Christmas and Family Unity – Highschool Sermon

Sermon: HS Students, 12/20/20, Christmas and Family Unity Introduction: Thomas Kinkade [Our Highschool Pastor] has asked me to preach today, continuing his series on ‘This Christmas’. There are two points of interest: first, to give you a few thoughts about how to have a wonderful Christmas; and, second, to focus on the role of the …

Family as First Society

About a week or so ago, I had the opportunity to address a small gathering of friends and acquaintances regarding any topic of my choice. Below is a general outline for how I introduced an existential defense of the family and provided for the beginning of an engaging conversation. The original structure was in two-parts, …

What is Unconditional Love? – Highschool Sermon

Soon after giving this sermon, one of the high school students came up to me and said, "I have a few questions for you because I want to walk away with something from your sermon." I appreciated the direct-line he took in questioning what I said, but I suppose this sermon was a bit more …

Advice on giving a Sermon

A few days ago, posted my sermon notes from a sermon I gave to the highschool group. I was asked to provide feedback on how to study for a sermon and thoughts I keep at the forefront of my mind. I thought it would be helpful to reiterate those points below:     I have …

How to Engage with Anger – Highschool Sermon

Each time I give a sermon for the High School Students, I'm always caught in the cross-hairs of half a dozen competing criteria. How do I actually teach them something meaningful? How do I keep the topic relevant and engaging? How much of the sermon should emphasize knowledge and how much of the sermon should …

The Gift of Suffering – Highschool Sermon

I was asked to preach a sermon to the high school students on December 16th of 2018. The sermon series, to incorporate the Christmas season, focused on different gifts we have been given which we often neglect. I chose to preach on the gift of suffering, a gift which is an opportunity to participate in …

Analysis of the Book of James

The "longer" method of a book analysis is aimed to present a clear and concise outline of a book's major themes and ideas as they appear in each verse and extend through each paragraph and chapter. While I never prefer the long-winded sentence over the short, this method emphasizes the big picture. In this "longer" …

Transgenderism: An Incoherent Justification

This article originally appeared in Biola's Intercollegiate Studies Institute's magazine, Counterpoint. I wrote this article to provoke Christians and Secularists to consider that our impasse in transgender policy is found in our impasse in understanding the transgender position. As clarity in writing is only preceded by clarity of thought, so I believe clarity in public …

1st Highschool Sermon – Proverbs 5

I was requested to step-in and teach at the high school ministry while the youth pastor was at camp teaching for the middle school ministry. A few things should be taken into account. First, what is below is almost verbatim of what was spoken during the teaching. While there were times when I went off-script …

Hermeneutic Essentials – Lesson V

Lesson V Learning to Pray through the Psalter. “It is not that every sentiment expressed by a psalmist is admirable, but that in praying the Psalms, we confront ourselves as we really are. The Psalms are a reality check to keep prayer from becoming sentimental, superficial, or detached from the real world.”― Richard H. Schmidt The …