2015 Writing in Review
At the end of each year, I like to compile–for the members of the congregation that I pastor–a list of the number of sermons that I preached, conference lectures that I delivered, published articles and blog posts that I wrote, session meetings that I moderated, Presbytery meetings that I attended, Presbytery committees on which I served, General Assembly activity, committee chair meetings that I moderated, outreach events that I helped oversee and graphic design work that I have did for New Covenant.
I don’t compile this list this to draw undue attention to myself or perceived accomplishments; I do it so for the congregation I pastor, in order that they may have some sense of what their pastor has done all year. It keeps the members of the church informed and it also helps keep me accountable. I first witnessed this approach when I was at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. The session would give out a sheet at the beginning of every new year with all of Phil Ryken’s activities and labors from the previous year.
This past year was a very busy year for me for a number of reasons. The first was that I was seeking to care for my dad during the first half of the year, as the Lord took my mom to glory on December 3. 2014. The second was that New Covenant moved from a church plant to an organized church this year. In order to make this move, we began the elder nomination, training and electing process in November 2014 and brought it to a close by calling two elders in May of 2015. We also began a church planting endeavor this summer, as a group from the Southside of Savannah came and asked to enter into a mother/daughter relationship with us. Finally, we also began the deaconal nomination and training process this year. So, needless to say, it has been a very long and full year for us.
That being said, I believe that it was one of the most spiritually beneficial years. The hardships and challenges faced (and there were plenty of those in 2015) fueled much of what I have written. I have been in the crucible, so to speak, this year and the Lord has been teaching me how much wisdom I lack and how much of His grace I need to carry forward the congregation that He has called me to pastor. Most of what I have written has been either theological fodder for sermons or lessons learned in church development.
Since I have been blogging on this site since 2007, I thought it would be appropriate to compile a list of the articles and blog posts that I wrote throughout the 2015 year:
Tabletalk Magazine
As always, I count it one of the greatest joys to get to write for Ligonier. They are one of the finest theological ministries that God has raised up to serve the church over the past half-Century. This year, I was privileged to contribute to the March 2015 edition of Tabletalk Magazine:
Modern Reformation
While I have written book reviews for Modern Reformation in past years, this year was the first that the editors invited me to write an article for the magazine. Like Tabletalk Magazine, Modern Reformation is a very fine, robustly theological resource for the church. This past year I contributed to the March/April edition of Modern Ref:
Jonathan Edwards for the Church
This year, EP published a lecture that I delivered at Durham University on Jonathan Edwards’ Christology of the Song of Songs in the Bill Schweitzer ed. Jonathan Edwards for the Church. I especially enjoyed writing this as it was a culmination of years of meditation, research and writing on the redemptive-historical nature of the Song.
Feeding on Christ
Feeding on Christ has been the place where I have learned to write. I began writing here in 2007 and make it sort of home base for my thoughts as a pastor. I wrote 67 posts on this site in 2015:
A Biblical Theology of the Trees of the Garden
Jesus and the Flaming Sword at the East Gate
The Spiritual Stages of a Believer’s Life
The Most Neglected Part of Christ’s Saving Work
The Insatiable Quest for Greatness
Dividends and Drawbacks of Small Groups
Jonathan Edwards’ Preferred Method of Delivery in Preaching
The God of Typological Recapitulation
Pastoral Ministry and Spiritual Warfare
The Complexity of Pastoral Care
7 Areas of Unbiblical Conscience Binding
What Should We Do When They Stray
Learning to Think for Yourself
How Martyn Lloyd-Jones Helped Start the PCA
Baptized with the Transgressors
Sophisticated Temples of Modern Idolatry
6 Principles for Small Group Facilitating
Vos on Old Testament Theophanies
Handling Contentions in the Church
The Fourth Person of the Trinity?
Social Sin, Social Media and Social Interaction
…And Everything Else Will Follow
Grown-Up Churches in the Age of Adolescence
Overcoming Discouragement in Ministry
Communicating and Connecting in Ministry
Plagiarizing and Quoting in Preaching
The Role of the Spirit in the Life of Christ
The Christward Collective
I have thoroughly enjoyed being the editor of The Christward Collective–a site of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. I love reading the posts of the men who have committed themselves to being regular contributors, but I have also thoroughly enjoyed personally contributing throughout the year. In 2015, I wrote 24 posts for TCC:
“7 Things To Remember Before You Quit A Pastorate”
“”Top Down” Or “Grassroots” Ministry?”
“Divine Mathematics Of Salvation”
“7 Ways To Become A Welcoming Church”
“A Biblical Theology Of Clothing”
“The Cursed And Blessed Ground”
“The Rare Jewel Of Christian Commitment”
“Eternalizing The Old Testament”
“Jesus’ Miracles: Types Of Spiritual Realities”
“5 Reasons To Keep The Kids In”
“5 Important Theological Pairs”
“Teaching Our Children The Raw Parts Of Scripture”
“Pastoral Reality: Ecclesiastes-Style”
“The Internal Witness Of Scripture”
It is my sincere desire that Christ would be exalted in what I have written and that the church will be built up by it. Thank you for being a regular reader of this blog. I look forward to what the Lord has in store in 2016.
About Post Author
Hello. I deeply thankful to the Lord for a number of posts in this blog. Some paint the same picture of things that I have pondered about in the past or have been currently pondering about. Some really helped sharpen some of my perspectives. Some have served to open a gateway of possible things to consider and think about in the future, Lord willing. May you always seek to honor the Lord Jesus. 🙂
Thank you for the encouragement, Manet! Glad that what I have written has been of some help.