In today’s churches, where there is a surge in the calls for music ministers and worship leaders and a number of pastors and churches dealing with questions of what worship is and what it should look like, Dr. Vernon Whaley’s Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Response to God’s Call may come as an answer to prayer for some. Literally deriving principles for worship from the books of Scripture, Whaley attempts to provide a “full-Scripture” framework for understanding worship. Does he succeed?

Dr. Whaley’s desire is commendable. His concept of how it should be done is also good. My sense, is, however, that this book is more influenced by his Baptist roots than an informed exegesis and understanding of Hebrew or Greek (there are a number of “errors” in the language references). This is not to say that his principles for worship are wrong, but they are wrongly derived. It would be my hope that some would benefit from this book and others, seeing its weaknesses, would write a more sound, exegetically-responsible biblical theology of worship. If you’re looking for valuable reading on worship, Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin would be my recommendation.

Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina, has posted a list of “what ifs” about the early church. Answering these questions and realizing the importance of how we invest ourselves in these days is important for every disciple of Jesus to consider. If we are doing what Jesus said, there will be good fruit from it. My challenge would be for you to read this and pray that God would show you where you can better redeem the time and invest in the Kingdom of God.

We’re here! Long travels with flights, waits and drives and stops. But we had some amazing times of worship and lots of folks on the team had a chance to share the Gospel with flight passengers. we got here at the Hotel Savoy around 10:45 PM, Lusaka time (4:45 EDT). All luggage and supplies arrived in one piece and all of us are healthy thus far.

I am definitely seeing a need for grace, particularly to be bold with the people I encounter here in Zambia. I want to serve my God and my neighbor well…I also want to make Wilfred proud….Oh yeah!

(Many thanks to my friend, Wilfred Mutale, a fantastic brother in the Lord from Zambia that I’ve had the privilege of studying with at Geneva College.)

I have had the blessing and privilege of my soul being cared for, challenged, and encouraged by the ministry of Mike Pierson. At Providence Church, I have grown tremendously due to his ministry and that of Pastor Jeremy Hetrick. Recently, C.J. Mahaney, leader of Sovereign Grace Ministries, interviewed Mike in his “ordinary pastors” series. Mike talks a lot about his practice of the spiritual disciplines and God’s goodness to him and I think it provides us a great deal of insight into how we can pursue discipleship with our Master. The series is called Meet Mike Pierson and it can be found in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

Christ the Lord is risen! And because He lives, so also do we have the promise of life. Once we were dead, but in His death our sinful natures and the decays of this world were put to death. Once He was raised, and in His resurrection we have the life of the ages, a share in the World-to-Come! His glory and life is for our good, as it says in 1 Cor. 15:51-55.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

Praise God and give Him glory for once we were dead, once we were blind, once we were without God in the world, but now we are alive, now we see and now we are children of God!