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The apostle Paul wanted to read—so should we.

Spurgeon on Livestreaming Church

Livestreaming church services was an unexpected blessing in the heat of the pandemic. But now that we are in the cool of the day again, how should we think about people opting for the livestream when they could attend the service? Spurgeon has a word. I ran across a quote

More Than Jumper Cable Christianity

Spiritual disciplines at a set time of day are a wonderful practice as long as it affects the rest of your days. Spiritual disciplines and habits are vital for growth in godliness. And the key word there is growth. The point of the disciplines is the advancement of Christlikeness, godliness,

Top 10 of 2022 + A Gift For You

Thank you for reading and subscribing to Spiritual Theology. It's no small thing to be invited to your email inbox. I never want to knock too much or drop by too little. Now that my Ph.D. seminars are done, I should have more time and attention to write more

A Spiritual Use of the Clear Habit Journal

I’ve always struggled with journaling—until now. A new tool helps me combine Bible reading, journaling, gratitude, prayers, discipline, and habit tracking. I’ve been using the Clear Habit Journal from James Clear for three months now, and let me show you how I’m using it in my

Books for Christmas

It's a nice 53 degrees in Houston—which is a chilly Christmas for Houston standards. Now that Christmas shopping is full-speed ahead, I want to share some recommendations, my favorite book of the year, and great books for Christian spirituality. Book of the Year Reformed Ethics: Created, Fallen, and Converted

November Book Briefs

Since Christmas is almost here, I thought it would be good to feature a few books for Advent. And with Christmas just a few weeks away, it's also time to update your Amazon wish list with great books. I'm here to help with both.

8 Reasons to Rethink the Song of Songs

The Song of Songs is the most lukewarmly debated book in the Bible. There's some engagement, but not enough. While the arguments and interpretations of Revelation run red-hot, Song of Songs tends to be entrenched in assumptions. I want you to rethink what you might think about the Song of

October Book Briefs

It's time for another edition of book briefs. I love sharing books that I think are worth reading for the learning, loving, and living of our biblical spirituality. Happy to have another Mitch Chase book this month. I want to write like Mitch when I grow up. I also love

Remember This About Spiritual Fruit

Fruit in the Christian life is essential. We read our Bibles, pray, do good works, love others—Christians exhibit fruit. The produce of the Holy Spirit is guaranteed. God does the work in us, through us, with us. And this is where our struggles with assurance of salvation and frustrations

What Does It Mean To Bless the Lord?

Now bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who stand in the Lord’s house at night! (Psalm 134:1) What does it mean to bless the Lord? We know the Lord blesses us, but when Psalm 134 tells us to bless him, what are we being invited

Appreciate Your Lead Pastor's Pain

For this pastor appreciation month, allow me to help you understand and appreciate a unique challenge faced by Lead Pastors. I was a Lead Pastor for ten years. I saw God do many incredible things among the people I pastored, while also enduring some of the most head-scratching, baffling, and

Sermon: Christ's Banner

Christs banner0:00/45:321× Text: Song 1:1, 1:7, 2:4 Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX

The Problem of Gospel-less Gospel-Centered Sermons

We are in an era of wonderful gospel-centered seminaries, gospel-centered books, gospel-centered ministries, and gospel-centered preaching. But we have a problem. It’s great that people are preaching about Jesus and how salvation comes by grace through faith. Gospel-centered preaching helps people see how parenting, forgiveness, and serving are rooted

August Book Briefs

There are two kinds of Christians in the world: 1. Those who love to hear about new books. 2. Those who need our prayers to love books. I've got some great new books to share with you. I'm excited about this batch of books because two of them are from

Whip the Devil with the Golden Chain

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he

Sermon: Meditation

Text: Psalm 63 Preached at Storyline Church in Arvada, CO. The spiritual disciplines, including meditation, give us the reflexes we need for all of life’s seasons. In Psalm 63, David shows us the value of meditation. This act is meant to bring us toward God in worship, not by

Sermon: Soteriology 101—The Golden Chain of Salvation

Text: Romans 8:29–30 Preached at Wellspring Church in China Spring, TX. From their series, Theology 101, I preached on Soteriology 101, the doctrine of salvation.

