Church Planting Is Rarely Rapid
This is a good one from my friend Matthew Spandler-Davison.
The heart of hermeneutics
This is a helpful one on applying the biblical text and how we do it with helpful interpretive tools.
Why do we get baptized one time but take communion many times?
This is a good answer to a question worth asking.
An Open Letter to Baptist Pastors Considering Open Membership
Here is an older 9 Marks post concerning baptism, membership and some of the issues with open membership.
A spiritual funk
‘I’ve been navigating my way through a “funk” recently. There was something going on that took a lot of emotional energy, and which I came out of feeling pretty battered. I’m naturally a resilient type, and I’m grateful for that characteristic, but as things drew to a close and began to move on, I found… find… myself in a bit of a funk. It’s been a few weeks of walking in what could be described as a ‘fog’ and I’ve felt physically and mentally run.’ This one looks at some ways to deal with the malaise, or at least not make it worse.’
The art of sermon illustrations
This was a helpful one in thinking through how best to use (or not use) illustrations in your sermons.
From the archive: Where are you going this Sunday?
‘Dad was clear that if there was some way for me to play basketball before or after church, and still get to both morning and evening services, then there wouldn’t be a problem. But all the games were always slap bang in the middle of the morning service. There was simply no way to be in two places at once. There was a straightforward choice to be made: Christ and his people or basketball. And thus ended any prospect of a glittering NBA career, or even a less glittering English one.’