Psalm 20:1-4: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!     May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary     and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings     and regard with favor your burnt […]

Psalm 118 was written by David, who, according to the God-breathed words of its preface (i.e., the preface is part of the original Hebrew text), “addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” […]

I helped to chaperone a ski retreat to West Virginia last weekend with our church’s youth group. The scripture that we discussed throughout the weekend was Romans 8, among the Bible’s highest and most glorious summits. Since I haven’t preached on or studied Romans in years, the retreat gave me a new opportunity to reflect […]

Just this morning, Roger Olson has a fine post called “The ‘Judge Judged in Our Place’: Substitutionary Atonement Reclaimed,” which I recommend to anyone who struggles to understand or believe that Jesus suffered God’s wrath in our place on the cross. Sadly, this would include many of my United Methodist clergy colleagues—certainly those who went […]

I preached the following sermon on Luke 2:41-52, “My Father’s Business,” on December 30, 2018, at Cannon United Methodist in Snellville, Georgia. In the sermon I voice agreement with commentators who believe that during this Passover festival, Jesus’ heavenly Father revealed to him the means by which he would save the world from sin: the […]

I’m currently enjoying a Christmas gift: Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan’s latest Bootleg Series album, a collection of outtakes from 1975’s Blood on the Tracks, perhaps his best album—which is to say, it’s among the best collection of songs ever committed to tape. These sparsely arranged, previously unreleased “alternate” versions—featuring only Dylan, his guitar, and, occasionally, a sympathetic bass guitar […]

In Psalm 12, David writes the following in verses 1-4: Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;     for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;     with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,     the tongue […]

During the month of December, I’ve prepared a series of daily devotionals to help my church get ready for and celebrate Christmas. I created a booklet (if you’d like a copy, let me know), but I’ll also post devotionals each day on my blog. Devotional Text: Luke 1:38; Philippians 2:5-11 United Methodists have a liturgy for […]

During the month of December, I’ve prepared a series of daily devotionals to help my church get ready for and celebrate Christmas. I created a booklet (if you’d like a copy, let me know), but I’ll also post devotionals each day on my blog. Devotional Text: Daniel 3:8-30; Luke 1:38 When we read in Daniel 3 […]

During the month of December, I’ve prepared a series of daily devotionals to help my church get ready for and celebrate Christmas. I created a booklet (if you’d like a copy, let me know), but I’ll also post devotionals each day on my blog. Devotional Text: John 1:1-5 In the movie Back to the Future, […]