Posts by Jim McCarthy

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Pleading for Sodom

Jim McCarthy
Nov 18, 2024
In the early hours of June 21 st 1957, a stream of FBI agents burst into Rudolph Abel’s apartment and arrested him on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. At that time the Cold War was nearing its boiling point. Overseas, Americans had been killed fighting the gangrenous spread of communism. At...

Abraham’s Servant & Pastoral Ministry

Jim McCarthy
Aug 28, 2024
For fifty years, Leonard Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. He is regarded as one of the most important musicians in American history. A reporter once asked him, “What is the most difficult instrument to play?” Bernstein reflexively replied, “Second fiddle! I can...

Four Takeaways from Trump’s Attempted Assassination

Jim McCarthy
Jul 29, 2024
On Saturday, July 13 th , the 45 th President and republican nominee, Donald Trump, was struck by an assassin’s bullet that grazed his ear during a rally in Butler, PA. This shocking attack, the first of its kind in 40 years, has left many scrambling for answers to difficult questions while...

Three Reasons the Saint’s Death is Precious in the Sight of The Lord

Jim McCarthy
Jun 24, 2024
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15 What is precious to you? If your house caught fire, what would you brave the flames to save? Your spouse and children, of course. Maybe a beloved pet, family photo, or treasured heirloom? That word, “precious,” is used...

The Gift of a Pious Mother

Jim McCarthy
May 11, 2024
In remembrance of his late mother, the 19 th century Southern Presbyterian B.M. Palmer wrote, “Ah! We have but one mother on earth. Who can replace her in our thought? She who bore us in the walls of her flesh, in the strange community of a dual life; she who nourished us in feeble infancy from her...

Delighting in the Lords Day

Jim McCarthy
Feb 13, 2024
During the mid-90’s, millions of American households were infested by strange, small creatures called Beanie Babies. The Ty toy company discovered that occasionally “retiring” certain dolls would cause their demand and value to skyrocket. To protect their “investments,” serious collectors put heart...

Psalm Singing: The Church's Punk Rock

Jim McCarthy
Nov 1, 2023
“Corporate Rock,” is the derisive label slapped on a style of music born in the 1970s. Characterized by formulaic arrangements, shallow lyrics, and predictable chord progressions critics claim that corporate rock was engineered by record label executives, not artists, to get on the radio, move a...

The Thrilling Reversal of Christmas

Jim McCarthy
Dec 22, 2022
In 1983, elite distance runners from around the world met in Australia to compete in a weeklong, 544-mile ultramarathon from Sydney to Melbourne. The racers were lean and mean professional athletes, decked from head to toe in the most expensive gear by Nike, Asics, & Puma; all except for Cliff...

Savoring God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

Jim McCarthy
Oct 20, 2022
Did you ever eat something so tasty that you had to close your eyes? If you haven't, try scallops. Imagine this mouth-watering mollusk: snow-white, pan-seared to perfection with a golden crust, a dash of salt, a pinch of pepper, a brush of butter, a spritz of lemon... delicious! And the texture is...

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Baptismal Water

Jim McCarthy
Sep 7, 2022
In college, I attended a men’s group Bible study that met Thursdays, dark and early. Over burnt coffee and powdered donuts, our rag-tag band of Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, non-denoms, and everything in between read and discussed the Bible. It was a catalyst of spiritual awakening and...

On Penguins and Christian Unity 

Jim McCarthy
Jun 9, 2022
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon,which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded...

Easter-High Expectations

Jim McCarthy
May 9, 2022
There are only 335 days until Easter. Are you excited yet? For many, Easter is a highlight in the annual life cycle of a church family. We mark our calendars months in advance. Our anticipation brightens and warms with the Spring. We clear our schedules of competing commitments and bend our lives...

Where Thy Victory, O Grave?

Jim McCarthy
Apr 4, 2022
On May 4th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln’s body was laid to rest at the Oakridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL. But his initial interment was anything but restful. In the years that followed, the crypt was disturbed 17 times for various maintenance and security reasons. So, in 1901, Robert Lincoln ordered...

Marriage and the Essence of Eden

Jim McCarthy
Feb 4, 2022
Of nature’s elaborate courtship displays, none is more elegant than that of the western grebe, a swanlike bird with ruby eyes. Each spring the grebes congregate on the lakes of Oregon to find a lifelong mate. Two by two, the male leads his female to a secluded spot on the water. Their waltz begins...

The Forgotten Gift of Evening Worship

Jim McCarthy
Jan 6, 2022
When I was a boy, my parents gave my siblings and me a big, round trampoline. That gift brought us and countless hours of fun, laughter, and exercise. So, when our children were old enough, Jordan and I decided to surprise them with a big, round trampoline for Christmas. As I bolted the frame...

Christmas and the Marmite Effect

Jim McCarthy
Dec 3, 2021
Have you ever spread Marmite on toast? It's a British condiment made from yeast left over from beer brewing. It is dark, thick, and sticky, like a savory molasses. Marmite is hailed as the superhero of sandwich spreads because it’s bursting with vitamin B. Over the past century, it has come to the...

The Quartersawn Sermon

Jim McCarthy
Oct 5, 2021
Preachers love pulpits. We dream of Calvin’s crowned pulpit with the spiral staircase, Spurgeon’s rail pulpit in London, Palmer’s marble pulpit in Columbia, or the “high pulpit” of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah. But my favorite is the pulpit I have the privilege to fill each Lord’...