When we studied the book of Job earlier this year, we found Job wrestling with what philosophers call the problem of evil why do bad things happen to good people? The writer of Psalm 73 is frustrated by the flip side of that coin - why do good things happen to evil people? The psalmist goes through a period of doubt because he envies those who are defined as successful b...

We've been working through a number of Psalms and seeing what they have to say about the things we are (or should) be praying about. We've looked at how to pray about foolishness, anxiety, repentance, tears, thirst, transcendence, and wisdom I know, it reads just like your typical prayer request list. But that's the Psalms for you they get at the things we forget, or hav...

Last week we talked about how we use social media and how it affects us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But the problem is so much bigger. We are suffering from a crushing information overload that's causing a great deal of anxiety and stress. And then there's a corresponding inability to make decisions because there's simply too much information to process. Wha...

How much time do you spend on social media? You don't have to answer that, but I'm guessing it's way more than you'd like to admit. Sadly, that's true for most of us. Our life is largely lived before a screen. And it's not all bad but some of it is. And one of the most difficult things about our online life is that we're often unaware of how it's affecting us. We look to ...

"Stay thirsty my friends." (Wow, I never thought I would use a beer commercial in a sermon.) This week the sermon has been titled, "Prayer for Thirst." I wasn't sure of the title, so I had to ask, "is this a prayer to quench our thirst or a prayer to thirst" If you too are puzzled by the title, well, you can either annoy Dr. Dave on vacation or you can come to worship thi...

Everyone cries. Some people cry a lot. Some people don't. Some people cry over the smallest of things. Some people only cry when faced with great loss. But everyone cries. The Bible doesn't have much to say about crying (in terms of shedding tears). But it has a lot to say about weeping. Probably because weeping involves overwhelming emotion, and because weeping is so comm...

Every month, as we prepare to come to the Lord's Table, one of the Elders comes down front and gives "Words for Sinners," calling everyone to repent. Even though we all would be wise to heed this call to repent, some do not. Besides being restricted from communion, what are the consequences of not repenting? If you desire to hold on to your sin and not repent, what do you ...

This week we're starting a new sermon series I've called "Summer in the Psalms." So far this year, we've looked at "Bringing Back the Wanderer" and "A Man Called Job." One dealt with the pain of lost relationships and the other examined how we respond to suffering. For thousands of years, believers have responded to both of these demanding situations by turning to the Ps...

This has been a crazy week. I've been out most nights this week, and will be out every night next week. We've had graduations. There's a wedding this weekend. And General Assembly starts next week in Memphis. The sermon's not done and I'm running out of time. So the anxiety level is a little high. You ever have a week like that? Maybe, like me, you're having one right n...

Please be in prayer for our Officer Retreat this weekend. Our guest speaker for the retreat and this Sunday will be Rev. Todd Pruitt of Covenant PCA in Harrisonburg, VA. Todd has been the Pastor of Covenant since 2013. Originally from Houston, he was raised Southern Baptist. He's a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and has served churches i...