Redeemer Conference

Recently my wife, Gayle, said something very profound: “When I have feelings of loneliness, it’s as if the Lord is inviting me to fellowship with him.” And this makes great sense. After all, it is in fellowship with the Lord that our deepest need for communion is met.

With our conference less than ten days away, please consider praying for Ed and me along with the Redeemer volunteers who work so tirelessly to make our time together special. We are looking forward to what God will do as we fellowship together.

Earlier this week I read Prov 18:14: “A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” and I thought immediately of two things: my late 27 year-old brother-in-law’s two-year battle with mouth cancer and our conference. Watching my brother-in-law, Andrew, endure such agony with such grace is something that has [...]

How should we feel? What should we anticipate is the redeemed, mature emotional life? I think these are worthwhile questions. They take us to a larger theological issue: what are the emotions? Go through a systematic theological text book and you won’t find “emotions” in the index. But our emotions are the stuff of everyday [...]

It seems like we’re not the only people considering what has become the second most common cause of disability worldwide after cardiovascular disease, and is expected to become number one in the next ten years.  The most recent cover story of Christianity Today features the topic of depression (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/march/15.22.html).  It’s entitled, “The Depression Epidemic: Why [...]

Depression is a thorny subject from at least two different angles. First, when you experience it, it seems to defy being moved by any biblical encouragement. Might as well battle the mist, said Spurgeon, as do battle with this faceless enemy. Second, how do we even think about it biblically? It is hard to locate [...]

The Minister’s Fainting Fits: that’s great. Not that misery necessarily enjoys company, but it is nice to know that other pastors, past and present, can struggle in the ministry. Or, more accurately, pastors past and present do struggle in ministry. One struggle near the top of the list concerns our reputation. Most pastors want to [...]

I was reminded this morning by a dear brother that pastoral ministry is difficult. This may sound trite or at least obvious, but it seems to me that it is something we all too easily forget.  If we are striving to love people well, really involving ourselves in the stuff of their lives rather than [...]