Pastor’s Blog

How accessible to you is your pastor? Is he available to you? Does he know you? Here is an interesting blog post by Carl Trueman (of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia) on the subject. An excerpt…

“I am immensely grateful that I have only ever held membership in churches of a size where the pastor has always been accessible and available.  Indeed, my pastors have always even known my name, my wife’s name, my kids’ names, and even what sports they play (this latter may seem trivial but it has been peculiarly important to me: my kids may not always enjoy going to church; but they have never doubted that the pastor actually cares for them; and that is something for which I am more grateful than I can articulate).  Indeed, each of my pastors has cared about his people, not as a concept or a good idea or as an indeterminate mass, but as real, particular people with names and histories and strengths and weaknesses; and this surely reflects the character and love of God who, after, calls his sheep by name and cares for us all as individuals. If I gave you the names of said pastors, few reading this post would ever have heard of them: they have written no books; they have never pulled in huge crowds; and they have never spoken at megaconferences.  But they have always been there when even the humblest church member has called out for advice, counsel or even help with bailing out a flooded basement.”

Members of OPPC, I know who you are! And you can call me any time–even for a flooded basement.

(posted 8/30/10)

Here’s a recent article from the Wall Street Journal on “Wannabe Cool” Christianity.

When you get right down to it, there’s no way to make Biblical Christianity cool by the world’s way of reckoning. It will always run across the grain of fallen human nature. (If it becomes acceptable, you have to ask whether it is still Christianity.) 1 Corinthians 1:18, 25 is still true:

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

People are not as impressed with cool as they are with real.

So…no metrosexual makeover for this pastor.

(posted 8/19/10)

In a recent blog post, Al Mohler comments on Judge Vaughn Walker’s verdict declaring California’s voter-approved Proposition 8–which amended the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman–to be unconsitutional.

Among Judge Walker’s more amazing statements:  “Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals.”

posted 8/5/10

As I’ve said in sermons, we really don’t want people to remember us for our worst failures. So we should not do that to Jesus’ disciple Thomas, who believed far more than he doubted. I liked this cartoon, by Josh Harris, on the subject.

posted 8/2/10

In the June 11, 2010, edition of Newsweek, Jessica Bennett and Jesse Ellison argue that marriage as traditionally understood no longer makes sense. Here is Al Mohler’s description of the article. As he says,

“One essential task for the Christian Church is to rebuild and maintain a marriage culture — even when marriage itself no longer makes sense to so many around us.”