Category: 828 Newsletter
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The Glory of God in Scripture
Tonight I’m reading the 1689 Baptist Confession, which makes a striking claim about Scripture: one piece of evidence that the Bible is, in fact, the Word of God is its “scope”—the direction in which the whole book is moving. Scripture, as the confession says, has as its great end (focus) the glory of God. It…
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Galileo
Tonight I have been reading Galileo’s Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, and I finally encountered, in its original context, a quotation I have read for years: “The intention of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how one goes to Heaven, not how the heaven goes.” I had heard the line many times before,…
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Letter on Preaching to Pastor V
Dear Pastor V, I’ve been thinking about our conversation the other day regarding some of the struggles you’re experiencing at church. Please know that I’m praying for you and asking the Lord to give you wisdom, encouragement, and fruit in your ministry. You asked what I believe needs to change if we desire to see…
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Dry Bones
Taken from a sermon preached in January 2026 A new year always carries a quiet question beneath the celebrations: Can things really be different this time? We talk about new beginnings, fresh starts, and renewed commitments, but deep down many of us wonder whether change is possible—or whether we are standing once again on dry…
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Three Snow Day Observations from the Book of Ezra
The recent Snowpocalypse has been relatively uneventful—and for that, I am thankful. I hope it stays that way. Snow days have a funny way of slowing life down just enough to expose how restless we really are. After everyone at our house began to feel a bit stir-crazy, I decided to take some time for…
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Is ‘Doctrine’ a Bad Word?
“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” – Titus 2:1 I was talking with a Christian friend the other night at church, and our conversation drifted toward something we had noticed more and more in the modern American church: the word doctrine is almost made to feel like a…
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Business as Usual
This is a section of a sermon preached Sunday, January 18th, 2026 Now we return to Luke 17, where Jesus is teaching about the kingdom. He compares the coming of the kingdom to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Most people assume he means it will be like those days because of…
828 Newsletter 