(Over the weekend I preached on "The Devoted Church," from the text Acts 2:36-47. A few have asked to hear it, and I’m humbled by the request. Find the audio here .) We are all devoted to something. In fact, we are each devoted to many things. It’s what we talk about, think about, give time and money to. We will sacrifice anything and everything for what we consider most valuable, what we are devoted to. Acts 2:42-47 shows us what the early Christian church was devoted to: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking...

Gospel-centered. Gospel-driven. That is what I hope to always be, from now through eternity. The Gospel is all about Jesus. We must see all things through His worth, work, words and ways, and be driven by His Gospel. (These are not terms I’ve invented. Nor did Tim Keller, but he has been so instrumental in our day on reminding us that every problem in our lives is really a Gospel problem.) In this audio message from the 2007 Gospel Coalition, Pastor Tim Keller speaks on "Gospel-centered ministry" from 1st Peter 1-2. Listen up, it’s well worth your time. [download mp3] In...

Reading Christ-centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon as collateral reading for my preaching class. Great book. This paragraph by Dr. Chapell struck me: "In some ways, the entire process seems ridiculous. Common sense rebels against claims that eternal destinies will change simply because we voice thoughts from an ancient text. When Paul comments the foolishness of preaching — not foolish preaching — he acknowledges the apparent senselessness of trying to transform attitudes, lifestyles, philosophical perspectives, and faith commitments with mere words about a once...

Never been able to make it to a Desiring God conference . This year’s conference ended today, and it looked to be an insightful time in God’s Word. Look forward to perhaps working through the audio recordings and become a better communicator of God’s glorious wonder. ————— The DG Blog has some recent posts summarizing the messages, with audio links and some notes either from the speaker or from an attentive listener Some of the posts: Pray More than You Criticize (about Mark Driscoll’s message) 3 Ways Singing Serves the Word (from Bob Kauflin’s...

Yesterday we were given a great opportunity to worship with Canyon Creek Church, a small congregation in Wilsonville seeking gospel renewal and outreach in that community. Their pastor Travis asked me to preaching in his stead, and I am thankful for the opportunity. (Listen to a recording of the message below, if you wish. Note that the audio quality isn’t the best.) Message: All of Life is Preparation   AudioPlayer.embed("pod_audio_1", {soundFile: "http%3A%2F%2Fwww.detheos.com%2Fmedia%2Fmp3%2FAll-of-Life-is-Preparation-jeff-patterson.mp3"}); [download mp3 ] Primary...

"Remember, then, dear friends, that the punishment of the flock was borne by the Shepherd, that the flock died in the Shepherd, and that the flock now live because the Shepherd lives; that their life is consequently a new life; that he will bring all his sheep that as yet are not called, out of their death in sin, even as he has been brought out of his own death; that he will lead onward and upward those that are called, even as he went onward and upward from the grave to the throne; that he will preserve them all their journey through, even as he was preserved by the blood of the everlasting...

Looking forward with mixed emotions of joy and fear as I finish preparing to preach this coming Sunday at Canyon Creek Church in Wilsonville. My text will be 1 Samuel 18:1-16 and my main goal is to help us all see the dire need of God’s preparation in David’s life, and thus in ours . Truly, all of life is preparation – of our character, to be used in Christ’s service, and for the awaiting glory that shall be here to enjoy before we realize. Anyone wishing to join us, please do! This Sunday, 8/10, 10:00am, here . Their pastor, Travis, is a new acquaintance and we share...