Congrats, Blake McKnight

Blake McKnight, one of the youth at my church, Liberty Christian Church, received a full scholarship for baseball to Evangel University.  Blake is a good example of a homeschooler who was able to play sports, be competitive, and get a scholarship without ever having to be in a private or public school.  Years ago this would have been unheard of, but it is becoming more and more commonplace.  And thanks to great achievers like Blake, it can, and likely will, become more commonplace.  Congratulations, Blake!  You have worked hard and been disciplined–the Lord has rewarded your diligence and blessed you with great talent.

*update: Blake finished school at Evangel and was drafted by the Cardinals and is currently in their minor league system. Keep going, Blake!

Preaching on the Gospels

Too often preaching on the Gospels takes what I whimsically think of as the “Find Waldo Approach.” The underlying question in the sermon is “Where are you to be found in this story?” (are you Martha or Mary, James and John, Peter, the grateful leper . . .?). The question “Where, Who and What is Jesus in this story? Tends to be marginalized. The truth is it is far easier to preach about Mary, Martha, James, John, or Peter than it is about Christ. It is far easier to preach even about the darkness of sin and the human heart than to preach Christ. Plus my bookshelves are groaning with literature on Mary, Martha . . . the good life, the family life, the Spirit-filled life, the parenting life, the damaged self life . . . but most of us have only a few inches of shelf space on the person and work of Christ himself. Am I absolutely at my best when talking about him, or about us?

–Sinclair Ferguson