The first definition of the gospel I taught my kids was: Jesus died for our sins. When looking at those five words with adult eyes, you realize that short statement begs more questions. So what is the gospel? This is where historical theology (i.e. what Christians in different ages believed about the Bible) can be…
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I love reading biographies of Christian leaders who have gone before me. I am inspired by them. I get ideas from them. Often the nature of their struggles make me grateful to God for the nature of my own. These are subjective reasons to read biographies, but there are biblical reasons to read biographies as…
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The church world is the only world I’ve ever known. My dad is a pastor. I have an uncle and a cousin who are pastors. I’m a pastor. In growing up in the church there are numerous realities one notices. Perhaps the most visible is this: people come and people go. People leave other churches…
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No book of the Bible deals with suffering with more honesty and wisdom than this book. Today we conclude with this series by looking at the final chapters in this book. Through the first 37 chapters of Job, God has been silent. Job has not heard from God. He’s heard from his so called friends….
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This Sunday we’ll conclude a short sermon series on the book of Job. Even though the subject of suffering is a dark one, Job is able to find hope. In the midst of excruciating pain, he is able to confidently declare: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand…
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When tragedy strikes, what do you do? You seek counseling. It may be with a professional therapist or it may be with your family and friends. Whoever it is, you seek them out primarily because you’re looking for comfort. In a few texts from Job, we’re going to look at three counseling models. Each one…
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The moment God used words to create the universe, he gave them an inherent power and dignity that is to be stewarded wisely. This is why I treasure words. And I am especially drawn to people who carefully craft words in such a way as to bring honor to Jesus Christ. “Spoken Word” is a…
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The first two chapters of Job pull back the curtain to allow us to see some of the inner workings behind the experience of suffering. Specifically, we’re given four different vantage points into suffering. How Satan sees suffering Satan operates under a premise: you will be loyal to God only if He blesses you. Read…
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I had no idea what 2016 had in store for the Dainsberg family. One thing I never imagined was having to accompany my four-year-old daughter in an ambulance as she was transported to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. I didn’t see that coming. Those were the darkest days of my life. The cloud of that horrific…
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From Matthew 2:1-12, to find joy at Christmas we need to: 1) Slow down The Magi’s question and statement is worth examining: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Think about this statement: There aren’t clear answers…
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