Think Theology

Paul gave the Corinthians an imperative when he wrote, “Let a person examine himself.” I continue to consider self-examination (see previous post, How am “I” doing). Karl Graustein, author of Growing Up Christian, provides helpful questions for young believers to consider, based upon 2 Cor. 13. He suggests we ask the following: Do you pray? [...]

“What do you do when you don’t desire the Word of God? Or when you read it and don’t see anything that gives you joy? Or when your joy is weak and disintegrates before the allurements of the world? What do you do if you are not satisfied in the God of the Bible, but [...]

“Eternal, incomprehensible, and invisible God, infinite in power, wisdom, and goodness, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, where thousand thousands minister unto thee, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before thee, yet dwelling with the humble and contrite, and taking pleasure in thy people…” So goes the introductory prayer found in [...]

The deeper I go into the Scriptures & heart of God, which are so intricately connected, the more I see the beauty and grandeur of God’s pleasures. Imagine, if you will, discovering that the “cosmic-kill-joy” that you once considered to be god, became a magnificent and majestic God that had pleasures beyond our wildest dreams! [...]

I try to spend about an hour a day in personal Bible reading, prayer, and study. This is above and beyond my actual “vocational study time” (sermon preparation, etc.) and is generally a time of intentional focus on growing more intimate with the Lord. Part of my devotional routine is to read through sections of [...]

As many of you may know, I am a Christian Hedonist (defined here and here). My vision for “enjoying God” has been shaped greatly by Dr. John Piper, Dr. Sam Storms, and affectionately through the writings of Jonathan Edwards. So with great joy and boldness I declare that I believe with all of my heart [...]

“For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” – 1 Thess. 2:19-20 What are the characteristics that we so often look for in our pastors? Think about that question for a moment. What kind [...]

On Sunday morning I continued our series for May on Spiritual Formation. Last week we’d discussed bible study, and this week I was hoping to stir folks up to pray, pray, and pray some more. Why? Because your spiritual formation depends upon your diligence of prayer! . But why should we pray? Better yet, what [...]

“The trouble is that, nowadays, there are so many who receive the testimony of God only so far as they can satisfactorily account for all the reasons and grounds of His conduct, which means they will accept nothing but that which can be measured in the petty scales of their own limited capacities.” – A.W. [...]

Though I did not vote for Mr. Obama, I have an interesting mix of emotions right now! I’m greatly troubled that we may lose a great deal of ground in regards to extremely important moral issues (e.g. abortion, the definition of marriage, etc.). Yet, I’m also excited that we now have an African American President! [...]

[Editor's note: I'm reposting this in order to stimulate further conversation, especially in light of how important this subject is] Several months ago we spent time working through 1 Corinthians 12-14. Within this “Early Church Worship Guide,” we clearly find the apostle Paul writing, “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking [...]