I have led a lot of funeral services during my twenty-plus years of ministry. Each one is painful and beautiful in its own way. Each one gives a unique opportunity to comfort the family, honor the deceased, and preach the gospel. But the service I led this last Sunday was an unusual one. It was […]
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Grace > Race
As if our country weren’t facing enough challenges with COVID-19 and the economic downturn it caused, racial tensions have again erupted. I say “again,” because they never completely disappear, and perhaps they won’t on this side of heaven; they just retreat for a time until another event causes them to boil over. Watching the needless […]
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The Virtue of Gentleness
This reading by Chris Anderson comes from Gospel Meditations for Fathers (Day 16), but it’s fitting for all Christians—perhaps especially church leaders—as we try to emerge from quarantine with our varied opinions, consciences, and fears. Read Matthew 11:25–12:21 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy […]
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Galaxies and Glitter: A Parable on Preaching
Imagine enrolling in a course on astronomy. Say you’re curious about what’s out there—the identity of prominent stars, the vastness of the Milky Way, and so on. You want to be able to point out more than the moon and the Big Dipper. As the class approaches, you anticipate looking through powerful telescopes at the […]
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“I Scarce Can Take It In”
We just introduced Gospel Meditations on Creation (available now to order). Here is a preview of Day 3 from Chris Anderson. Read John 19:1–30 “There was darkness over all the land.” (Matthew 27:45) For some, the topic of creation is a call to arms—a war with atheism, evolution, humanism, or even science. That’s not my […]
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Endorsements for GOSPEL MEDITATIONS ON CREATION
We’re grateful for these kind endorsements of our newest devotional Gospel Meditations on Creation. Grace! “Full of biblical wisdom, these short meditations offer both challenge and comfort. More, they lift your daily perspective by putting all things in the light of the gospel. They will help you enjoy creation and our glorious Creator in a […]
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Introducing GOSPEL MEDITATIONS ON CREATION with Astronaut Jeff Williams
Church Works Media is thrilled to announce the publishing of our latest devotional, Gospel Meditations on Creation. Joe Tyrpak and I are joined this time by co-author Jeff Williams. Jeff is a devout Christian who also happens to be a NASA astronaut. He has spent 534 days aboard the International Space Station—an American record when […]
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Quarantine: Nothing New Under the Sun
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Dickens’ timeless statement aptly describes my feelings about the response of Christians to the COVID-19 crisis. I’ve been encouraged to see churches adapt so quickly to these challenging times. “Zoom” was unknown to most pastors just a month ago, but they’ve learned how to minister to […]
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Sing the Psalms. Like This.
The modern church has lost the Psalms. We certainly don’t sing them. Sure, we’ll sing phrases from them. We’ll copy and paste a verse that makes us happy or hopeful into a greeting card or its twenty-first-century equivalent. But we don’t make use of the Psalms—entire Psalms, beginning to end, including dark shades as well […]
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Fighting for Joy in Times of Trouble
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Word nerds everywhere are grateful to Inigo Montoya for this profound statement. People use words they don’t understand all the time. Simple words, even. Joy is one of those, I think. Christians speak, sing, and pray about joy. Good! But what […]
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