How We Worshipped on One Sunday in August

From time to time I like to share one of our worship services from Grace Fellowship Church. In that vein, here is how we worshiped on one summer Sunday morning. This week’s cast of characters included John (a pastoral assistant) as the service leader, Allie as the lead worshiper, Dwight as the elder who prayed and read the sermon text. I preached. The band was comprised of piano, violin, and guitar. The various elements of the service are in bold …

New and Notable Christian Books for July 2023

As another month draws to its close, I want to make sure you’re up-to-date on some of the noteworthy new Christian books that released in July. In each case I have provided the editorial description so you can learn a little bit about it. David Livingstone: Missionary, Explorer, Abolitionist by Vance Christie. “David Livingstone was one of the most consequential individuals who lived in the nineteenth century. An unpretentious Scottish missionary doctor, explorer and abolitionist, he opened the door for …

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A Selection of New Songs for Christians

We are spoiled—spoiled by having so many talented Christian artists creating so many excellent songs. With 2023 now halfway in the books, I decided to make up a list of my favorites from the year so far. Hopefully there’s something here you’ll want to add to your own playlists… He Calls Me Friend by CityAlight As it happens, I am heading to Australia today to spend some time with CityAlight and their church. They have just released a couple of …

The Holy Sexuality Project

I’m sure it has always been difficult for parents to speak with their children about matters related to sex and sexuality. I’m not just talking about the birds and the bees, but about the wider issues that may be unique to every time and culture. I expect parents in the New Testament era needed to consider how they would speak to their children about pederasty, concubinage, temple prostitution, and many other societal perversions. So while there is nothing unique about …

New and Notable Christian Books for June 2023

Another month has come and gone. For readers, that means that publishers have released another batch of books. I am in the happy position of receiving most of them, so sorted through the various stacks to arrive at this list of new and notables. In each case, I’ve included the editorial description so you can get a sense of what the book is all about. I hope there’s something here that stands out to you! Reclaiming Masculinity: Seven Biblical Principles …

New and Notable Christian Books for May 2023

Though May has come and gone, it proved to be a good month for Christian book releases. I sorted through the stacks that landed on my desk and arrived at this list of new and notables. In each case I’ve provided the editorial description to give you a sense of what it’s all about. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye! ESV Teen Study Bible. The new ESV Teen Study Bible is targeted at teens from 14 to …

Coming Soon: Understanding and Trusting Our Great God

Some of my earliest memories are of creeds and catechisms. Parents and pastors alike taught me the truths of the Christian faith and encouraged me to study creeds and the many questions and answers of the catechisms. What a foundation this laid in my young heart! No words resonated more deeply than the fourth answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which responds to a simple but crucial question: “What is God?” The writers of the Catechism combined sound doctrine with …

10 New and Notable Christian Books for April 2023

It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I comb through what I’ve received in the past month (and scour all the publishers’ websites) to come up with a list of titles that are …

A Corporate Confession of Sin

It is good to confess our sins. It is good to corporately confess our sins. This corporate confession based on Psalm 38 is one we use from time to time at Grace Fellowship Church.  I hope you appreciate it as we do. Leader: O Lord, Please do not punish us for our sins. Hold back your discipline from us. We feel sick over our sins. We are drowning in our sins. The guilt of our sins clings to us like …

New and Notable Christian Books for March 2023

As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new titles in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have included the editorial description for each. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye! Resilient Faith: Learning to Rely on Jesus in the …