What Does Forgiveness Look Like?
by Deek Dubberly on February 9, 2010
in Biblelife, Book, Sermon
![]() Bartolome Esteban Murillo's, The Return of the Prodigal Son I stated “Five Truths About Forgiveness” last week. This thought needs to be taken a step farther, though. The issue of forgiveness can and should be brought to a more practical level. The question must be asked, “What does forgiveness look like? To answer that question I propose the following: Seven Things Forgiveness Is and Does:
Anti-plagiarism safety net:You need to know that I borrowed the ideas in this post from two others. The content is not my own.
Make sure to do your part:I’m sure there’s more application for this subject. If I’ve missed anything, or you feel you can better articulate how to practically apply biblical forgiveness, by all means help us all out and leave a comment. |
Some Preaching Advice: How Not to Stink (Part 4)
by Deek Dubberly on February 8, 2010
in Preaching
It’s a helpful list. Steve offers a paragraph or so of explanation under each piece of advice on this outline. Make sure to head over his way and read the entire article—“First Sermon Jitters: Help for Aspiring Preachers” One Last Thing:If you’ve got any recommendations on the subject of preaching—be it links to online content, printed works, sermons, talks, etc.—I’d be interested to check them out. Please help me out in the comments section. Thanks.
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Page CXVI—Some New Music I’ve Been Enjoying Lately
by Deek Dubberly on February 5, 2010
in Music
I recently heard some music during Desiring God’s live stream of their 2010 Pastor’s Conference. I did some investigating on Twitter and found out the name of the group was Page CXVI. Confused by their name? I was too. I checked out the band’s site to find out that the name refers to page 116 in a particular version of C. S. Lewis’, The Magician’s Nephew. There Lewis describes Aslan (the lion-king-savior-Jesus character) singing creation into existence from a dark nothing-filled void. It’s definitely one of my favorite passages from the Narnian tales.
Make sure to check out their website: Pagecxvi.com Here’s one of their songs dubbed over a YouTube clip. I really like the part at the end they repeat: “No guilt in life, no fear in death, from life’s first cry to final breath.” |
Why Should We ‘Trust in the Lord with All Our Heart?’ (Part 1)
by Deek Dubberly on February 4, 2010
in Biblelife, Proverbs, Wisdom
From posters, to coffee mugs, to calendars, to pens, to t-shirts, to mouse pads, and really to anything that a) can be printed on and b) people will actually buy, there is no shortage of contemporary Christian merchandise that feature these verses. (Want proof? Click here and here.) If you’re unable to recall from memory what this couplet of verses actually says, or perhaps are but just don’t remember the reference, here it is in the Amplified Bible’s rendering:
I preached on this passage last night at my church. My goal was to challenge the status quo of modern church culture which often only gives these verses value of an inspirational nature—that is, that it should inspire us or encourage us.
I listed several reasons why we should place our trust in God and several reasons why we should not place it in ourselves. Why God?
Why Not Ourselves?
It’s easy to see the difference:
We’ll continue this study later by addressing the following mindset which should follow from what we’ve learned already: “Okay, so you’ve convinced me. I agree that my trust should be in God, not myself. So what? What does that look like? How do I do that?“ I’m interested to hear other perspectives addressing this question. Why should we trust in God? What do you say? |
The Pastor’s Home
Dr. Richard Mayhue contributed an excellent little chapter called “The Pastor’s Home” in the book, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, edited by John MacArthur. He writes that,
Mayhue closes this section by saying that,
What a wonderful description and goal for all of us who minister. Can you think of any other things that a godly, peaceful home can supply and accomplish in a pastor’s life? |
A Word of Conviction from Adoniram Judson
by Deek Dubberly on February 2, 2010
in Biography, Missions, Quote of the Day
The great Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson was but a young student when he wrote the following words in a ‘conservatives’ religious magazine’ in the year 1810.
