Thanks, all, for an encouraging book launch! If you got a copy and are encouraged by the book, please leave it a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I’m told this helps spread the word!

Tonight my daughter (12) asked me if I’m certain Jesus is real. “What about other religions? They think that what they believe is true, what if we’re just like them?” I told her that there are always going to be people who believe differently than we do, and that everyone has to make a choice to believe in something. Even choosing to believe in nothing (or to believe that we can’t be certain about anything) is a decision. Some people believe the world is flat, but there’s good reason to believe otherwise. Similarly, there are good reasons to believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead, and that what we believe (as opposed to say, what Muslims or Mormons believe) is indeed true. We talked about the apostles’ testimony that they’d seen the risen Christ, and the fact that they sacrificed so much as they clung to that claim. We talked a little bit about God’s sovereignty, and how she wasn’t just born into our family by accident. It was a good conversation, but it was getting late and I was tempted to say, “It’s time for bed!” before it even began (my kids like to ask these questions late at night, I don’t know if anyone else can relate!). It was a good reminder that I need to be sensitive in those moments. Don’t panic, and don’t shut down the conversation, but listen and provide guidance/truth. God’s Spirit ultimately has to do the work, but he hasn’t left us to “blind faith.” Hebrews says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) This conviction doesn’t hang on a thread, but rests on the testimony of the apostles and prophets together with so “many proofs” (Ac. 1:3) that we should be familiar with. I'm thankful for these conversations.

Today is the official “release day” for my book, Why We Worship: Experiencing Heaven on Earth at Church. I pray it brings glory to God, and blesses those who read it. @ivpress @solamediaorg

I showed up to wscal in 2010 passionate about the Bible, but pretty unfamiliar with the Reformed tradition. I’m so thankful for my time there. The program was and continues to be rigorous, with an emphasis on the biblical languages that I think is second to none. We couldn’t even take bib studies classes until we’d done the Greek and Hebrew prerequisites, because we were using our Greek or Hebrew Bibles for Pauline Epistles, or Psalms and Wisdom Lit. etc. Since I graduated, they’ve constructed some amazing student housing, too. If you’re interested in Seminary, come check it out (and visit our church 30 mins south!)

One of the wrong turns related to church services in the last 100 years is that pastors stopped asking, “What does God’s word say?” when it comes to worship, and started asking, “What do my non-Christian neighbors want?”