It often seems like chaos and busyness dominate every second of our lives. We feel the bustle and pressure of living in a hectic society. Even more, we may feel the anxiety caused by distressing events around the world as we watch . . . Continue reading →
“I would not wish that on my worst enemy.” We say this when we consider something truly catastrophic befalling someone. We think this situation would be so awful that we believe no one deserves such a fate. That said, sometimes we long . . . Continue reading →
Readers of the Heidelblog know that R. Scott Clark has helped countless people understand the confessional Reformed tradition in new and richer ways. Scott has been laboring to this end for more than thirty years by teaching church history at Westminster Seminary . . . Continue reading →
A few people at my high school really did not like me. One day in biology class, two students started throwing scissors at me. The teacher decided not to do anything, so they continued until class ended. You might imagine that this . . . Continue reading →
When I was younger, a popular slogan people said when they were trying to get away with whatever they wanted was, “Only God can judge me.” They said it to make the point that other people do not get to weigh in . . . Continue reading →
Hosea 6:7 is one text traditionally understood to teach a covenant with Adam: “But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.” In addressing Israel’s sin, Hosea indicates that their manner of covenant violations was “like Adam.” Many . . . Continue reading →
The book of Revelation is a daunting undertaking to read and especially to preach. The baggage associated with it, perhaps even more in the United States since the rise of dispensationalism, makes even the most grounded and biblically informed believers afraid of . . . Continue reading →
Have you no shame? This question usually suggests that we are doing something that ought to shame us. Society has standards, and when we fail to live up to them, people think we should have a sense of guilt and that our . . . Continue reading →
Life is full of tension between the good and the bad. Most of us would like to find a way to resolve these tensions to simplify our experience and understanding of the world. Nonetheless, usually by giving up one side of the . . . Continue reading →
Pursuing any vocation costs something. To be a lawyer or physician, you invest years in school to learn the trade. Being a parent costs continually setting yourself aside for what someone else needs from you. Being a spouse costs giving up flexibility . . . Continue reading →
When you think of your house, what is the first part that comes to mind? You probably envision the things you can more readily see. You think about the siding and how pretty your home looks from the outside. Or you think . . . Continue reading →
Jesus Christ instructed his church to observe the Lord’s Supper until he returns. The church has not always agreed about how often we should observe it. Within the Reformed tradition, debates about the frequency of Communion remained a feature of sacramental discussions . . . Continue reading →
The previous installment in this series reflected on the significance of making an entrance. We see in Psalm 24 the importance of an entrance before God since God’s presence is where blessing is found forevermore. In considering Psalm 24:1–2 about God as . . . Continue reading →
What is, at least in experience and emphasis, the pivotal moment in a wedding ceremony? When the bride enters and walks down the aisle. What is the most discussed aspect of our culture’s superficial awards ceremonies? The red carpet. What is the . . . Continue reading →
Very few books, at least those that are uninspired, truly blow my mind and prompt immediate change in my lifestyle. Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, however, sent me spinning almost every time I sat down with it. What I learned not only . . . Continue reading →
Good reasons undergird why we might want to have bodyguards in uncertain situations. Some circumstances could feel troubling if we were on our own. These same circumstances feel much safer if we happen to have along with us a huge guy carrying . . . Continue reading →
In 1815, the Duke of Wellington led his British army against Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. As Wellington defeated his enemy, the British attempted to send a message back to England using a system of light signals. Because of a . . . Continue reading →
On-ramps are really important for merging safely and easily into fast-moving traffic. Where I live near Detroit, the merging lanes at the end of on-ramps are shockingly short, often leaving a sense of dangerous urgency to find a place to fit comfortably . . . Continue reading →
How do you relate to God? Since the triune God is truly transcendent, what binds us to him that we might know that he is near to his people? We long for certainty and assurance to know that our God is with . . . Continue reading →
Among some representatives of 1689 federalism, this dialectical tension wherein the covenant of grace both communicated Christ’s benefits and was not administered ends up breaking the wrong direction. Although the covenants of the old economy “carried the promise of another covenant,” they . . . Continue reading →