His feet had never touched foreign soil. They would, but that time had not yet come. He and his fellow mission-minded friends were ever seeking new and better ways to promote their project while they went through the long and tedious process of securing support for their gospel journey to Asia. His words sink deep into my life. We are all called, as believers, to share in his passion and urgency to get the truth of God’s message of redemption to the world. Related links: |
Five Truths About Forgiveness
by Deek Dubberly on February 1, 2010
in Biblelife, theology
![]() Rembrandt's, The Return of the Prodigal Son Last night I shared “Truths About Forgiveness” with my church. It was a topical sermon wrapped up in the words and teachings of Christ. Who better to teach us about forgiveness than He who is the Master of it. I remember reading John Piper’s thoughts on this subject and he said that, “We do more dishonor to God in one day than everyone does to us in a lifetime.” (Sorry, but I can’t remember the source.) Here are five truths about forgiveness:
As believers, these truths should move us. They should prick our hearts at each and every point where we have an unforgiving attitude and they should cause us to bleed both conviction and repentance. Can you think of any other truths about forgiveness that would be helpful to add to this list? |
An Illustration of Church-Hopping
by Deek Dubberly on January 28, 2010
in Biblelife, Book, Churchlife, Funny
If you’re not At its worst, it represents the idea of God and the church serving the individual instead of the individual serving God and His Church.
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Pastors…A Word of Reminder that We Need to Remember
by Deek Dubberly on January 23, 2010
in Biblelife, Churchlife, Pastoring
A shepherd in the Near Eastern world of the Scriptures was responsible for protecting, nurturing, feeding and keeping up with his sheep. Likewise, pastors of local churches are responsible for all of these same things in a spiritual sense. The Greek word from which most English translations get the word “pastor” is most frequently translated as “shepherd.” In fact, of the 18 times the NT uses this Greek word, only once is it translated as “pastor.” The other 17 times it is simply “shepherd.” The Apostle Paul uses this word to refer to pastors in Eph. 4:11. Jesus uses it of Himself John 10:14. There he says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” As a pastor it’s important for me that I am a “shepherd” of the members of my church. BUT…its also important for me to remember that I am also a sheep. I think all pastors would do well to be reminded of and to remember that we too are sheep. Our shepherd is Christ Himself. For pastors to remember that they too are sheep is helpful in several ways. It helps us to:
Can you think of any other reasons why its beneficial for pastors/”shepherds” to remember that they are also sheep? |
Check Out Our Church’s New and Improved Website
by Deek Dubberly on January 19, 2010
in Churchlife, Misc., Tech-related
My wife and I spent a good part of our long holiday weekend tweaking our church’s website. You should check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section. |
MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ Speech Auto-Tuned
by Deek Dubberly on January 17, 2010
in Art, Audio, Music, Tech-related, Video
Here’s Martin Luther King, Jr, singing his famous, “I have a dream…” speech. C/o The Gregory Brothers. Pretty cool. Enjoy. [Embedded video may not display correctly in RSS, Facebook, or Email subscription feeds. If that's the case click through to the original post on my site to see the video displayed properly.] |
A Christmas Sermon and the Completion of James
by Deek Dubberly on January 14, 2010
in Audio, Biblelife, Christmas, Churchlife, Preaching, Sermon, The Letter of James
We (”we” being me and the church I pastor, Eastwood Baptist Church) did a topical Christmas sermon based on a few character traits of faith observed in the lives of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus: We also finished up our church’s verse-by-verse study through the Letter of James. I added three new sermons there:
Enjoy and be blessed. |
Sermon Audio for Sanctity of Life Sunday
With Sanctity of Human Life Sunday just around the corner I figured it would be helpful to link to a few abortion-related sermons from couple of my favorites:
Not sure what Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is? Click here for a brief explanation. [Readers viewing this through RSS, email, or Facebook feeds may need to click-through to the actual post in order for all of the media to be displayed correctly.]
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Some Preaching Advice: How Not to Stink (Part 3)
by Deek Dubberly on January 4, 2010
in Preaching
He’s offered some very practical, down-to-earth ways to become a better preacher. The following eight tips are given with further commentary over at a site called Theonomy.
Elsewhere on the web as of late, Keller has said that, “Preacher-Onlys Aren’t Good Preachers,” that it takes preaching roughly 200 sermons to get good at preaching, and that every seminarian should consider solo-pastoring a small country church in order to best grow in skill and wisdom as a pastor. Related Posts: |
John Piper on New Year’s Eve
by Deek Dubberly on December 31, 2009
in Audio, Biblelife, New Year's, Preaching, Sermon
Often he has used this occasion to address his church with a sort of ‘New Year’s Eve Meditation. Here are a few of those meditations.
