Commentary

Everyone needs it but we don’t know a lot about it. We name churches after it, “Grace Church”. We even sing about it, “Grace, grace God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.” Yet even name people after it, “Grace.” But we sure struggle with its application. Grace, how illusive is it really?…

It is told of A.B. Simpson, founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, that he prayed daily with his arms wrapped around a globe. As difficult as it may be for us to comprehend the depth of this mans love for those who did not know Christ, the vision of him praying is a vivid…

Have you ever noticed how wonderful rest can be? Recently I experienced a reminder. This past September my wife started her first fulltime job teaching school about 30 minutes from our home. We have always been a tradition family with only one full time income but now that our youngest daughter is off to college,…

Everyone needs it but we don’t know a lot about it. We name churches after it, “Grace Church”. We even sing about it, “Grace, grace God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.” Yet even name people after it, “Grace.” But we sure struggle with its application. Grace, how illusive is it really?…

Marv Nelson is a special guest editorialist who challenges the contemporary church not to abandoned the hymns of the church. Pastor Nelson is a retired Evangelical Free Church pastor with over 50 years of pastoral experience. One of the best ways to describe Pastor Nelson is “faithful.” The old hymns have lost their luster to…

Have you ever felt like perhaps you were God’s last choice? Perhaps there is a ministry standing before you that there are others who are obviously better suited for and better prepared for the challenge. But no one steps forward, the urgency of the hour takes over and you step up to fill the gap.…

Today there are a lot of moral issues that the church often ignores or treats with diffidence. The reason for this is to pacify those who may differ with the church, regardless of how clearly the scripture may define a particular sin. In any given congregation today, there are many people who have experienced one…

They were first time visitors to our church. As the pastor, I knew I needed to welcome this couple, as is my practice. I told them that I would stop by and visit them sometime. The husband quickly responded, “Just make sure you call first. The pastor from the church we visited last week knocked…

In our sometimes-narrow approach to theology, we make it seem trite this thing we call repentance. If you asked 100 people who attend a church an average of forty Sundays a year what repentance meant, you would be surprised at what answers you would get.   Some would say it means not to sin any…