Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
Today, I was reading the book of 1 Peter to remind myself of the purposes of God in the suffering of true believers. As a result, the words of John MacArthur challenged me, especially as he commented on the need
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Several weeks ago, I had the privilege to be on The Plumb Line podcast to talk with Jay Rudolph about what the Bible teaches about dishonesty. We discussed the myriad ways dishonesty shows up in our lives, and how the
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MINI-BOOKS Conflict: A Redemptive Opportunity (Timothy Lane) Help! I’m in a Conflict (Ernie Baker) Sinful Speech (John Flavel) BOOKS A Proverbs Driven Life (Anthony Selvaggio) Graciousness: Tempering Truth with Love (John Crotts) Marriage Conflict: Talking as Teammates – 31-day Devotional
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Here are some nuggets of wisdom to help you grow in grace and truth as you minister God’s Word to one another. “Wisdom is worth more than silver; it brings more profit than gold” (Prov. 3:14). What Does the Bible
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There are two equally dangerous extremes that local congregations may fall into as they relate to criticism. The first is a culture of criticism where nearly everything and everyone is viewed with suspicion and negativity. Self-righteous criticism becomes the defining
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Last month, one of the books I read is Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in Ministry by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson. This book ministered to me personally, encouraging me to remember the biblical pattern
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BOOK DEAL: New Growth Press has the Small Book Devotions Bundle of three books (anger, grief, anxiety) on sale 50% off. These little hardcovers make perfect gifts. Pedaling the Gospel – Gary Hallquist: “Grace is always in front. Daily focusing
Continue readingHow Not to Fall Away – This is a humble warning to all of us concerning apostasy, in light of Joshua Harris’s renouncing of Christ. The Gospel According to Essential Oils – “I don’t need Jesus + oils. I need
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“Every small bit of sinful gossip in daily life is an evil echo of what went wrong at the very beginning. In fact, gossip is the same ugly sin played out again and again. Gossip is believing the ancient lie
Continue readingWhy We Grumble—and How to Fight Back – “Grumbling is the hum of the fallen human heart, and often a hallmark of Christians’ indwelling sin.” Overcoming a Critical Spirit – “A critical spirit creates blind spots in a person’s heart
Continue readingWhen Truth Doesn’t Seem to Work – “Ultimately, it is God’s Word that transforms as the Holy Spirit does His work, but we must make it our goal to fuel faith in Christ and worship of Christ by bringing truth
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Proverbs 12:25 is remarkable in its simplicity and its depth of wisdom. It reads, Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Not only does the wise counselor, Solomon, teach body/soul connection, but
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“The source of harsh speech is a harsh heart.” So writes John Crotts in his very helpful book, Graciousness: Tempering Truth with Love. Biblically speaking, all of our speech originates in our heart (Prov. 4:23; Matt. 12:34). Therefore, we must
Continue readingThis past May, at the Basics Conference at Parkside Church, I picked up a copy of a new book from Reformation Heritage Books. The book’s simple, one-word title caught my eye. Nothing in my memory indicated that I’d ever seen
Continue readingWhat Happens to Your Body on No Sleep – “Details aside, one thing’s for sure: When you don’t sleep, your body revolts.” The Power of Our Criticism – “When we criticize our brothers and sisters in Christ under the guise
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This is the final post in a series drawn from Matt Mitchell’s book entitled Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue. Today, I summarize the Bonus Chapter written to church leaders, which gives counsel as to how to
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“You will be gossiped about. If it has not happened yet, get ready, because someday you will find yourself in the cross-hairs of gossip,” writes Matt Mitchell, pastor of Lanse Evangelical Free Church. “Sadly,” he continues, “most of the time
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Jesus instructed His disciples to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24), but He also said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matt. 7:1). Is this a contradiction? No. We are called to use biblical truth and wisdom to
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By God’s grace, I’m a husband, dad, grandpa, and pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Hts, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
