This blog is Pastor Jay's weekly musings about God's Word, God's world, and God's call to our culture. We hope they encourage, challenge, and inform you. Sign up to recieve them in your email.
Embracing the mundane is a part of life everyone needs to come to grips with. We need normal, regular, consistent and average. As much as we like new and exciting, no one could handle that as the norm. And so, a lot of life is just doing the same things again, being reminded of the old truths, running in the same patterns. There is a mercy in that. Having said that, we als...
Keep ReadingWhat does it take to be in the presence of a Very Important Person (VIP)? Usually there has to be a very good reason. Being physically related to a VIP gets you in, but that doesn't help anyone not born into their presence. Pretty much the only way is to bring something to the table that is needed or desired. Perhaps you have a skill they need like accounting or music. Per...
Keep ReadingThere is nothing more profound and life changing that the fear of the Lord. It is an encapsulating phrase that holds every manner of spiritual and temporal good. The fear of the Lord is the treasure chest that holds the gospel, wisdom, fearlessness, eternal perspective, and fullness of life. There is much to be said about this phrase and certainly some misunderstandings t...
Keep ReadingToday I want to take a preemptive strike at a line of thinking that will be an obstacle for biblical thinking. Our church will soon be into 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13 and 14. This is Paul's fullest treatment on spiritual gifts. As we go through these chapters, we will be forced to deal with issues such as miracles and speaking in tongues. Miraculous gifts have been a h...
Keep ReadingDebate, when conducted well with articulate thinkers, is usually a helpful practice that brings clarity. I found that to be the case in a recent debate I heard between an Incrementalist and an Abolitionist. However, there was one issue that I couldn't help noticing throughout the whole debate. It was a use of the Bible that was continually repeated; and the way it was used...
Keep ReadingThere are two biblical realties that the church has often had trouble keeping distinct, and probably even more so in our day. The first is that Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Matthew 11:19) and we should follow in his footsteps as such. And the second is that anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). The reason the contemporary church confl...
Keep ReadingWould you please humor me for a moment? That's right, I need you to just nod and smile for a bit while I try to unload this weight of glory that I can't stop thinking about. Yes, yes, it's about the eclipse. But there is more to share and someone needs to know what God has done. You're reading this so I guess you're the one. A little Glory First, I want to tell you what...
Keep ReadingThe Christian world has been stirred up by a particular question Pastor Allister Begg answered on a radio broadcast that was recorded on September 1, 2023. In that interview Begg recounted counsel he gave to a grandmother about a grandson's transgender wedding. Begg said because the grandson knew the grandmother's opposing position on this kind of wedding, she should still...
Keep ReadingIt is a wonderful providence for us that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. There are few things we need more during the holiday season. We need the clear view that what we have has come from outside of us and therefore thanks must be raised to the Lord. But even here we can go wrong. Thankfulness can become a pathway of deceiving ourselves. What do I mean? Thankfulnes...
Keep ReadingThe last post took us to the theological reason that I don't believe Abolition will not work. That theological reason is Common Grace. God is only partially restraining sin in the unbelieving world; therefore we can only expect a partial stop of abortion. It will be more or less in different places and different times. We must always strive for the fullest and most complet...
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