Christopher Smith is originally from Bellevue, Nebraska. A graduate of Westminster Seminary California (M.Div 2019; MA (Historical Theology) 2020). He is associate pastor of Phoenix URC in the United Reformed Churches of North America. He is currently pursuing a ThM in systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.
Do you remember the first time you had to speak in public? Maybe your heart raced, your hands became shaky and sweaty, and the urge to bolt for the nearest door almost overwhelmed you. For some people, public speaking is one of . . . Continue reading →
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the . . . Continue reading →
Bumper sticker theology—it does not seem to be as big today, but years ago you would see all sorts of theological statements on car bumpers. Some were better than others, of course. But the problem with all of these slogans was that . . . Continue reading →
Some people are just larger than life. We have all met them. Whether or not they are celebrities in the world’s eyes, some individuals walk into the room and take over the attention and the conversation. That is Moses in the Old . . . Continue reading →
It is a familiar experience: A non-Reformed believer finds out you are of a Calvinistic persuasion, and before long there is an either explicit or implicit assertion that you do not have a prominent place for the Holy Spirit in your theology. . . . Continue reading →
“Are we going to make it?” That is a question we all ask from time to time. Will we be able to turn in our paper by the submission deadline? Will our team hold on to their lead until the clock strikes . . . Continue reading →
Impossible. The word conjures up thoughts of flapping your arms and flying or walking across the Pacific Ocean. Some things just seem impossible. When I was younger, I remember thinking that it was impossible to wait for the month of December because . . . Continue reading →
Phoenix United Reformed Church is pleased to be hosting a conference by Westminster Seminary California—Rooted and Ready: Cultivating Doctrine and Character for Ministry. If you are in the area, please consider joining us on Saturday, November 8, from 9am–noon! Rev. Joel Kim . . . Continue reading →
I remember being a young child walking through the entrance to the church my family attended at the time. Looking up, I saw stained glass, and for the first time I wondered why it was there. I asked my dad, who replied . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 134: Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he . . . Continue reading →
I grew up in Nebraska, a Husker football fan by necessity. I still remember the first game I attended—my family and I saw our beloved Cornhuskers beat the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on a warm September afternoon in 1998. I was part . . . Continue reading →
“When you’re here, you’re family.” So read the old slogan of Olive Garden. Now, I have not eaten at Olive Garden very often, but I remember doubting this slogan because I never saw anyone in a knockdown, drag out argument while eating their pasta (maybe I just went to the less-exciting franchises). Continue reading →
Arrival. It is a beautiful word, is it not? Making it to your vacation spot or returning home after a long journey—it is good to arrive when the destination is desirable. And there is no more desirable destination than God’s presence, and . . . Continue reading →
We all feel the need to know where we are and where we are going at any given time. That is not just true geographically, either. We also need guides for big subjects and doctrines, especially the ones that have been considered . . . Continue reading →
In group Bible studies generally, participants are led to look directly for personal devotional applications without first contemplating the writers’ points about the greatness, goals, methods, and mystery of God. In putting together Christian books and magazines for popular reading and in . . . Continue reading →
Not many dates are worthy of remembrance over a century-and-a-half later. The beginning or end of a war or the death of a nation’s leader might be on people’s radar for a few decades, maybe a century, but eventually the slow decay . . . Continue reading →
Another means to be used diligently for the promoting the life of faith, is, examination of our state and ways, according to the word of God; whether we be, at present, in a state of sin and wrath, or of grace and . . . Continue reading →
Ever since God revealed himself Father to us, we must prove our ungratefulness to him if we did not in turn show ourselves his sons. Ever since Christ cleansed us with the washing of his blood, and imparted this cleansing through baptism, . . . Continue reading →
I remember seeing my first one. It was beautiful, and I could barely take my eyes off of it. There before me on a simple piece of paper lay the answers to so many of my questions. This was the secret, the . . . Continue reading →
Have you ever been called home? It may be after a long vacation or a business trip. Or maybe you are going home to spend the holidays with family after moving to the other side of the country. There is just something about home. Continue reading →