As we outline what Village Seven believes doctrinally, the desire is not to grow in head knowledge for its own sake. The desire is to deepen our understanding of God’s word, grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be a reflection of His glory. Good orthodoxy(belief) leads to good orthopraxy [...]

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In addition to having the best accent ever (Strom Thurmond running a close second ;-)), Alistair Begg
can discuss some of the ‘less pleasant’ aspects of Christianity with a poignancy I’ve seen in few others.
His TableTalk article, “Pain: God’s Megaphone”, is posted over at the Ligonier blog and is worth a read.
Some highlights:
The biblical writer James [...]

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The sovereignty of God is certainly clear in many of the Psalms, but this one struck me this morning.
 
3 When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. 4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the [...]

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Let each man surrender his own longings to the glory of Jesus, and feel, “If my lying in the dust would elevate my Lord by so much as an inch, let me still lie among the pots of earth. If to live on earth for ever would make my Lord more glorious, it should be [...]

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I’ve been surrounded by a lot of conflict lately.
Between friends.
Between me and friends - my fault.
Between me and friends - their fault (tons of these ;-)).
In my home - always my fault (are you reading this, honey?).
I read a column today (HT: Route 5:9) by Andree Seu [...]

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(Spiritual Thai Boxing Part II, Goin’ to the Mat with Matt)
Phrased in this context or asked in Sunday School, this is usually is a no-brainer for Christians. We know that we deserve the eternal wrath of God, but by his mercy we were redeemed. The question though is how does that affect our dealings outside [...]

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Been meaning to share this one for awhile with my own thoughts, but realized this morning that nothing more needs to be said. This is from C.H. Spurgeon’s Faith Checkbook, April 9:
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psalm 119:165)
Yes, a true love for the great Book will bring [...]

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Last Friday, my son was 2.5 months shy of his seventh birthday and didn’t know how to ride a bicycle.
His best friend lives next door and has been riding a bike since he was four. He also rides motorcycles.
I grew up riding bikes. I raced bikes for several years; from my teens through [...]

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Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished. (Prov 16:5 ESV)
I think the first realization I had of my sinful pride was after joining a men’s Bible study. I was the youngest by about 25 years and yet I talked constantly (being a well-trained Toastmaster [...]

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