My heart aches for Sunday. If I’m honest, I don’t always have this longing as a Pastor. My old nature is very much active still. There are Saturday nights and Sunday mornings that I feel anxiety, worry, and even, dare I say, less-than-thrilled for our worship service. Those Unreliable Feelings Those feelings. Let me put it […]
Before the Throne: Book Excerpt
Allen Nelson IV
8 Reasons Why The Next Missionary You Support Should Be A Cessationist – Part 2
The Prelude This series is predicated on the important truth that the continuationism vs. cessationism debate is no small deal. You are either one or the other, and there is no squishy middle (though some might lead you to believe there is). The key question is whether or not God is still speaking new revelation […]
Paul, Apostle of Christ – Movie Review
Update (26 March 2018): The review is now out! —GPO Due to a something called a “film embargo,” I have been asked to temporarily remove this review until the film releases March 28. I have never been involved in movie pre-screenings so I wasn’t even aware of this practice! I will say this: A lot of […]
8 Reasons Why The Next Missionary You Support Should Be A Cessationist – Part 1
As my coworker and I walked down the muddy trail, working intently on the very difficult Kuman language, a young man approached us. “Wagai We!” he yelled. In case you need it later, this means “hello” in the Chimbu Province of Papua New Guinea. We exchanged pleasantries and immediately got down to business. “Why are you […]
How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 4
This is the 4th and final post in a series on my journey to becoming a Reformed Baptist. If you haven’t read posts 1, 2, and 3 do so here, here, and here! 2018 is my 10 year anniversary of being a committed Reformed Southern Baptist. By Reformed Baptist I mean one who holds to […]
It Hurts Right Here
The Problem A few months ago I developed a tightness in my right Achilles tendon when squatting. When I would hit the bottom of a squat, I would feel a burning sensation where the tendon attaches to my heel. Realizing it was not correct, I stopped achieving full range of motion, and began to treat […]
Dispensing the Gospel to a Graduate
Introduction This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations. For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member is rational […]
How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 3
If you haven’t read part 1 and 2 yet, you can do so here, and here. When my wife, son, and I moved to Taylorsville, KY, we were ready to conquer the world. The church there loved us well, and we made lasting friendships. My other mission that summer began once I discovered Southern Seminary […]
Brady Is Not The GOAT, But Super Bowl LII Was
I’m old enough to remember a time when the running joke was about people being more excited for the commercials than the game. The games were routinely lopsided and the commercials, in my nostalgic mind, were hysterical. I don’t know how true that is. From 1985 (the year I was born) to 1997, there were […]
Questions Re: Moody Bible Institute, Super Bowl Reflections, Pork Rinds, De-Conversion Stories, and More
In “Here and There,” we’ll take a brief look at random and important news in the Evangelical, political, and sports world. —The Superb Owl: I guess what I really want everyone to know is that it isn’t a great idea to stream the Super Bowl through NBC.com, on the church’s wifi, with a baker’s dozen […]
You Can’t Make Jesus Lord of Your Life
We have some young men in our congregation whom I’ve started texting a Bible thought each morning, usually from my own time in the Word. The other morning I was reading the 29th Psalm. Verse 10 says: The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. Of this passage, W.S. […]
How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 2
Jesus’ Descension To Sheol: What It Is And Isn’t
A Twitter-kerfuffle erupted this week when various news agencies reported Hollywood star Mel Gibson is working on a sequel to the wildly popular Passion of The Christ. “The Resurrection. Big subject,” Gibson told USA Today in 2016. “We’re trying to craft this in a way that’s cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines new […]
The Staff Predicts the Superb Owl, & the Next NFL Season
Post-millennialism took another hit this year as the NFL playoffs produced the Eagles and the Patriots in the Super Bowl. At this point, why do we even watch? We all know the Eagles will give them a good game for a few quarters, then the Patriots will slowly coil around them; and just as the […]
How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 1
The incessant beeping confused me at first. The last thing I remembered doing was cashing my check in the bank, and stopping by the Bubble© machine on the way out to waste a quarter on some gum. It was December 20, 2002. I was 16 years old, and had one of my first ‘big checks’ […]
The Origins of the Calvinist Conversion
You know the feeling when something finally clicks? I know you know it. It’s the lightbulb that turns on. It’s the moment you scream, “Eureka!” It’s one of those images you hold close to your face, slowly draw it back to reveal an image, but the first ten times you try it doesn’t work. Then, on the eleventh try, you see that rhino, and it’s the most incredible rhino anyone has ever seen.
My Wife’s Stroke and The Upside Down
In Stranger Things episode eight, Chief Hopper and Joyce enter “The Upside Down” for the first time in their search for young Will, who had been abducted by a predatory humanoid creature called a “Demogorgan.” For those of you who haven’t seen the series just yet (are you crazy?!), according to Wikia, “The Upside Down […]
Put Me Through The Concussion Protocol: I’m Optimistic About The Bears
Do I have a concussion? I don’t remember a line-backer from the Jacksonville Jaguars committing a pointless penalty against me in the AFC Championship Game by spearing me right in the head. That was Gronk, not me, right? If I don’t have some sort of brain injury, then what, pray-tell, is going on with all of […]