[A friendly reminder to any viewing this post through an email subscription or on Facebook: you may need to click through to my site in order for all of the media to be properly displayed.] |
A Few Nuggets of Wisdom…Concerning Wisdom
by Deek Dubberly on December 17, 2009
in Biblelife, Book, Churchlife, Quote of the Day, Wisdom
At about 60 pages in I’m finding it to be a very beneficial and humbling read. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom he offers (or cites) on the subject of…well, of wisdom. So its wisdom concerning wisdom. “If knowledge is the accumulation of facts and intelligence the development of reason, wisdom is heavenly discernment. It is insight into the heart of things. Wisdom involves knowing God and the subtleties of the human heart. More than knowledge, it is the right application of knowledge in moral and spiritual matters, in handling dilemmas, in negotiating complex relationships.” “‘Wisdom is nine-tenths a matter of being wise in time,’ said Theodore Roosevelt. Most of us are ‘too often wise after the event.’” “Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much, “D. E. Hoste knew the importance of wisdom for leaders: ‘When a person in authority demands obedience of another, irrespective of the latter’s reason and conscience, this is tyranny. On the other hand, when, by the exercise of tact and sympathy, prayer, spiritual power and sound wisdom, one is able to influence and enlighten another, so that a life course is changed, that is spiritual leadership.’” Get your own copy of this great work through the link below. |
Some Preaching Advice: How Not to Stink (Part 2)
by Deek Dubberly on December 16, 2009
in Churchlife, Preaching
Continuing my mini-series on ‘How Not to Stink’ as a preacher, here are some helpful reminders from Lutheran pastor, Rev. Paul T. McCain.
You may view Rev. McCain’s original post at his personal blog, CyberBrethren, or at First Things’ Evangel blog. He offers about a paragraph’s length of commentary for each of these eight tips for preaching. |
A Completely Mindless and Yet Entertaining Video
by Deek Dubberly on December 15, 2009
in Funny, Video
I’m not entirely sure why I was so amused by this…but I was. Maybe it was the song. Maybe it was the station-wagon. I hope you’re amused as well. [If you're viewing this through an email or on Facebook you may need to view this post on my website to see the attached video. Enjoy. ] [HT: Today's Big Thing] |
Some Preaching Advice: How Not to Stink (Part 1)
by Deek Dubberly on December 15, 2009
in Book, Churchlife, Preaching
“How has the movement from language-based media to image-based and electronic media altered our sensibilities, and how, in turn, has this change in sensibility shaped today’s preachers?” (p. 16) His answer is rather direct and gives no reason for celebration. He confesses that, “Less than 30 percent of those who are ordained to the Christian ministry can preach an even mediocre sermon.” (p. 11) Gordon offers help by way of reference. He points his readers to Robert Lewis Dabney’s book on homiletics, Lectures on Sacred Rhetoric. There Dabney constructs “The Seven Cardinal Requisites of Preaching.” For the purpose of brevity I’ll only list the seven requisites with Gordon’s test questions. The questions are to be asked for the sake of determining whether a given sermon contains that requisite. Very helpful stuff.
