Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash Listen to Pastor Nick Sandefur of the Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky discuss some details on the important work of revitalizing a local church. Listen here. In summary, he gives several characteristics of a healthy work of revitalization: The necessity of an unwavering commitment to truth. A passion and commitment…
John Calvin is a heavyweight in the history of Christian thought. When thinking about any particular point of theology, theologians of all stripes are wise to wrestle with his ideas. Love him or hate him, his influence is unquestionably felt across the world. Karl Barth, an intellectual giant in his own right, says, Calvin is…
Photo by Ian Kim on Unsplash What does this mean? Failing backward means… A person fails backward because he/she is lazy and doesn’t want to bother themselves with knowing what they need to know in order to get the job done. That’s failing backward. A person fails backward because he/she is arrogant. They wrongly think they have all…
As a husband, dad of four, pastor of a church, and Ph.D student (in that order!), people often ask me how they can pray for me. There must be something in my eyes that cries out, “Help!” Most of the time, my answer reflects whatever is most pressing on my mind at that moment. Busy…
This month on the blog we are trying to touch on the theme of leadership in different ways. Whether you are a single mom trying to lead her home, a husband struggling to lead his family, a manager at a local store trying to lead your employees, or a pastor trying to lead in your…
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash Pain, suffering, disappointments, and hardships can only be effectively managed and sorted through within the context of community. I believe that with all my being. I may not live up to that truth; at times, I try to wade through my pain, suffering, disappointments, and hardships on my own…the typical “lone-ranger Christian”…
Are you productive? I’ll ask a different way: Do you merely get things done or do you get the right things done? For years I considered myself a productive person. I’ve always been both early to rise and late to bed. I had lists, projects, and goals I wanted to accomplish and aimed my life at…
Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Unsplash According to the CDC, just over 70% of American adults are considered overweight or obese. So if you struggle with overeating and under-exercising, in the words of Paul, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” Inherent to this struggle with the scale is the motivation to pursue and…
What often derails faithful Christian ministry is leaders who give up in the face of discouragement. The signs of discouragement begin internally before they ever show on the outside. A weight on the chest that makes it hard to breathe. A lethargy that makes even the most common ministry tasks burdensome and difficult to manage.…
John Maxwell famously said that everything rises and falls on leadership. Whether you are talking about individuals, families, churches, businesses, or nations, the ability to cast the right vision and motivate towards its realization sets the trajectory for every area our lives. In light of the vital importance of leadership, we here at Theology Along…
Theology Along the Way 