2018[ish] Sermons

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As I began to plan for the 2018 preaching calendar, I asked the church to pray that I would receive clear direction.  I set aside Sept. 26th as a day to fast, pray, and study.  My specific prayer was to receive a good portion of clarity regarding 2018, but we all know that God does exceedingly abundantly above all we …

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Gracism: The Art of Inclusion

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I enjoyed reading Gracism: The Art of Inclusion by Dr. David A. Anderson. Book Overview “The parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.” -1 Corinthians 12:23 When people deal with color, class or culture in a negative way, that’s racism. But the answer is not to ignore these as if they don’t matter. Instead, we …

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Red and Yellow, Black and White

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The Word Red and Yellow, Black and White (Eph 2:11-22) In Paul’s description of the Church in Ephesians 2, he explained that Jesus’ cross broke down sinful, ethnic boundaries we established.  How are we to combat racism within the Body of Christ? CONTEXT The early Church was originally predominately Jewish, and they initially struggled with how to accept Gentiles. At the …

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God Is Closer Than You Think

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Book Overview Intimacy with God can happen right now if you want it. A closeness you can feel, a goodness you can taste, a reality you can experience for yourself. That’s what the Bible promises, so why settle for less? God is closer than you think, and connecting with him isn’t just for monks and ascetics. It’s for business people, …

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Interpreting Acts

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The Book of Acts is a unique book in all of Scripture.  Being the only narrative-based book in the New Testament that isn’t a Gospel, extra hermeneutical precaution must be made.

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Doers of the Word

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The Word Doers of the Word (James 1:22-25) Learning biblical information does not guarantee biblical transformation.  We must learn how to apply the Word of God into our lives. CONTEXT The early Church spread rapidly through the power of the gospel. The apostles wrote letters to clarify doctrine and practice to the growing Church. James, the brother of Jesus and …

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November’s Focus: Budget

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It’s a new month and that means it’s time for a new focus for the leadership at Rocky Creek.  Each month, we are focusing on a specific area to really develop as a church body.  Just to catch you up, here’s what we have been focusing on at Rocky Creek: January: Pastor – I am so thankful you allowed me …

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A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

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Book Overview “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want …” . Travel the shepherd’s path to the green pastures and cool, refreshing waters of Psalm 23.  As a shepherd, Phillip Keller shares his insights into the life and character of sheep―and of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for them. This beloved classic will give …

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How You Wish Someone Would Describe Your Church

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Every church has a reputation.  The community has an opinion about the people in your church. How do you wish someone would describe your church? I came across a writing from Aristides the Philosopher from around 125 A.D.  He had been converted to Christianity and later wrote The Apology of Aristides.  It was a way to express the differing people of …

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Interpreting the Gospels

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As we approach the New Testament, the first hermeneutical task is to learn how to study the Gospels.  The Gospels are the accounts written to portray the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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The Daily Church

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The Word The Daily Church (Acts 2:42-47) As the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples, the early church was born.  This body of believers met together daily and saw God do amazing acts in their midst. CONTEXT Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection changed everything. As Jesus commissioned the disciples in his heavenly ascent, he told them to wait for the gift …

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The 5 Solas [Simplified]

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The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.  This movement literally changed the world.  This year, we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation’s birth when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the Castle Church in Wittenberg. As a result of the Protestant Reformation, Protestant denominations were …

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Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done

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David Allen’s productivity principles were a game changer for me years ago.  I picked up this volume to revisit and revamp how I think about getting things done. Book Overview In his bestselling first book, Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen presented his breakthrough methods to increase efficiency. Now “the personal productivity guru” (Fast Company) shows readers …

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Baptism Bloopers

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There are some things they just don’t train you for in seminary.  These baptism bloopers are evidence of that fact. Here are some baptism bloopers (or just funny ones) for your enjoyment. If you have some more, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Interpreting the Prophets

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Interpreting the Old Testament prophets is an important hermeneutics’ skill.

While the prophets are historical literature, they are more like sermons commenting on the events than detailed reporting of the events.

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Couple’s Fight Rule #5: Never Play Out-of-Bounds

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In my series on healthy fight rules for couples (you can see all of them here), I have finally come to the last one for now: Couple’s Fight Rule #5: Never Play Out of Bounds What I mean by this is that each couple is unique and each person in that couple is unique. There are some trigger words for …

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Outliers

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Book Overview In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of “outliers”–the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where …

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Your Selfish Spouse

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Marriage would be easy if your spouse wasn’t involved. And he or she probably thinks the same thing. In reality, marriage is straightforward, but when you introduce the human dynamic, things always get challenging in a hurry.

Luther’s 95 Theses

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On October 31, 2017, we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation’s birth. The Reformation started when a 33-year-old Martin Luther brought a hammer to church. Sometime during the day of October 31, 1517, he walked up to the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed his 95 Theses on the front door.  The door served as a type of bulletin …

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Interpreting the Writings

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The Writings section of the Old Testament is also referred to as the Wisdom Literature.  These books don’t fit naturally into the Law, History, or Prophets categories.  While these books are different, they each artistically teach the wisdom in keeping God’s Law.

