Consanguinity, affinity, and other points of divinity
In 1646 the Westminster assembly offered two controversial interpretations of the Bible that did not appear controversial at the time. One was that the pope of Rome is the antichrist…
Chad Van Dixhoorn
A Baby’s Catechism
A few thoughts about catechizing children My wife Emily and I found significant challenges in feeding our first baby solid food. Even if we could get her started on the…
Send them to Seminary
Jack is not going to seminary. He has a good job, he is settled in his local church, and he wants to minister in his home state, preferably his hometown.…
Ten Petitions and Praises about the Sabbath
The prayers of a Sunday morning service offer a perfect context to encourage both gratitude for the Sabbath and renewed ambitions for the Lord’s day. If you are a pastor…
Twelve ways to promote the Sunday evening service
Do you have an evening service at your church? Is so, and especially if you are a Reformed pastor or elder, you’ll likely be wanting to encourage better attendance at…
Respectability and hospitality (and Friendship and Fidelity)
The qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 mention that for a man to be a minister he must be a one-woman man, be sober-minded, and be…
Home Visitation: The Worst of Times, the Best of Times
It’s clearly the worst of times. Thousands dying, quarantine tightening, unemployment rising, churches closing – this is the best definition of “worst” that the world has seen for decades. That…
A Prayer for the Commissioning or Promotion of an Officer
Over the years it has been my practice, learned from others, to offer up praises and petitions framed by a passage of Scripture. Some of these passages were read in…
An Evening Prayer
Over the years it has been my practice, learned from others, to offer up praises and petitions framed by a passage of Scripture. Some of these passages were read in…
A Child’s Prayer
Dear father in heaven, Thank you for giving me sleep last night, and for keeping me safe to live this new day. I am a child, so please help me…