I have uploaded last Sunday’s Bible teaching: The Benefits of Community from Eccl 4:9-12. Listen, download, or subscribe is the Teaching Audio player in the right sidebar. Here are the main principles we discussed: 1. When we live in community, we produce more from our labor (v. 9). 2. When we live in community, we [...]

I am intrigued by a new book by James Davison Hunter called To Change the Word: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. I just read a summary of the book and an interview with Hunter in Christianity Today (May 2010). He argues that the common evangelical goal of changing [...]

Our church, Highland Christian Fellowship, is “family integrated.” This means that when we meet as a body on Sundays and Wednesdays, we meet as families, with all ages present. There are unique challenges and benefits to this approach. During homegroup on Wednesday night at our house, we had a discussion on male/female relationships, especially in [...]

I just uploaded the final part in the teaching series from 1 Corinthians 16:5-18 on Doing the Work of the Lord. This section is from vv. 15-18 and establishes the principles that as we all engage in the Lord’s work, we are to submit to others who are doing the Lord’s work. This message provides [...]

Emma Curtis, one of the students in our local home school association (High Country Christian Home Schoolers), e-mail interviewed me for their online publication. Here are the questions and my answers: 1) How long have you been homeschooling?  Six years 2) Do you have any tips for new homeschoolers that plan to have large families? [...]

I have had quite a few requests for a complete copy of my dissertation, The Authority of Church Elders in the New Testament. You can now download a pdf of the whole work here: The Authority of Church Elders in the New Testament

The following letter is written by my brother-in-law Sean Gossett to his church. It is explanation of how his changing understanding of church leadership and ministry is the basis for seeking to be bi-vocational. It is my conviction that it is important for the church today to seriously compare its current practices with New Testament [...]

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep [...]

On Sunday our church (Highland Christian Fellowship) affirmed our Constitution and Covenant for the first time! They describe who we are and who we hope to be. Included is our purpose and vision: Our purpose as a local body is to Love God. Love people. Make disciples. Our vision is to make disciples of all [...]

Paul gives some instructions about order in worship in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. There are some interesting broader implications for worship that do not seem to fit many of our normal worship service practices. When believers worship together, it is to be edifying, peaceful, and orderly (vv. 26, 33, 40). When believers worship together, there are [...]