The Best Pens & Highlighters for Your Bible

I encourage everyone, as part of their spiritual practices, to write up, mark up, and make notes in their Bible. Writing in your Bible is so helpful. It helps you see what's there, make connections, remember what you saw, and more. Scribbles can serve as monuments of the Spirit's work

Don’t Title People “Pastor” If They Aren’t An Elder

Ministry titles abound in the church today. Student Pastor. Children’s Pastor. Creative Environment Pastor (No idea). Senior Pastor and Worship Pastor are pretty standard fare on the leadership page of a church’s site. And what is also becoming standard is the willy-nilly way people use the word pastor.

We Need a Real Christ—The Legacy of Spurgeon

Today is Spurgeon's birthday. Let's learn from his legacy.

Spurgeon: Christ’s Love is Better than Wine

Text "Your love is better than wine." (Song of Solomon 1:2) Spurgeon's Comments "Once more, Christ's love is better than wine, because it produces no ill effects. Many are the mighty men who have fallen down slain by wine. Solomon says, "Who has woe? who has sorrow? who has

Spurgeon Sunday: "I am his."

Now that my Ph.D. research is decidedly on C.H. Spurgeon and his handling of the Song of Songs as being about Christ and the Church/Christian, I thought it might be nice to include some great quotes from Spurgeon on the Song of Songs. I can't promise I'll

The First Lesson of Prayer

Learning to pray—and growing in prayer—begins with this simple lesson.

"Whoever": The Funeral of My Sister-in-Law

My sister-in-law died unexpectedly, tragically, on May 14, 2022. She was thirty years old. I’ve done many funerals, but none of them were as difficult to write and oversee as this one. I struggled to find words. I prayed for God to help me find what to say, how

Wounds in Beauty Glorified

Why did Jesus’s body bear the visible marks of his death on the cross? Let’s reflect on four reasons for these beautiful wounds.

Honoring the Holy Spirit

J.I. Packer provides a list of questions in Knowing God [https://amzn.to/3ypxTCk] around properly responding to the Holy Spirit in our faith, life, and witness. These are piercing and profound questions for all Christians to consider. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Do we honor the Holy Spirit by recognizing and relying

Personal Update & May's Book Briefs

Every now and then I receive a stack of stellar books from friends and publishers. May's books are a great collection that all speak to our spiritual theology. This month, there are books on the spiritual shape of church leadership, the beauty of the local church, how the early church

17 Quotes on the Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Jesus is everything. The New Testament exists because Jesus rose from the dead. Just think about it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Jude & James (brothers of Jesus), and Paul wrote what they did because Jesus from again from the dead. The Old Testament prophesied that Christ would

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Christ is risen! Happy Easter, friends! On this glorious day, I thought I'd share with you a recent study I did on the biblical connections in an Easter hymn from Charles Wesley [https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/poets/charles-wesley.html]. Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Christ the Lord is risen

The Ukulele and the Cross

Jesus's death for our sins accomplished unfathomable riches of mercy and grace to be poured out upon us needy sinners. Theologians have wrestled with the various angles that describe what Jesus did for us on the cross. Some will even argue that there is only one way to describe and

4 Ways to Fight Mental and Spiritual Attacks like a Puritan

Mental health and spiritual attacks are almost always connected. What we are thinking about, what we are believing, and what we are meditating on are all a part of the Christian’s spiritual battlefield. Look at how Paul describes this spiritual warfare in 2 Corinthians. “We demolish arguments and every

Sermon: Waging War in Kingdom Ministry

Text: 1 Timothy 1:18–20 Preached at Christ Community Church of Houston

Reading for Spiritual Theology

We need a retrieval of spiritual theology. Spiritual theology attends to the cause and effect and affections of Christian theology. When theology is done in spirit and in truth, we are affected in heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love grows larger, and our living grows more congruent with the ways

What People are Saying about 2022

Have you noticed what people are saying about 2022? Me neither. At this time last year, social media was buzzing with posts bidding good riddance to 2020. We were all ready to have 2020 in the rearview mirror. People were prepared to give 2021 a kiss on the cheek and

My Favorite Reads of 2021

My reading list looks a lot different this year. Only two of my ten titles were not connected to my reading in the Ph.D. program in biblical spirituality at Southern Seminary. I didn't have a chance to read a lot of the great new books that came out this

On Personal Reformation

Luther launched the Reformation on October 31, 1517 by nailing 95 Theses—95 points of contention and clarification with the doctrine of the church. We are still riding that tidal wave. The first of Luther’s theses is meant to capture our attention today and every day. He wrote: 1.

