a word from the pastor

Clothed with Humility

"Submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5.5-6) One of my fa...
Read More

A Tribute to John MacArthur

Along with thousands of other pastors across America I wish to pay tribute to John MacArthur who passed away Monday night after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was eighty-six and had served Grace Community Church in Los Angeles for more than fifty years. At first, when I heard yesterday tha...
Read More

What Would You Have Said?

In Matthew, our Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for speaking against the Holy Spirit, asking them, “How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:32) Pondering this verse in my quiet time, I turned it around and thought of Jesus...
Read More

Affirming Others

Affirmation in today’s world isn’t just clicking a “like” or “love” button. Nor is it flattery, which is often insincere praise motivated by selfishness. We flatter people because we want to be liked, gain influence, or avoid consequences. In Scripture, flattery is usually mentioned in negative ...
Read More

Behind Enemy Lines - Part 1

My wife and I recently watched the miniseries “Band of Brothers”, a World War II drama based on the Stephen Ambrose book by the same name. In one episode it’s pointed out to Captain Winters, the main character, that they’re surrounded by the enemy. He cooly responds, “We’re paratroopers, we’re su...
Read More

Why Christianity Is "Fair Game" for Critics

A number of years ago Richard Dawkins was cancelled from speaking at an event sponsored by Berkeley’s KPFA radio. The station cited Dawkins’ offensive and hurtful language against Islam as the reason which was being contested by Dawkins and other supporters. The evolutionary biologist and best-se...
Read More

Challenge to Fathers: Be a Hero

One of the great tragedies in American society is the absent father. The greatest fall-out of broken and failed marriages is its devastating impact on children. So this Father’s Day I want to put forth a challenge to men who are fathers or who plan to be one day. When children are small dad is th...
Read More

Tips on Tatts

“To tatt or not to tatt,” that is the question, and one that is often asked particularly by young people. Is it wrong, meaning sinful, for a Christian to get a tattoo? The short answer is no, but in order to do justice to this issue we need to consider two basic questions. First, why do some ...
Read More

Pintos and Parapets: A Lesson in Loving Others

In May of last year, a fire broke out in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Senegal. Faulty wiring was said to be the culprit and had the electrical circuits been properly installed, those children would be alive and well today. An essential part of manhood, and especially Christian manhood, is t...
Read More

Being a Man of Influence

As you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, God begins to influence others through you. The life of Jesus becomes increasingly manifest in your being (see 2 Corinthians 4:11). As you daily die to self, living through the Spirit, that glorious life of our Savior becomes a real...
Read More