Posts from June 2026
The Ruler and The Rebels
The Ruler and The Rebels Last week, we saw from Psalm 1 that the blessed person is the godly person. Psalm 2 is tightly tied to Psalm 1. Thematically, Psalm 1 and 2 focus on the blessed life. Psalm 1 begins with “The blessed person…” and Psalm 2 ends with “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” You might find interesting that in Jewish rabbinic tradition, Psalm 1 and 2 were read and used together. More importantly, Psalm 1…
The Core and Crown of Christianity
We continue in our Psalm series. It’s titled Songs of the King, because every Psalm ultimately finds its greatest significance in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ our King. In reality, all Scripture—all 66 books—points forward to Christ (the Old Testament) and then flows out from Christ (the New Testament). Last week, we discovered that spirituality without Christ and the God of the Bible is empty, like a compass without true north—it may move and feel meaningful, but ultimately there…
The Spiritual Life of the Psalms
I was at an Estate sale recently. (We bought Joanna a bed, and I thought it was a deal. But then after making the purchase, I checked the price at Target. It was the same price…and it was new! Bummer.) Anyways, learning every day. At the sale, Joanna turns to the owner and says, “My brother’s name is Judah.” The owner responds, “Oh, wow, that’s a very Old Testament name.” So, of course, I had to ask her, “how did…
Seeing past the Titles
Mother, wife, daughter, sister. Teacher, student, leader, disciple. Kind, mean, patient, inflexible. I have been given these titles over my life, and many many more. It is human nature to wonder what titles will stick. Which title will be attached to our legacy after we are gone? We give a lot of weight to these titles; we allow them to shape how we see ourselves, which in turn shapes our behavior. But man bestows all these titles. Lately, when people…
What am I to say at my final sermon?
I can’t tell you how many people have asked me lately… “how do you feel right now about your time ending as Pastor at LifeWay?” My answers have ranged widely depending on who asks me the question. Often, I’ve made jokes about it. Frequently I’ve answered with the normal American version of retirement by saying something like… “just bought my golf course membership so I can finally golf all the time!” For some I have tried to have a more…