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http://youtube.com/v/0cJh4Vd2N3w This interview raises some very interesting questions about how the church should relate to the culture. What should the boundaries be? How about sermon preparation and planning? What do you think about this pastor's approach?

I drove to Cleveland, Ohio. That's a pretty long haul. Actually I really do enjoy road trips. I am in town for the Basics Conference at Parkside Church. I come to this conference for pastors every May. It is a wonderful time. I always find my soul revived a bit during these days. On my way I was...

One of my favorite places in the world is the Starbucks at Chagrin Falls, Ohio. It is in a building that is about 150 years old and overlooks the waterfall. Every year that I attend the Basics Conference I sit at one of those windows to read and do sermon planning. It's a great spot. Now, here's...

Some of the council members of The Gospel Coalition have recently addressed the question: “What is the greatest, most crying need in the American church today?” C.J. Mahaney answered this way: "The greatest need in the American church today is the recovery of the church’s central message, the...

This is just one example of how churches have moved away from faithfully preaching God's Word and keeping the Gospel central to its proclamation. What happens in this type of preaching is that "principles" are presented "from the Bible" that anyone can apply and benefit from. It is the mistaken...

Thabiti over at Pure Church posted these two clips ( here & here ) of Alistair Begg on the subject of preaching. This is one of the reasons why I come to the Basics Conference every May. I get this kind of thing for three days. I thought these two clips were particularly important in light of...

Tim Challies is at the Basics Conference doing some live blogging. You can find his first two posts here and here .

John Hendryx has posted this helpful critique of the emerging church's understanding of the Gospel. This same approach to the Gospel can be seen among the "Red Letter Christians" like Tony Campolo.

Here are a few more shots from Chagrin Falls.

This is a shot of my table by the waterfall during free time following the afternoon sessions.