All of us preachers would do well to strive to contain each of these elements in our every sermon. Gordon’s book was excellent. I recommend every preacher get their own copy. You can do so for only $10 or less through the link below. |
Pondering Things In Your Heart
by Deek Dubberly on December 9, 2009
in Biblelife, Christmas
![]() Gabriel making the Annunciation to Mary, by El Greco Have you ever experienced a life-changing event? I’m not talking about a new hairstyle or the official switch from Coke to Diet Coke. I mean something huge like getting a new job and moving away to another town, or losing a close relative, or getting married. I’m referring to those things that really do leave your life somehow indefinitely changed/different/not the same. So…have you ever been through something like that? I’m guessing that most of us have, though perhaps to varying degrees. If you have then you know how big of a deal it is. Sometimes these can take place with such speed that it’s not until several days later that we can actually find an opportunity to sit still long enough and contemplate all that has taken place. Life can be going along just fine and then, almost in an instant, something happens and things change. When this moment comes and we do have the time to sit and think about everything that has happened we are often overcome with emotion. These are times both of considerable analysis and tremendous feeling. Anxiety, nostalgia, promise, confusion, hope, regret, possibility, trust-these are but a few of the things that can fill one’s mind when situations like I have been describing come about. One such occasion - perhaps the greatest the world has ever known - was when a young girl’s life was changed by an unexpected preganancy. This young girl’s name was Mary, the soon-to-be earthly mother of the Son of God. We read about the things that happened to her in the early chapters of the Gospel of Luke. She was visited by the angel, Gabriel, and told that the Holy Spirit of God would conceive within her a child that would be the very Son of God, and that he would reign upon the throne of David forever and that his kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:26-38). She visited her relative, Elizabeth, and these things were further confirmed (Luke 1:39-56). She gave birth to the Christ-child and was paid a visit by some shepherds who made pretty amazing claims about what had happened to them that night regarding the birth of her new son (Luke 2:1-17). Needless to say, Mary had a great deal of things to think about. Some incredibly life-changing things had taken place in her life over the last year. That’s probably why the Bible says that she, “Treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Can you imagine what must have been going through her head? The Savior of the World had just been born - and she was his earthly mother. God in the flesh was her little baby. It’s absolutely amazing to think about. I encourage you this Christmas season to do as Mary did and “treasure up these things in your heart.” Think about and be thankful for the provision that God has made in giving His one and only Son, Jesus the Christ, in order that we might know him through the forgiveness of our sins. |
The Devastating Power of the Tongue
by Deek Dubberly on December 9, 2009
in Audio, Biblelife, Churchlife, Preaching, Sermon, The Letter of James
Compare the meaning of that phrase with what the wisdom writer of Proverbs had to say about the power of words: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). As part of our ongoing series through the Letter of James I preached out of James 3:1-12 this weekend at my church. Perhaps more than any other passage in the Bible these 12 verses describe the devastating power of the sinful words and ways in which we speak. My message was titled, “The Power of the Tongue.” Give it a listen.
Unfortunately I was not able to record the second half of this sermon. Due to time constraints it was broken into two parts and the second half took place during our Sunday PM worship service which is not recorded. In case anyone’s interested, here’s the outline I preached from. I’m always interested to see how others put their thoughts together. |
A Belated Thought: Three Attitudes that Oppose Thanksgiving
by Deek Dubberly on December 1, 2009
in Biblelife, Music, Quote of the Day, Thanksgiving
![]() The First Thanksgiving, by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris While perusing the Scriptures and putting together some thoughts for a Thanksgiving sermon, it struck me that there are certain sinful attitudes that just can’t get along with thankfulness. If we could know what these are and be aware of their tendency toward zapping the gratefulness out of our lives, then perhaps we’d be set on our way to more thankful living. Here are the three ‘Thanksgiving-zapping’ attitudes:
The proud individual does not give thanks. He presumes to be above it. The act of thanksgiving is essentially an exercise in humility.
The self-centered individual either fails to take notice of that for which he should be thankful or thinks that he deserved it anyways. Either way, there’s no thanks.
The unhappy individual is not thankful, else their spirit would be lifted. Think about it. Have you ever been really thankful and really unhappy simultaneously. I seriously doubt it. This all fits rather well with a quote from John Piper in his book, Future Grace. There he defines gratitude as,
You can see the backbone of my post in Piper’s words: “humble, happy response.”
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The Working Faith of Abraham and Rahab and the Tension Between James and Paul
by Deek Dubberly on November 30, 2009
in Audio, Biblelife, Sermon, The Letter of James
The two examples James gives of a faith that does work are the OT saints Abraham and Rahab. There’s was faith that believed God to be bigger than any problem the world can present and better than any solution it can offer. My two concluding observations on the relationship between faith and works:
I also sought to distill my thoughts on what may seem to be a contradiction between James who says that Abraham was justified by works (James 2:21-24) and Paul who says that Abraham was justified completely without works (Rom. 4:1-5).* My conclusions on this point were basically that Paul and James are not talking about exactly the same thing. What we find, though, is that both perspectives are absolutely necessary and taken together they form the basis for an orthodox understanding of salvation.
