Episode 263: Humor in the Pulpit
On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the place of humor in preaching. Should it ever be used? If so, how? What are some things to do and *not* do?
To See Thy Face, Immanuel
Editor’s Note: The following poems were written by Charles Spurgeon and compiled by Geoffrey Chang in Christ Our All: Poems for the Christian Pilgrim . They are reproduced here by permission of B&H Academic. The book releases May 15 and is available to preorder now. The One Request[1] Cambridge / Waterbeach, June 1853 If to […]
Getting to the Glory: An Excerpt from The Storied Life
The sportswriter Red Smith was once asked if writing a daily column was difficult. “Why, no,” Smith replied. “You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.”[1] Admittedly, Smith’s observation is a little overwrought. But only a little. There is a way to write that costs the writer very little. And then […]
Am I Out of Asks?
“Thank you, Lord,” I uttered when I got off the phone with my doctor. A few months before I had been diagnosed with melanoma, and a few days after the surgery, I received the welcomed news that the cancer had not spread. The Lord kindly answered my prayer. Several weeks later I sat on our […]
Episode 262: Awesome Moms of the Bible
In an episode in anticipation of Mother’s Day, Jared and Ross talk about their favorite biblical moms.
25 Quotes from The Storied Life
My new book The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship is now available from Zondervan Reflective. This book is for both experienced and aspiring writers — whether you write stories or sermons or even just social media posts or daily journal entries — and is designed to equip you with some nuts and […]
Visible Grace in Disagreements: Willingness to Confront vs. Eagerness for Controversy
Editor’s Note: This post is excerpted from Visible Grace: Seeing the Church the Way Jesus Does by Caleb Batchelor. The book is available now from 10Publishing. Paul wasn’t afraid to address sin. Just ask the Corinthians. But what first grabbed Paul’s attention when he thought about that rowdy, discriminatory congregation in Corinth? God’s visible grace (1 […]
A Word of Hope: Reflecting on Luther’s Lectures on Genesis
I teach church history as part of my profession. In doing so, I’ve discovered it to be exactly what my teachers described—a wonderful means of keeping the faith. Of the figures from our past who have helped me, Martin Luther stands at the top of the list, as he continually points me away from myself […]
Episode 261: Books That Changed Our Minds
On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the books that changed their minds about things big and little.
Three Key Questions to Ask Your Mormon Friends
I have a lot of friends who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints (LDS). One I see regularly is the bishop of his ward; he regularly emphasizes, as do my other LDS friends, how we both worship Jesus, how we have a lot in common, and how we’re on the same […]