Thanks to Samuel Martins for sharing their work on Unsplash. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What does “poor” mean in this verse? It means… Paupers Beggers Those who live on the bounty of others Those who live by begging Jesus is teaching His…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash Passages for 1.5.20: Genesis 16-18; Mark 6. Remember the exchange Abraham had with God in Genesis 17? Here are several verses to refresh your memory: And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash Passages for 1.4.20: Genesis 9-11; Mark 4. Just as a reminder, the Bible reading plan I’m working through this year can be found here. This plan has five readings per week. Since January started midweek I’m going to write devotions for 1.4 (Sat) and 1.5 (Sun) to carry me through the first…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash Passages for 1.3.20: Genesis 6-8; Psalm 104; Mark 3 Quote from Abraham Kuruvilla, who wrote a commentary on Genesis that I highly recommend. God’s commands are given at a time when there is no indication of a flood. There’s no sprinkling, no storms coming in, no meteorologists, no drop in barometric pressure.…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash My (Nate’s) hope/aim is to share a brief word each day from the passages I’ve read in my time with Jesus. This year I’m reading through the Bible. I did this for several years but in the last two years, I took a break and did a more concentrated reading through…
Are there phrases that make you cringe? When you hear them, you get that tingle down your spine as if someone is running nails over a chalkboard. As a parent, few things make me crazier than when I am giving a command to one of my children or having to discipline another, and my child…
Photo by Callum Chapman on Unsplash The book of Jonah is a good reminder to obey and trust God. But how often do we read it and still think we’re not like Jonah? I mean, he literally attempted to run from God, traveling the opposite direction God told him to go. We laugh when we read that because…
This month we’ve talked about managing your time as a pastor. This is an important topic that pastors (really, everyone!) should continue to think about. We are finite individuals with a limited amount of time in our days, weeks, and months. If we are going to maximize our time in order to love our families…
Here are a few things we believe are worth a look. Accountability is important. We’ve all read or heard of recent failures and firings of high-profile pastors. We all need accountable relationships and structures. TGC offers help. A 9Marks podcast on Church planting with Brian Davis and Nathan Knight. Why don’t more Christians study the…
By all accounts, John Calvin, the great Genevan reformer and systematician of the Reformation age, was an educated man. His early educational endeavors help set a trajectory toward a rigorous pattern of intellectual engagement that will mark his ministry. If pastors would cultivate a robust life of the mind (and they should), then paying attention…
