This is how a pastor can shepherd his people into the goodness of God even in the midst of difficult circumstances and personal illness. Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of The Village Church near Dallas gives his church family some perspective as he faces chemo treatments after the New Year. On Thanksgiving morning he had a seizure, then doctors found a brain tumor, did surgery, and it turns out the tumor is malignant. Brain cancer. Last week he tweeted, “Why not me? Why not you?” Indeed. When I found out, I cried. Then prayed for Matt, Lauren and their three kids together with my lead pastor....

One of the great questions of our age goes like this: “If God is good — and all-powerful — why does He allow evil and suffering?” Just yesterday I say down with a college student and discussed this. For a few years I’ve been able to read and grate first-year seminary students’ attempts to answer that question, in light of Scripture. The theological term for this discussion is theodicy, as in the justice of God. It is asking God to justify Himself for what we see. (Note the irony in the phrase: we should be on trial, not God, for being inconsistent and limited.) The...

A short animation our youth team put together to communicate the truths of Matthew 7:24-27 this weekend. What’s your foundation?  More to the point: Who is your foundation? the Wise and Foolish Builders from WCC Students on Vimeo. Song: “Safe” by Phil Wickham on “Heaven & Earth” SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Wise & Foolish. Who is your foundation?", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/12/14/wise-foolish-who-is-your-foundation/" });

There’s a cultural parable that goes something like this: An enlightened king in ancient India invited four men into his court who were blind and set before them an elephant and asked them to say what it was. The first man grabbed the elephant’s tail and said “It is long and flexible – an elephant is like a rope.” The second man took hold of the elephant’s leg and said “No, it is thick and round – an elephant is like a tree.” The third man felt the elephant’s side and said, “No, it is nothing like that at all. It is large and flat – an elephant is like a wall.” The...

My good friend Adam Poole (Director of Cornerstone School of Ministry) shared with me a summary of his 15 principles for effective teaching-learning. He is simply a faithful, diligent, godly teacher who authentically loves people. (More than that he is a faithful husband and loving father.) Couple those dynamics with his wealth of Bible knowledge and understanding, and you’ll find a PhD student who gets both learning and teaching. (The best teachers are learners of their students.) I am humbled each time he gives up a day of teaching his students to let me speak to them in his place. That...

Tonight’s “Civil War” game divides our state, workplaces … and families. Today I’m wearing orange. Lots of it. While Patterson Street in Eugene is named after my great-grandfather, I broke ranks with our family ties to the University of Oregon Ducks, becoming an Oregon State Beaver of all things. (As if you care. My mom did, however. She cried when two of her sons became Beavers and not Ducks. We have some humorous banter about it now.) Here’s what former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington had to say in the Oregonian this morning: “The rivalry will never...

I enjoy recommending the The Jesus Storybook Bible (by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago) because as the subtitle states, “every story whispers His name.” The point of the Bible is Jesus. While reading the stories of Scripture to our kids the connections to Christ become more vivid … aha! That’s why that was this way … Oh, now I see! (Parents and adults, you should read this book.) It’s a great read and we’ve given it as gifts to many. Helps us to enjoy the Bible so we can enjoy the One about whom it is written. Here’s a video version of the...

For this last home game —at The Swamp — Tim Tebow, the famous senior quarterback at the University of Florida donned his usual eye black, along with a new Scripture reference. This time it was Hebrews 12:1-2. It reads: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right...

The Gospel is powerful, deep and completely life-altering (Romans 1:16-17). “All of our personal & church problems come because we don’t come continually back to the gospel to work it in and live it out.” — Tim Keller, The Centrality of the Gospel (We work out what God has first worked in — Philippians 2:12-13) “Most necessary it is therefore that we should know the gospel well, teach it unto others, & beat it into their heads continually.” — Martin Luther (Let’s beat it into our own heads first — Ephesians 3:14-21; Romans 12:1-2) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title:...

I remember when I was not a Christian; I resonate with both of the speakers below. Two videos here, both speakers are not believers in Jesus (or one of His followers). Both with different perspectives on this question … or, perhaps just different on the surface. What do you think? ( “I’d like to say something about Christians trying to convert non-Christians.” At the end of an interview for a series we were doing at The Journey Church (St. Louis), Pastor Jonathan McIntosh’s good friend Aaron turned to him and said, “I’d like to say something about Christians...