The Barnabas Blog

A Plea For Preachers I have no doubt that this little blog article may create some havoc for me. As you read this, please note from the outset that I have no particular person in mind, however the shoe may fit someone you know, or alas, it may fit you. As a matter of fact, I have worn this shoe a very few and rare times with my own preaching but I am consciously and diligently trying to weed this sort of thing totally out of my own presentation of the Gospel with the vehicle of preaching. As a disclaimer, these thoughts are not reflective of the staff, management, scattered friends and neighbors, or anyone else who falls in between those mentioned categories. These thoughts are purely and wholly mine. They may be somewhat skewed but they are mine in their entirety. I will publish any and all comments from readers scattered about the world whether they are in agreement or disagreement. I only have two rules for those who want to comment: (1) Y...

I am posting something that was sent to me by another minister. It is not my words but I wholly concur (except I know that you can live without Hollywood and it's influence as I have lived without television in my home my entire life) with what Mrs. Hagelin has to say. Curiously enough some of my time this morning that I spent with God was indirectly related to this. I read a chapter out of Pilgrim's Progress entitled "Vanity Fair" and how the world was attempting to get us to trade our souls for something so cheap and vain. Taking Back Our Homes Rebecca Hagelin Author, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad REBECCA HAGELIN is vice president of communications and marketing for the Heritage Foundation. Her weekly column, "Heart Beat," appears on several Web sites, including TownHall.com. She appears regularly on television and radio, publishes in several magazines and newspapers, speaks fre...

A friend of mine, Scott Phillips , fired off a very productive missile in my busy life this morning. He wrote an article that basically was forcing our minds to think about “transitioning” moments in the life of a church. We are now facing a generation of aging pastors who will be passing the mantle of the pastoral office to a younger man. Since time waits for no one, that mantle will either be passed with a blessing or it will be forcefully snatched from the hands of these aged elders. It is my thinking that the elder who is prepared for the transition will serve not only the church well but the Kingdom of God well. In the last four months, I have been involved in the continuing education process called life. During this time, I have chalked up several “units” to add to my profile and it has been quite advantageous for me. I hope for those who are closest to me it has also been beneficial. More and more, I realize that I have to be incredibly grateful for what has bee...

From the previous posts , we are gaining an understanding that spiritual growth will not simply happen in one’s life but it is something that has to be pursued on a daily basis. How much we pursue this goal greatly affects what sort of relationship that we will have with God. John Bunyan, long dead, but having the ability to speak beyond his grave through his writings has greatly impacted my own personal walk with God. He is most famous for his great work Pilgrim’s Progress . However, he was written another classic work that is less recognized but almost just as significant as the first. It is entitled Holy War . You would do yourself well to read both of these allegories. Just outside the gates of Mansoul, Diabolus sat down in a hellish huddle with his comrades and they begin to discuss the best course of action to gain access. They determined that it would not be best to assault the city as a group because their appearances would betray who they were. Secondly...

Periodically, I pick up books and read them simply for the “agitation” factor that I find in them. You ask, “What is the “agitation” factor?” The agitation factor comes into play when you purchase a book that you know is right, correct, and on the mark but the precepts are going to burn you. Generally, when you read a book that has a high “agitation” factor in it you have to pick the place you read the book. It is best to read the book either at home when no one is literally home except for you, the reader, or to find some secure place like your study when no one else is in the building. The reason for this is that if they hear you mumbling, angrily shouting, or throwing things then no one is there to witness what might be perceived as borderline insanity. Calvin Miller has written such a book. I should not have bought it much less read it because I knew that I was not going to agree with it. I could tell that from the dust jacket cover and the reviews. It fra...