Today we often seek preachers who tell us stories, make us laugh, and tickle our ears with poetry and platitudes. We would rather listen to Jon Stewart than Jonathan Edwards. We ought to think critically about how far we have slipped down the slope of valuing style over substance.
Blog
Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
Observations on the Empty Nest
Random comments on life after children fly the nest.
Resentment: a biblical lesson
How do you handle it when life isn’t fair? It’s easy to grow frustrated with our own lot in life and resent those who seem to have it better. Consider the story of Miriam.
What is Tithing?
Is the tithe still applicable today? Does God really care how we spend our money? Can I wait until I can give cheerfully? Ken Elzinga answers these questions.
Rethinking the 20s
My grandmother remarked that when she was 20 marriage was the adventure — for both men and women — and career was a icing on the cake. Now education and achievement are considered the adventure while marriage (indeed any long-term relationship) is an afterthought. But it’s not working.
Women’s Retreat Survival Kit
A conference I attended gave each participant this simple and heartwarming “Conference Survival kit” which contained the following items and Scripture.
Easter celebrations
In the midst of all these glorious Easter celebrations — however appropriate they are — it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Easter calls for humility and repentance.
Lance Armstrong and fallen heroes
Fallen heroes teach us that we need more than an earthly hero. Throughout biblical history, God gave us fallen heroes and failed solutions to prepare us for the only solution that works.
Solomon’s wisdom and last resorts
Solomon had real wisdom to offer a broken world. Yet, he failed to learn the most important lesson: Solomon valued the gift of wisdom more than the Giver of the gift.
Handling Disagreement
Why do we have so much interpretative disagreement over the meaning of the Bible? Two explanations: one we can solve and one we can’t.
The Vow of Jephthah
The story is tragic in part because he expected an animal, but also because his vow reveals his lack of faith in God.