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Have You Left Your First Love?

Do you remember when you were—as John Flavel put it— “restless and impatient… in His absence”? You could bear anything but that. Sickness you could bear. Pain and temporal losses you could endure. But His absence was unbearable . You could not stand to go on without the sense of His dear smile. You longed to walk and live and breathe in the light of His countenance (Psalm 4:6–7; Psalm 89:15). Do you remember when “Divine withdrawments were to you as the hell of hell (Flavel)” ? Those seasons when God seemed to hide His face from you—when He was distant, and there was not that familiar communion and fellowship in the prayer closet—were to you as hell. You wept and you groaned and you cried for His return. You stirred yourself to take hold of God (Isaiah 64:7), and you wrestled with Him as you told Him you would not let Him go (Genesis 32:26). Do you remember when the world was a burden to you? Do you remember a time when, if it were not for your sense of duty, you would have gladly...
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Closest to the Bible?

Paul Washer has said, “Do not look for the church nearest to your house. Look for the church closest to the Bible.” By "closest to the Bible," people tend to think doctrine, and for years that was largely my approach. But when I began attending our current church about two years ago—and later joined it—it was not because of some major doctrinal shift. I was there, and remain there, for other reasons entirely. Over the years we have been part of some good churches, including churches that were especially strong doctrinally. When I began looking for a local church, I knew we would be giving some things up. But could I find a place where my family could serve and grow? And what did it really mean to be “closest to the Bible”? I am not sure exactly what Paul Washer meant, but I came to conclude that it means much more than doctrine alone. As I thought and prayed about it, these were some of the things that mattered most to me: Christ-centered preaching . I was looking for preac...
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Doctrinal Triage and Human Sexuality

  I’ve listened with appreciation to Gavin Ortlund’s discussions surrounding doctrinal triage. Like him, I think it is important to distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary differences. But I was surprised when I heard him say that human sexuality is a secondary issue. In fact, he clarified by saying that whether a person affirms the traditional view of marriage as between one man and one woman is not a primary issue but a secondary one—important, but not essential. I understand the impulse to limit the list of essentials to things like the doctrine of the Trinity, the virgin birth, the atonement, and salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, for example. But—assuming I have understood him— is he right? If human sexuality is a secondary issue, then it is a difference we can live with , something like baptism. Think about that for a moment. We have Baptist and Presbyterian denominations because the differences between us on baptism—as on other issues—...
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What Actually Disqualifies a Pastor?

Yesterday I learned of another pastor who has been disqualified for moral failure of some kind. I won’t name him or the particulars because I don’t think it is the business of believers to be spreading such stories. This is not to say there is no place for public disagreement or critique. I have, at times, responded publicly to other pastors where I believed they were in error, but that is different from spreading details of personal sin. If announcements need to be made, I believe they should be carefully worded so as to lovingly cover sin and to avoid bringing further reproach upon the name of Jesus—except in cases involving predatory and/or criminal behaviour. But I bring it up because I believe the evangelical Church is often getting this wrong. We say that a pastor is disqualified, and sometimes we add that he is permanently disqualified. But what kinds of sin actually disqualify a pastor? And is there a difference between temporary disqualification and permanent disqualification...
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He Is Risen: Encouragement for the Discouraged

Many of us go through periods of discouragement. Sometimes it’s how we have been treated: what someone said or did, how we were misunderstood or misrepresented. Sometimes it’s an unhappy work environment. Sometimes it’s our walk with God: guilt, shame, and frustration over sin, the feeling that God has turned His face away, or a lack of zeal and joy. Sometimes it’s loss: the loss of a family member or the loss of friendships. Sometimes it’s medical issues: whether physical suffering or grief at what is being lost. The other night—after days of feeling encouraged in the Lord—I went to bed feeling very discouraged. I had reached a new low physically and was thinking about what this meant… or at least what I thought it meant.* It felt as though more was being taken from me, and that the list of things I could no longer do was growing. I prayed and went to sleep. In the night I dreamed of worship, and I woke with the thought, He is risen ( Luke 24:6 )! And that was all I needed. That per...
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Brief Thoughts on Roman Catholicism

I originally wrote the following post in August of 2025. For a number of reasons, I decided not to publish it at that time. But just the other day, someone was telling me about a growing movement out of Protestantism into Catholicism (and Eastern Orthodoxy). What I had thought were isolated decisions are apparently part of a broader trend. That there is such a trend is troubling. The thoughts I offer here are very simple. All of it has been said before. Still, I think some of these things are worth repeating. It may be that a growing number of Protestants are becoming disillusioned with Protestantism. Having spoken with some of them, I believe many of their concerns are legitimate—and should be addressed. But the solution is not found in turning to Rome or the East.   -- I recently listened to a four-hour video titled 7 Things Protestants Misunderstand About Christianity that was shared with me. I have already responded privately, but I thought it worth sharing some of my r...
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I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

In April of 1993 my grandmother was reflecting on her cancer operation from a year before. She noted that all reports were good, and then she wrote, “I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day… but I know who holds tomorrow. And I know He holds my hand.” * The next month she passed away. Her death was unexpected and took all of us by surprise. But it wasn’t a surprise to God. This had been the plan all along. And when His work in her was complete and her race finished, He—who had always had her firmly by the hand—gently ushered her into glory. And there she finally grasped what she had previously believed: that death is gain (Philippians 1:21). Faith gave way to sight, and she found herself then—as now—more alive than ever. Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about the words of that old hymn. None of us knows about tomorrow. But we do know Who holds it. We know what He is like. We know He is good and wise and kind. More than that, we know He is love . We know what...
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