Pastor's Pen

My friend, Dr. Kevin Baird is a godly, mature man. He recently gave me permission to summarize his lengthy blog posts on tithing. Here is part two of principles 5-7.  Worth reading:    Principle #5: The Tithe Breaks the Spirit of Mammon – It's Spiritual WarfareThe devil aims to steal, kill, and destroy, often manifesting as financial lack, evaporated resources, or wages that disappear like money i...

Tithing Reframed: Three Principles That Transform Giving from Obligation to RevelationFor many Christians, tithing is experienced as a necessary, but uninspiring, expense. It can feel like a spiritual tax, an HOA fee for church membership, or the price paid for programs, preaching, and pastoral care. When approached this way, tithing becomes transactional, mechanical, and easily resented. But Scri...

Key Lessons from the Transfiguration:The Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36) stands as one of the most breathtaking moments in the Gospels. On a high mountain, Jesus is dramatically changed before Peter, James, and John: His face shines like the sun, His clothes become dazzling white, Moses and Elijah appear to converse with Him about His coming death, and a voice f...

These two books by Philip Yancey form a pastoral theology of pain, disappointment, and faith. I’ll summarize each individually, then give a combined overview, maybe like a cliff notes. Both of these books have helped me to minister and be ministered to. I first discovered Yancey through a missionary who lost his 5 year old son while serving in Africa.  This book made all the difference in the worl...