Two years ago, this Saturday, Zora Kightley won her battle with cancer. It had been a long, protracted battle, one demanding patience, resilience, and faith. She, and her faithful husband Jim, withstood the devastating blows of bad news from oncologists. …
Category: Personal
Divine Detours
It's a strange feeling to preach to an empty room, but that's the experience many pastors are having these days. In recent days, I have recorded a few sermons in virtually empty rooms. I also wrote a blog post giving…
The Church in Action (Acts 8)
Acts 8 divides into two halves, both focused on the ministry of Philip, one of the seven leaders chosen to serve the widows in the Jerusalem church (6:5). The first half of the chapter tells of Philip’s ministry in Samaria…
The Preacher and Laziness
The following is a chapter from my book, The Heart of the Preacher. “Must be nice to have a job where you only have to work one day a week.” Like many pastors, I’ve grimaced whenever I’ve heard someone make…
The Church in Action (Acts 7)
Acts 7 is the longest in the book of Acts (60 verses), following the shortest (chapter 6 has 15 verses). In chapter 7 we hear Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin. Having been charged with “speaking against this holy place and…
Praise and Prayer Update (March 6, 2020)
As I write this update, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" here in Cambridge. I shoveled 6 to 8 inches off my driveway this morning. It's actually quite beautiful but we are still rooting for spring! I'm rejoicing…
The Church in Action (Acts 6)
This shorter chapter serves several purposes: 1) it gives further evidence of the church’s internal life and external rapid growth in Jerusalem; 2) it introduces us to Stephen—a man who will be prominent in the next chapter; 3) it continues…
Praise and Prayer Update (February 14, 2020)
Last week, I asked you to pray for Linda and me as we spoke at a Marriage Retreat for Benton Street Baptist Church. By God's grace, we had a wonderful weekend, sensing God's strength and grace. It's always refreshing to…
Praise and Prayer Update (February 7, 2020)
What it week it's been! This year's missions conference was very impactful for students, faculty and staff. The messages given by Tim Watley (Ethnos Canada) and Brooks Buser (Radius International) were riviting, inspiring and challenging for all of us. (You…
Praise and Prayer Update (January 24, 2020)
As I write this morning, my heart brims with praise for the many evidences of God’s grace to Heritage in recent days. Yesterday, our college students led the Local Outreach Chapel. They reported on five outreach initiatives they’ve been actively…