Oliver – Confessionalism in the UK
Cuatro and Michael interview Oliver Allmand-Smith from Trinity Grace Church, Manchester, UK. Oliver is a pastor and author, among other ways he serves God's church. His book, Under God, Over the People will help you understand the role of government. Oliver's Church...
Ep. 058 | EVERY Knee Shall Bow?
What does Paul mean when he writes every knee shall bow in Philippians 2? Feedback is always welcome.
Ep. 057 | Self-care
Self-care can be a bad thing or a good thing. Cuatro and Michael try to explain biblically what self-care should really look like in the life of a believer and particularly for pastoral ministry. For many Christians, their failure to take care of themselves actually...
Ep. 056 | Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
Matthew 12 gives us a quotable quote: "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven." Is this a sin that Christians can commit and lose salvation? How do you know if you've committed...
Ep. 055 | I’m Glad I’m Not Like This Sinner
In Luke 18, Jesus tells us of a pharisaical attitude in a man who prays "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector." Cuatro and Michael have a take on this verse that exposes how many have...
Ep. 054 | Avoid the Appearance of Evil?
There is a verse in 1 Thess 5:22 which is rendered as "Abstain from all appearance of evil" in some translations. In this episode, Cuatro and Michael talk about the effect of this translation on our lives and offer some other ways to think about this verse. Feedback...
Resolution on the Sacredness of the Southern Baptist Pulpit
In the 2006 preface to his biography on John Calvin, Steve Lawson wrote, "As the pulpit goes, so goes the church...In this hour, pastors must see their pulpits again marked by sequential exposition, doctrinal clarity, and a sense of gravity regarding eternal matters....
Family Camp – (guest) Movie Review
Family Camp I’ve been on every major production company’s list of “Christian” bloggers for over a decade so when I heard about Family Camp, I was interested because the Skit Guys had made some good content years ago. But when I watched the trailer I was annoyed within...
Quick Thoughts on Bethel Redding California
Bad Theology Take Here's a screenshotted FB post where someone quoted Kris Vallotton (from Bethel Redding) saying that the church must demonstrate the miraculous works of Christ. It is clearly implied that this is what allows nonbelievers to experience repentance....
Things Above Needs Your Help
Hello brothers and sisters! Michael Coughlin, Allen Nelson, Chuck Ivey, Dave Mitchell, and George Alvarado need your help. We write at Things Above Us and desire our audience and subscriptions to expand. So in essence, we just need three things. If you can help with...
Looking unto Jesus, In Context
In Hebrews 12:2, the key phrase "looking unto Jesus" is often quoted, but popularly misunderstood in light of its context. In general, every Christian knows we should always keep our eyes on Jesus. And in the midst of the troubles we face, it's even more important to...
Subscribe to Things Above Us!
Hello and happy Friday to those of you reading this on the day it's posted. Recently we discovered that our Mailchimp feed was headed to most people's SPAM mailboxes. This issue has now been fixed! Please use the subscribe links on the page to get an email every time...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Roundup for Early November
Here are some of the posts that you may have missed. Garrett digs deep into Romans 5 http://thingsabove.us/adams-offense-christs-righteousness-romans-5-18/ Tim excites us to think that God hears our prayers, and exhorts us:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
Children’s Book Review: Dynomike: Pay It Forward
Dynomike: Pay It Forward Children's Book on Being Kind by by Frankie B. Rabbit (Author), Robyn Mendolla (Author) BooksGoSocial Dynomike: Pay It Forward is a book for children aged about 3-6 years old, in my opinion. I am not aware of the character "Dynomike" so if he...
Children’s Book Review: Pause Power
The key for Gabe is to use his “pause power” when he is upset. By pausing and thinking through his next choice, Gabe is able to make better choices. Basically, the book teaches children to pause before acting out on anger and to take deep breaths or count. It falls short of teaching children to trust God and to avoid sin for the sake of righteousness, so it won’t be sufficient for a Christian home, but the ideas presented are not bad, especially the tips for parents to help you teach your child to stay calm.
Children’s Book Review: Leo’s Monster
Leo’s Monster is a book for children aged about 4-7 years old. The setting is “the country” where a city mouse (Leo) visits his friend Zoe. Leo ventures out without Zoe and encounters what he can only assume is some sort of monster!
Amber Vale Candle Giveaway and Review
Amber Vale Home is a brand new home decor company focusing on hand-crafted items. Their flagship product is soy-coconut blended, wooden wick candles with a variety of unique scents such as Porch Chat (whiskey + leather). The Holiday Sampler combines three 4oz candles:...
Introducing: THINGS ABOVE+ PLUS!
Exciting news, Things Above Us fans! Due to extraordinary demand, we are adding PAID features called Things Above+ Plus to our suite of offerings. See the sponsor levels and benefits below! Earthly Minded $30/month For those of you too cheap to realize the benefit...
Pilgrim’s Progress Movie – GIVEAWAY
I am really excited about the theatrical release of this new movie based on Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress." Before I can release my personal review of the movie, and a second giveaway of FREE movie tickets to see it in the theater, I first need to let you know...
Book Review and Giveaway – Day by Day Chronological Bible
I am really excited to share this new publication with you. Crossway is releasing a Chronological Bible in the Christian Standard Bible translation. If you haven't heard of a 'chronological Bible,' it's a Bible formatted in the historical order of events, rather than...
Family Game Nights
The Christmas season is upon us and parents are scrambling to consider what sort of gifts we might bless our children with this year. As Christian parents, we want to not only "make our children happy" but we'd also like to invest in them with the gifts we buy. So,...
Little Women – Movie Ticket Giveaway
We have some exciting news. One providentially blessed reader will receive 2 free tickets via (1) $25 Fandango e-gift card to see Little Women in the theater. You can watch the trailer here. Enter the contest by tweeting using the tweeter link below. Would you like...