As I look upon the spiritual landscape of this valley at the dawn of a new year, I am more and more convinced that what sparked the Reformation, the American Revolution, the revivals of the first and second great awakening, and what is desperately needed in this valley, is fire that is preached from the pulpit. The pulpit or preaching, rather has been and will always be the instrument by which God will transform both individual and nation. The gospel, according to Romans 1:16

I love my church family here at Evergreen Baptist. One of the reasons why I love them, (there are many reasons) is that they are so ready to forward their thinking pastor something to chew, reflect upon and eventually respond to. This last week was no different. Right before prayer meeting, one of the members had cut out an article written by David Haskell titled “Liberal Churches Wane As Conservative Ones Thrive” and gave it to me. Ha! What a title! Needless to say, I w

October 31st is a special day for many Christians. It is a day of reflection, remembering triumph and a time to embolden ourselves for the days ahead. No it is not Halloween, it's Reformation Day. Four hundred and ninety nine years ago, on Oct. 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther, armed with righteous indignation, nailed 95 grievances against Roman Catholicism on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. At the last strike of the hammer, the fire of the Prot

It is estimated globally, that roughly around 350 million people suffer with some form of depression. Those individuals who are afflicted with such depression often feel despondent, lost and disconnected from life. Even Christians who attend church regularly and have a firm faith can fall under depression’s dark cloud. Depression is not just feeling blue or moody; rather it is much deeper and much more severe. The “dark night of the soul” as John of the Cross once put it, is

We live in a pluralistic age. The market place of ideas is ever expanding and ever increasing. With the advent of the internet it has not only provided a forum to discuss ideas but also has given rise to the availability of conversation. At any given moment there are literally thousands of interactions between people concerning the issues of the day, some of them good and constructive, others perhaps not so much. However, the accessibility of content and the exchange of thoug

In the 1960’s there was introduced a new and dynamic social theory that absolutely changed the way we look at age-relations. That theory was called “generation gap” and it sought to address the contention between the then “baby boomers” and their parents. Those who lived through the 60’s remember that in that time period there was an upheaval in social change, and there emerged a restless spirit to throw off the vestiges of The Silent Generation, and even the generation prior

In recent events, much controversy has swirled regarding bathrooms, boycotts, and blurred lines concerning the issue of gender identity. At any given rate, an individual can move between genders or even associate with multiple genders at one time which doesn’t simplify the matters, but only convolutes the discussion. In fact, Facebook lists over 50 different “options” that an individual can assign themselves to be, and they can change when the mood strikes them. This non-bina

The 17th century English Puritan Richard Baxter once said “So goes the family, so goes the church so goes the nation.” In other words, the success or failure of a nation depends on the foundational structure of the family. If families are healthy and strong then, a society and nation flourishes. However, if the condition of the family is weak or ailing then, society and culture at large is bound to fail. In 2016, the condition of the family has not improved. In fact, it has g

The church today is irrelevant, having no bearing on society at large. That is the view of many people today. But churches do matter and having a right understanding of what the church is has incredible relevance for today. What is the church? It is a question that is overlooked at worst and misunderstood at best. Answers to that question vary in degree but for the most part come in the form of “the church is a building” or “it is a place people go.” And if truth be told,