“The sins we do not forget, God does not remember.”
All in Freedom
Today is Good Friday—the day that Christians all over the world consider the cross of Jesus in an amplified way. Christians love the cross because it is there where our rescue was realized, where our salvation was secured. It is there where God’s one-way love was put on display for the whole world to see.
Preachers these days are expected to major in “moral renovation.” They are expected to provide a practical “to-do” list, rather than simply announce, “It is finished!” They are expected to do something other than—more than—lift up before their congregation Christ's finished work, preaching a full absolution solely on the basis…
This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at the New Mount Olive Baptist Church in my hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mount Olive is a large, historic African American church which has been faithfully serving the greater Fort Lauderdale area since its founding in 1918. It was the first time I had spoken in…
My historical hero Martin Luther once said that “To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.” It’s the hardest thing because we are strings attached people living in a strings attached world with other strings attached people. Everything is conditional…
Christmas is supposed to be “…the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” But for many of us, it’s the most painful. It’s that time of year when budgets break; when you’re reminded of how dysfunctional your family is; when you miss the people you love who have either died or left you. Maybe you’re still single, and Christmas is a…
Last weekend I had the privilege of spending a few days in Salt Lake City at the kind and gracious invitation of South Mountain Community Church. To celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, they asked me to come out and talk about grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone in light of…
Many of you already know this (though some of you may not), but I used to be a pastor. Some would even say a successful pastor. I was leading a large church that serves a college-prep school and a seminary, writing a book a year, traveling extensively all over the country to speak at conferences…
