Fly Fishing Nor Cal
I specialize in fly fishing from a drift boat on the Lower Sacramento or wading the Upper Sacramento RiverNorthern California has some of the best fly fishing in the United States without the crowds that many of the rivers in Montana, Colorado, and Alaska attract. With year-round fisheries for trout, steelhead, striper, and more, it’s hard to imagine a better location for those who love fly fishing!
If you want to get out, you can book me through Confluence Outfitters.
Covenantal Apologetics, by K. Scott Oliphint
Much has been made of K. Scott Oliphint's latest book, Covenantal Apologetics: Principles & Practice in Defense of Our Faith. Apologetics is the theological discipline of defending the Christian faith. Readers who are familiar with the subject will know that there...
Yes, I Use My iPad on Sunday Mornings
A few weeks ago, Matthew Barrett wrote a blog at TGC called, "Dear Pastor, Bring Your Bible to Church." Barrett basically argued that pastors shouldn't use electronic Bibles but should use hard-copy paper versions. He lays out a number of reasons behind his opinion,...
Covenantal Relationships of Sacred Trust
I recently purchased a copy of Harold Westing's Church Staff Handbook. I'm hoping to learn much from Westing in the area of being more effective as a church leadership and ministry team. Though the book is a little dated, it's widely recognized as being a must-read....
The “Secret” to Preaching Sermons w/out Using a Manuscript!
There are a lot of preachers out there who are looking for ways to improve. They spend time reading blogs (e.g., churchleaders.com), listening to MP3's from other preachers, and reading books on the subject. One of the most consistent "secrets" that preachers are...
The Art of Talking Smack on Video Games
Before I had the most blessed honor of marrying my wife, Dawn, she informed me that we had to register for wedding gifts. This was an exciting time for me, as I was extremely interested in plates and cups and dish patterns and kitchen appliances. In fact, I was so...
Misrepresenting the Vineyard: ChristianFallacies.com
See the introduction to this blog category for a background to why I'm taking the time to respond to some of these pages. One of the primary reasons why is because the people I serve as a pastor may take the time to read these pages, and I want to best serve them and...
“Christian” Hip Hop from the Eyes of a Middle-Aged Participant
Rapzilla.com, a website that focuses on Christian hip hop, has an interesting interview with Tim Trudeau of Syntax Distribution. I was part of a hip hop group, Sackcloth Fashion, with Tim and his brother Steve (I was on the album "Something for Everyone to Hate")....
The “Gospel” of the Pentateuch?
For many years, I found the first five books of the Bible rather frustrating and difficult to understand and integrate. All of the basic answers to the questions I had were never adequately answered in some of the churches and classes I took. Looking back on many of...
My Top 5 Books on the Plurality of Pastors/Elders/Overseers
I'm personally convinced that local churches are best governed by the plurality of Pastors/Elders/Oveseers (yes, these are synonymous terms in the Bible). This means that I'm an advocate of having a team of qualified people serving together for the purpose of...
Why We Belong, edited by Chute, Morgan, and Peterson
Dialogue between the different traditions that claim the term "evangelical" hasn't always been gracious or effective. In both history, as well as my own experience, sometimes when different "denominations" talk, they often talk past each other. How can those who claim...
