May 29
2018
"Sorrowful yet Always Rejoicing"
I don’t like sorrow. You might respond, “Of course, who does?” But I really don’t like sorrow. My natural instinct is to flush it out as quickly and aggressively as possible. I don’t want to think about what is wrong, and I especially don’t want to talk about what is wrong. I want to smash my pain into a tiny ball and launch it into outer space. But the longer I did pastoral ministry, the harder it became to flush sorrow. The weight of my responsibilities became heavier as did the spiritual battles I watched people fight and sometimes lose. Every time I grieved, I tried to drive out my sorrow and experience what I thought was joy. But my understanding of joy and sorrow began to change when I studied biblical joy for a sermon series, and it has continued to grow as I have meditated on the subject.
Coming back to church for a Sunday evening service is often difficult for people to manage. This post reflects on what Life Point is trying to accomplish through our Sunday evening service and on the benefits of making it part of your weekly routine.
I think it is true of most churches that the Sunday morning worship service is the best attended service they offer. And yet most churches offer other services to meet a variety of needs. Our church is no exception. Although we don’t take attendance during Sunday school, I would venture to say that Sunday school attendance is about half that of the main service. In light of these things, I thought it might be profitable for me to encourage you to consider making Sunday school attendance a new habit.
Many Christians have always assumed that attending Sunday morning worship is enough church for the week. This post offers five reasons why Christians should consider being with the church as much as possible. 
Part 2 of this post continues to explore the role of introspection in the life of a Christian. I will offer warnings and encouragement to the perfectionist who always worries about his standing with God and give 4 conclusions for all Christians regarding more edifying introspection.
The role of introspection in the Christian life has always been fascinating to me because of the role it has played in my Christian experience. There have been countless times where I have read the Word or listened to it preached, and I have been challenged to look deeply at the patterns of my own heart and life. But there have been other times that improper introspection has wreaked havoc on my walk.
We must cultivate a church culture in which it's okay not to be okay, as long as you're seeking grace.
When people ask me what it is like to pastor Life Point Baptist Church, I typically respond by saying something like this: “Pastoring Life Point is incredibly hard but incredibly exciting.” Both the difficulty and the excitement are tied in part to the theological and philosophical diversity of our church.
Luther had always assumed that this righteousness was something he was responsible to achieve in order to earn salvation. But the more he gave himself to achieving God’s righteousness, the more he realized how far he fell short and the more he grew to hate the God who would demand such an impossible standard. He believed that he must be missing something, but for years, he couldn’t find a solution. Finally, he had a breakthrough....