Christian Living

Everyone who has ever had expectations knows disappointment. Friends break their word, marriages end in divorce, our children move away and take our grandchildren with them, doctors can’t cure our ailments, people use us for their own ends, our investments go bust; but often our biggest disappointment is ourselves and what we have or have not done. We live in a world full of disappointment, and if we do not grapple with this reality, we are doomed to be unhappier tomorrow than we are today.

The fall colors were at their peak when the Calvary Baptist Church family gathered at a country farm to navigate a corn maze, take a scenic hay ride, and gather around a campfire to fellowship, eat smores, sing, and hear from God’s Word. I was unable to sing and share a message at this year’s campfire because of a bad case of laryngitis. As Keith led the group in singing “How Great Thou Art,” I was struck with the beauty of the moment. The harmony sounded as good as any choir I had heard, but there were some things that were so much more beautiful than the sound of the song.

^{Link to Part 1}

Using Music to Mature the Emotions

If churches want to establish mature believers, then they must aim at the whole of man, including his emotions. God has given man music as a tool to help him express his emotions. Any casual reader of Scripture will recognize the clear connection between music and emotional expression. Here are just a few examples:

Why do we have music in church?

This may seem like an odd question. Most — if not all — churches have music, don’t they? This is just how it has always been, right?

The two latest installments of Kevin Bauder’s In the Nick of Time, “Shall We Reason Together?” parts one and two, raise interesting questions about the relationship between Scripture and logic. (I’ll refer to them as SWRT 1 and SWRT 2.) The essays are stimulating reading and provide valuable perspective in an area that has received little attention among biblical fundamentalists. But the articles represent only two views of the role of logic: Dr.

^{Note: This article was originally posted December 7, 2005.}

The other day, I was sitting at a red light, and the words came out of my mouth that have often rolled around in my head. “Oh, come on! What’s the deal with this light?” After all, this light had just extended my massive six-minute drive into a serious eight-minute intrusion into my busy life! Unfortunately, my impatience was mirrored in the reactions of the four- and six-year-old children who were in my car. Jonathan said, “Yeah. Hurry up, you slowpoke light.” Savannah made a similar comment. “That’s a stupid light.” Talk about conviction!

^{Note: Parts of this article came from the Labor Day 2006 sermon Pastor Joel preached at Southeast Valley Baptist Church (Gilbert AZ).}

A Call to the Higher Standard

In mentoring his son in the ministry, Paul challenged young Timothy with these words, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12, ESV). Throughout his Holy Spirit-inspired counsel to this young man in the ministry, Paul stressed the need for a transparent character, an excellent reputation, a humble integrity which would allow others to see Christ in and through him.