*Concerning this seeming “contradiction” b/t James and Paul I was helped tremendously by John Piper’s sermon, “Does James Contradict Paul?” (manuscript link | audio link). |
“We Are Going to the House…”
by Deek Dubberly on November 29, 2009
in Book, Churchlife, Prayer, Preaching
A prayer to remember this morning as we go to the house of the Lord:
—Taken from the, “First Day Morning: Worship” in The Valley of Vision |
Another Hilarious ‘Doghouse’ Video from JCPenney
by Deek Dubberly on November 27, 2009
in 10 Helpful Tips, Funny, Marriage, Misc.
Back in June I wrote up a few tips on how to get out of the doghouse. It was inspired by a JCPenney’s advertising campaign. Here’s JCPenney’s latest installment in this series. Funny. |
Books, Books, and More Books!
by Deek Dubberly on November 25, 2009
in Book, Preaching
I was ordained by my church last weekend. I was given a gift to spend on books/supplies/whatever would help me in my ministry of preaching. Needless to say for anyone who knows me, I spent every dime of it on books! I do hope to post about what a wonderful, sobering, and worshipful experience it was being ordained, but for now I’ll share how I spent the ordination gift money. I considered using it to buy a set of NT commentaries, but I’ve already got several complete sets that are great (Calvin, Expositor’s, MacArthur, Henry, Barnes, et al). Instead I went through and worked on my Amazon Wish List. With the monies given I was able to buy twenty different titles and still manage to have a few bucks leftover. Yes! Here are the books that are in the mail and on their way to my house right now. If you’re tantalized by any of these works, feel free to click through the links and buy your own copy. None of them were too expensive, and they all came highly recommend to me through various friends, acquaintances, or other related books. (If you’re viewing this post through an email or Facebook note, you may need to visit my site in order for it to be displayed correctly.)
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Okay, This Really Is Funny
by Deek Dubberly on November 23, 2009
in Funny, Misc., Video
(If you’re viewing this in an email or on Facebook the video may not be displayed below. If that’s the case, click-though here to watch it on my site) |
Faith Can Have Many Good Things and Yet Still Remain ‘Useless’
by Deek Dubberly on November 23, 2009
in Audio, Biblelife, Sermon, The Letter of James
Just hitting the highlights for you, James said that a faith without works could have three really great and necessary things and yet still remain a faith that is unable to save.
James would ask of the person who held this sort of “faith”—the sort that makes a profession, maintains correct doctrine, and has emotional experiences, but does not have works—”Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” (vs. 20) (If you’re reading this through an email subscription or through the automatic Facebook feed you may have to click-through to my site to view the attached media.) |
Check Out My Church’s New Website
by Deek Dubberly on November 20, 2009
in Churchlife, Tech-related
The church I pastor just launched a new site: eastwoodbaptistonline.com. Go check it out! |
Learning to Preach As Yourself…and Not the Preacher You Like to Listen To
by Deek Dubberly on November 20, 2009
in Churchlife, Preaching
Writing for the IX Marks’ Church Matters blog, Kevin DeYoung articulates a view toward ministers learning to be themselves when they speak. He writes,
These are needed words. Read the rest of his post here. |



You should really check out Page CXVI’s new album,
One of the most recognizable passages of Scripture in many Christian bookstores is Prov. 3:5-6. There are untold thousands of promotional/inspirational products boasting these verses.
Instead, I made the point that the writer confronts us in no uncertain terms to consider our lives and to know that we have a very present and pressing choice to make: either we will place our trust in God (”trust in the Lord with all your heart”), or will we place our trust in ourselves (”rely…on our own understanding.”)

familiar with the term, “church-hopping” refers to folks who bounce around from church-to-church looking for the latest and greatest that any given community has to offer.
A pastor is an individual who, by virtue of what the word “pastor” means, behaves toward his parishioners in a way very similar to how a shepherd behaves toward his flock of sheep.
I added four new sermons this week to
Over the course of his thirty years as pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper has had plenty of opportunities to observe the end of one year dissolve into the beginning of another.
Continuing my mini-series on ‘How Not to Stink’ as a preacher, here are some helpful reminders from Lutheran pastor, 
Most of us are familiar with the little phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” In my experience that has not proven to be true. I suggest that 
I preached Part 2 of the message, “Faith without Works Is Dead” this weekend.