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Salt and Light

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The Word Salt and Light (Matt. 5:13-16) As Jesus began his public ministry, he gathered disciples in order to teach them how to live for the Kingdom. As he once encouraged them to be salt and light, we are called to the same lifestyles as his followers.   CONTEXT Since we could not make it to God, God came to …

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Couple’s Fight Rule #4: No Double-Teaming

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In an attempt to make you couples live together in a more harmonious way, I have been posting couple’s fight rules that we have developed in our own marriage. You can read all of the fight rules here. Here’s the fourth out of five. Couple’s Fight Rule #4: No Double-Teaming If you are playing a sport, double-teaming is when two …

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Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World

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Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World is a greatly practical book on evangelism. In 2006, Christianity Today voted this title to be one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals! “Christians and non-Christians have something in common,” writes Rebecca Pippert. “We’re all uptight about evangelism.” So begins the bestselling book on evangelism as a lifestyle. …

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10 Bible Verses for Wives

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Looking for Bible verses to study or memorize on a particular area?  One of the best ways to fight for holiness and combat against sin is by memorizing Scripture. Here are 10 verses for wives. Prov. 31:11-12 – The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good, and not harm, all …

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Preparing a Church Budget

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Every church has to prepare a church budget every year.  Before the congregation receives it, a substantial amount of time and a significant amount of people have prayed, talked, and worked hard to prepare it.  So, how should the process work? While there are many logistical tasks to be done, this endeavor is truly a spiritual exercise.  In preparing a …

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Interpreting the Law

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In our study of Hermeneutics, we come to one of the most difficult sections of Scripture to interpret – the Law.

Oftentimes, New Testament believers go too far in relation to the Law – either by expressing strict obedience to all types or by ignoring the commandments altogether as not applying to us.  We must find a healthy balance when it comes to interpreting this wonderful section of Scripture.

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The Great and Awesome Day of the LORD

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As God’s people wavered in their devotion, Malachi revealed that the promised Messiah was drawing near. This great and awesome day of the LORD would change everything. CONTEXT After their division, both Israel and Judah eventually fell into enemies’ hands and were exiled from the Promised Land. Years later, a remnant returned to rebuild the temple, the walls, and a …

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Couple’s Fight Rule #3: No Reloading Discarded Weapons

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In my continuing effort to help couples learn how to fight more fairly with one another, I am listing healthy fight rules.  You can view the previous ones here. The next one is: Couple’s Fight Rule #3: No Reloading Discarded Weapons Here’s how this one goes down: a spouse does something to upset his or her significant other.  That spouse …

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Seven Arrows

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I greatly enjoyed reading Seven Arrows by Matt Rogers and Donny Mathis.  Matt and Donny both serve as elders of The Church at Cherrydale in Greenville, SC.  Donny also serves as Christian Studies professor at North Greenville University. The book seeks to give practical tools to help all levels of Bible readers improve in their scriptural study. The content in …

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October’s Focus: Partnerships

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“Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19) It’s a new month and that means it’s time for a new focus for the leadership at Rocky Creek.  Each month, we are focusing on a specific area to really develop as a church body.  Just to catch you up, here’s what we have been focusing on at Rocky Creek: January: …

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Prone to Wander

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For years, people have loved the hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”  While many reasons exist for this song persevering through the years, one of the main reasons I believe is the lyrical and musical combination of such an honest line: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. I think we all …

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Interpreting the Narratives

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In the study of hermeneutics, one of the most critical steps is learning how to interpret narratives.  Narratives are the story form of literature.  60% of the Bible is composed of historical narratives.  How should we interpret an event that happened one time to one person or to one people?

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I Have Found the Book

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The Word I Have Found the Book (2 Kings 22) King Josiah stumbled upon the neglected Word of God and it changed the nation. We must blow the dust off of the Bible and encounter God’s claims upon our lives. CONTEXT King Solomon walked in the ways of the LORD until foreign women turned his heart after foreign gods. God …

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10 Bible Verses for Husbands

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Looking for Bible verses to study or memorize on a particular area?  One of the best ways to fight for holiness and combat against sin is by memorizing Scripture. Here are 10 verses for how husbands should love their wives. Col. 3:19 – Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Eph. 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, as …

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The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor

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I was excited to read The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor in theory.  What I found in it stirred my affections for both Christian ministry and scholarship.  It also breathed life into the stories of these two evangelical icons. Book Overview What will our scholarship and pastoral ministry be if we are heads without hearts or hearts …

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Parenting

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I wish I could be a perfect father for my children. How I wish that I had always been intentional, patient, endearing, Christ-honoring in everything that they have heard me say and have seen me do.  It is so easy for me to compare myself to other dads in our culture and think I am doing better than most. Better …

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How to Handle the NFL Protests

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Since there aren’t enough opinions out there regarding the national anthem protests in the NFL (😬), I thought I would give mine as well. Actually, this post is not intended to give my opinion on if the protest should exist, but what we should do about it.   Plenty of opinions have been expressed on the news, in articles, and …

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Walk in His Ways

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As David neared his death, he gave final instructions to his son, Solomon. Out of all the wisdom he could have given, he urged his son to walk in the ways of the LORD. CONTEXT Samuel anointed King Saul – a man after Israel’s heart, and then later King David – a man after God’s heart. After a life full …

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Couple’s Fight Rule #2: No Sorry But’s

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My wife and I came up with five solid fight rules that we put into practice within our marriage.  I wanted to share them with you for you to agree with, disagree with, or maybe even put into practice. Here is the second couple’s fight rule that we have established in our home. Couple’s Fight Rule #2: Can’t Use a …

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