Did you know that one of the most frequently issued commands in all of the Bible is for us to sing to the Lord? Throughout both the Old and New Testaments there are some 300 instances of singing that are described or commanded. Singing is an essential practice of the Christian life and it is one of God’s most-issued commands to us in His Word.
Continue reading “Advent Devotional: Psalm 96”While I generally regard myself as a teacher, I do get the chance to preach from time to time. I had the opportunity to deliver this sermon on Psalm 122 at Christ Chapel’s West Campus on 12/8/19 entitled, “Tune our Hearts”.
I am happy to announce that I’ll be leading an independent Biblical study trip to Israel in May of 2020. I have been leading trips to Israel since 2008 and believe that it is the best way for a modern reader of the Bible to understand how the culture, geography, and history of the Land influences our understanding of the Scriptures. It is an amazing experience and one that will not only help you learn, but will also encourage your faith to grow.
If you’re interested in joining us, you can get information, itinerary, and register here. If you’ve been wanting to visit Israel with your friends or your family, this is one of the more affordable and ‘hands-on’ way to go.
If you can’t make it this year, but would be interested in being notified of other Biblical study tours I lead, please fill out my contact form here. If you have questions, leave a comment below!
For most of us, our relationship with the church is fairly … complicated.
Most of the time we love it: Church is our place of worship, our place of remembrance, our place of fellowship. It is a source of support in time of need, encouragement when we are weary and direction when we have gone astray. It’s our family!
But, like any family, sometimes it gets tough: there’s conflict, there’s disappointment, there’s division and there’s sin. There are seasons when we are out of sync with one another and we just can’t seem to get on the same page.
It’s complicated.
Continue reading “Why Sticking With Church is Worth It”Christmas is the season of peace. It overtakes us every year like some kind of unexplainable euphoria just about the time the Thanksgiving leftovers have run out. The weather turns colder, we decorate our homes, pumpkin is (finally) replaced with peppermint and Nat King Cole sings our favorite Christmas carols once again. Christmastime swallows us up in acts of giving, extensions of kindness and singing songs of joy, hope and peace.
And it really doesn’t make any sense.
Matt Lantz 