Crossing: Apologetics of the King

From Rose (the anonymous anointer in the Pharisee’s home) to a choir from first-century Philippi to John Donne's iambic pentameter — does making the sign-of-the-cross mean anything?

Jordan River Is Flowing By — a new hymn

In the old-fashioned style of the camp meeting revival songs in the late 1800s and early 1900s, here's my adaptation of a 1910 lyric by Ada Blenkhorn — find out a bit more about her here: https://hymnary.org/person/Blenkhorn_Ada. Ada's text followed a meter

Narcissism + Power = Autocracy

When you give a narcissist power . . . you get autocracy. Narcissism + Power = Autocracy. Autocracy is the institutionalized manifestation of narcissism. The more narcissistic and the more power, the worse the autocracy. Narcissists care about only one thing: the Self. Self-actualization is the name of the game. The unfettered desires of the

A Confession from the Seoul Statement

Despite our claim to be followers of our crucified Lord . . .

Lausanne's Seoul Statement — a creed

Here's a 275-word abridgment of Section V of The Seoul Statement from the Fourth Lausanne Congress convened in Korea in 2024 which is over 1,100 words long (see lausanne.org/statement/the-seoul-statement), intended for use as a creed or affirmation of faith in a worship service: We

32 Insights about Yahweh from 10 Verses in Psalm 119

Law (torah) appears 10 times in the latter portion of Psalm 119 (verses 105 to 176) — here are 32 theological implications about Yahweh from those verses. As I tease out these theological implications, I will employ my preferred translation of torah (tôrâ) as "code of conduct": Psalm 119.

The Big Idea from 30 Psalms

Here are the big ideas from 30 psalms from a preaching series in 2024, as our congregation read through the 150 psalms in 30 Sundays: 3 — When your own flesh & blood want you dead. 9 — I can praise Yahweh even when suffering disrupts the basic alphabet of my life.

Getting What We Deserve

nostrils pinched as we attempt to console ourselves with the reminder that we are not beatifying or canonizing them . . . God has allowed our virtue or lack thereof to be magnified in two particularly dismal nominees

Jesus-centered Intercessions

These congregational call-and-response supplications are based on Common Worship’s Eastertide prayers of the people. Jesus, our exalted Lord, has been given all authority. Let us seek His intercession
that our prayers may be perfected by His prayer. Jesus, great high priest, living for ever to intercede for us: Pray

Psalm 27 — Christocentric & Personalized with Examen

Click the button below and then hit the gray 'Download a copy' button to download a PDF handout which walks you through seeing how Psalm 27 is prophetic of Jesus, and how it can apply to your own life. Psalm 27 PDF

Enchantingly Axiomatic: The Snakeoil in the Water We Drink

DWYL As-Long-As-Your’re-Happy . . . Follow-Your-Heart . . . Be-True-To-Yourself . . . Believe-In-Yourself . . . Live-Your-Truth . . . Be-Your-Best-Self . . . Do-What-You-Love — the aphorisms of our day are elegant. They sound like beautiful advice. They’re certainly enticing. Who wouldn’t want to be their best self? Who wouldn’t want to do what they love? Who wouldn’t want what makes them

Psalm 23 — Personalized with Examen

Psalm 23 (NLT, alt.) Place your first name in each blank: A psalm of ___________. 1 Yahweh is ___________’s shepherd;
 ___________ has all that ___________ needs. 2 He lets ___________ rest in green meadows;
 He leads ___________ beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews ___________’s strength. 
 He guides ___________ along right paths, 
bringing honor to His name.

Examen

10 Things Suffering Achieves

Here is a list of 10 things that suffering achieves, followed by a series of Bible (ESV) passages and examen questions for each item, arranged as stations to be used in the context of a solemn Good Friday liturgy. I distilled this list based on word studies of the following

Bible

Timeline of Passover in Enemy Territory with Examen

Examining Ourselves Trust/Faith • Like Joshua, do I trust the Triune God to fulfill — either in this mortal life or in my resurrected life — his good promises and good reign in my life? • What is one area in my life where I am tempted to not fully trust God? • Our

Bible

Revelation chapters 14-15 -- a Bible study

C.I.A. Bible Study C = Clarification What does the historical document tell us 
about the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 
or about ourselves (humanity)?
 I = Implication How am I implicated?
 What am I going to do about the clarifying insight about God 
or about myself? A = Application With

Lyrics

Rest, Drink, Eat — a new hymn

Here are three simple verses in 8.8.8.8, drawing from John 4.1-45, inspired by “I heard the voice of Jesus say” by Horatius Bonar 1846. I would set this to Waltham (“I heard the bells on Christmas day”) by John Baptiste Calkin 1872. I heard the voice

Dramatization

John 4 — the woman at the well dramatized reading

Here's a 1-pager for reading an excerpt of John 4 with three voice parts, drawn from the ESV.

intertextual

What do Elijah, Moses, and Jonah have in common?

1 Kings 19.1-18 with excerpts from Jonah & Exodus a responsive reading (ESV) Elijah & Jonah Attempt Fleeing Elijah in 1 Kings 19.1-3 1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a

Transfiguration

Timeline of Fleeing for Fear

Translation

Romans 8 - my translation

Here's my translation of excerpts from Romans chapter 8 for a responsive creed. There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Therefore you have

Christmas Eve

Luke 1.26-38 dramatized

Luke 1.26-38 (ESV, dramatized) Narrator: 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

Liturgy

10 Quick Notes About Advent

1. What does the word advent mean? 
 The English word advent derives from the Latin ad “toward” + venīre “come”. So, advent indicates something coming (or approaching or proceeding) toward us. Most often, advent refers to the Messiah (Jesus Christ) coming to us. 2. When does the Messiah come to us?

Translation

Reverse version of Philippians 4.4-13

4 Be miserable in the Lord always! Again I say, be miserable. 5 Let your harshness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is far away. 6 Be anxious about everything. Pray to God about nothing. Be ungrateful to God. 7 Then turmoil — something we all understand — will

Ad-Ministration

Archangel

Behind every thriving parish is an angel. On this mortal side of eternity, given our limited senses of perception, we call them “Parish Office Administrators”. But we know that they actually are angelic beings whom God sends us from the far side of eternity because they transcend both time and