Ed Welch and I recently spoke at the THINK 21 conference on Anxiety, Depression, and Shame. Here are the videos and links to some of the notes.
Extraterrestrial Love
Sermon notes on 1 John 3:1-2
The Cross is our Life and our Lens
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
About ten years ago, I was in hospital with multiple blood clots in my lungs. The doctor had just told me, “Do not move. You have a life-threatening condition.” Yet I had an amazing peace about my salvation. I trusted God’s sovereign salvation of me through Christ’s dying on the cross and I had zero fear about where I was going if I died. However, that was combined with terror about the impact on my family and panic about who would provide for my wife and kids. It was the strangest combination. I had no trouble believing in God’s good and wise sovereignty in my salvation; but, I struggled to believe in God’s good and wise sovereignty in providence.
Maybe you’ve experienced that too. How can we increase our confidence in God’s providence to the same level as faith in God’s salvation? Let’s look at Psalm 65 for the answer.
God Hits the Bulls-Lie
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
Most of us have been victims of lying. It’s scary, isn’t it? I remember one person who added one small word to something I said, which changed the whole meaning of it and made me look psychotic. He then spent months, indeed years, repeating that lie in private and in public. Every time it came back to me via others, it wounded and hurt me. But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t spend my life chasing down the lies? So, what can we do when people lie about us? Let’s hear what King David did in Psalm 64.
Conference on Delighting in the Trinity
After posting my latest podcast on delighting in God, I turn to let you know the Philadelphia Conference of Reformed Theology this weekend and, lo and behold, its theme is Delighting in the Trinity!
This annual conference is held in the church I’m privileged to pastor, First Byron Christian Reformed Church, and you can find conference details and schedule here.
Registration is now closed by you can still walk in on the day and register or livestream on Facebook or YouTube (links here). (Sorry, I’ve just heard there is no livestream).
Is God our Delight or our Duty?
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
When I was a younger pastor, O often tried to guilt people with duty: “If you were a Christian then you’d come to church more often….If you loved God you would serve God more….If you really want heaven, you’d want more holiness.” Duty was my only argument. “It’s your duty to come to church…It’s your duty to serve God…It’s your duty to be holy.”
This worked…but only for a short time. Which made me ask the question: Is there a better and more powerful motive than duty? Psalm 63 answered that question for me.