Sermon: Spiritual Survival Mode

Text: Psalm 63 Preached at Risen Church, The Woodlands, TX.

Sermon: Ask, Seek, Knock: Learning to Pray

Text: Matthew 7:7–11 Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX.

Sermon on the Mount as Alternative Rock

What do you think of when someone says alternative rock music? Or just alternative? If you are like me, you think of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, or Smashing Pumpkins. But think about alternative with me. Alternative to what? Here is what Laura Ohls, a senior music editor at Spotify, says about

Sermon: Learning How to Fast

Text: Matthew 6:16–18 Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX

Wisdom is a “Who” more than a “What”

“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:24) Wisdom is a who more than a what. Jesus is Wisdom. He is the Proverbs wrapped in flesh. The Proverbs are animated and fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus Lived The Proverbs For Us > And because

Book Briefs - August

I wanted to let you newsletter subscribers be the first to know that I’ve revamped Spiritual Theology—a new site, new look, and new newsletter delivery system. Substack was nice, but I needed something more substantial, more aesthetically pleasing, and something that wasn’t on someone else’s property.

Calvin's Preface to the Geneva Bible

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom, folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we

Retrieving Spiritual Theology

Spiritual theology isn’t a new term. The late Eugene Peterson served as a professor of spiritual theology at Regent in Vancouver. Richard Lovelace writes about spiritual theology in his book, Dynamics of Spiritual Life [https://amzn.to/2GScd92?utm_campaign=Spiritual%20Theology&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter]

Ask the Forbidden Bible Study Question

When studying or reading the Bible, I’ve heard countless people say that we shouldn’t ask, “What does this verse mean to me?” Those who forbid this question will then rail on how dangerous it is to focus on the “me.” They will say, “It doesn’t matter what

Why Crucifixion?

We should have many questions about crucifixion. Why crucifixion? We know how vile it was. We hear how revolting, dehumanizing, and despicable crucifixion was—so why did Jesus die this way? Would Jesus dying at the hands of a mugger been enough? Why couldn’t Jesus have died of old

Spiritual Formation by Attention

“There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” — G. K. Chesterton

A Meditation: For to Us.

I believe one of the most helpful spiritual practices is biblical meditation. Thinking, contemplating, considering, mulling over the word of God is vital to our spirituality. One of the easiest ways to meditate on Scripture is to take a verse and consider the words bit by bit. For example, if

God is Beautiful. It's Not Weird.

For years I struggled with understanding God’s beauty. If I’m too honest, I used to roll the eyes of my heart at worship songs that called our attention to God’s beauty. * “Oh, Lord, you’re beautiful…” * “Beautiful One, I love. Beautiful One, I adore.” * “What a beautiful

What is Spiritual Theology?

Spiritual Theology is not another branch of theology. It’s not wholly different from Christology, the precious doctrines on Christ, or Trinitarian studies, or even Eschatology. Spiritual Theology isn’t the snooty cousin, a holier-than-thou practice of theology, looking down on systematic textbooks and Hebrew grammars. That is fleshy theology.

A Spirituality of Quitting

> I’m a great quitter. It’s one of the few things I do well. I come form a long line of quitters. My father was a quitter, my grandfather was a quitter… I was raised to give up. — George Costanza | Seinfeld, Season 4, Episode: The Old Man Eric and

Sermon: The Shape of Spiritual Renewal

Preached at Risen Church in The Woodlands, TX. Text: Psalm 121

Sermon: Love Your Enemies

Sermon: Jesus Wants and Wills Obedience

Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX. Text: Matthew 5:17–20

Sermon: The Parable of the Sower

Preached at Crossbridge Church in Sugar Land, TX Text: Matthew 13:1–23

Sermon: Pentecost Sunday

Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX. Text: Acts 2

Sermon: The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

Preached at Crossbridge Church in Sugar Land, TX Text: Matthew 15:21–28

Sermon: Blessed are the Meek

Preached at Risen Church in Cypress, TX. Text: Matthew 5:4

Sermon: The Spirit-Led Life

Preached at Risen Church in The Woodlands, TX Text: Galatians 5

Sermon: Jesus + Nothing

Preached at Risen Church in The Woodlands, TX. Text: Galatians 2:1–10

Sermon: In His Hands

Preached at New Life Baptist Church in College Station, TX Text: Ecclesiastes 9

Sermon: Jesus Brings Joy

Preached at Stonegate Church in Midlothian, TX Text: Isaiah 9