Pastoral Wisdom by David Osborne

FROM TABLETALK | October 2008

The fourth Saturday of this month is legendary for college football fans. It is the annual clash between Alabama and Tennessee (two of the Deep South’s most storied football programs). Alabama fans recognize Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s iconic …Read More

Building Up The Body by Ken Jones

FROM TABLETALK | March 2007

Make no mistake about it, ours is a culture of specialization and niche marketing. From vegetarian or vegan restaurants to the most obscure hobby, entrepreneurs have found a way to tap into every conceivable niche market. And just as the …Read More

Shepherding the Flock by R.C. Sproul

FROM TABLETALK | May 2005

When we examine life in the early Christian church, we see a remarkable phenomenon recorded for us in the book of Acts. In Acts 8:1 we read, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was …Read More

He Who Has Ears… by Scott Anderson

FROM TABLETALK | April 2010

Everyone loves a story. Whether young or old, we all enjoy hearing, reading, or seeing a good story unfold. Stories are remarkably powerful things. They stir-up our imaginations and excite our affections. They instruct us and inspire us. They intoxicate …Read More

Too Good to Be True? by Robert Strimple

FROM TABLETALK | April 2010

In 1935 I was baptized and then raised in one of the largest “mainline” Protestant denominations. But by age twelve I was so disappointed with the pastors sent to us, all preaching the old liberalism so popular in those years …Read More

The Missing Motive by Eric Alexander

FROM TABLETALK | February 2010

I am notoriously bad at remembering anniversaries, and last year it was quite a surprise to discover that 2008 marked the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination to the Christian ministry. Not that the occasion was other than memorable. Indeed it …Read More

A Solemn Discharge of Duty by Tom Ascol

FROM TABLETALK | August 2009

One of the most popular sermons I have preached is entitled “How to Fire Your Pastor.” I should have been suspicious when so many people requested copies of it! My purpose wasn’t to advocate such action; rather, I wanted …Read More

The Pastor and His Pulpit by Albert Martin

FROM TABLETALK | September 2007

The life of a minister is the life of his ministry.” This adage is as true now as ever. In fact, ministerial integrity is an indispensable element of any sustained credibility among a discerning people with whom we have pastoral …Read More

Corinthian Enthusiasm by Derek Thomas

FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

I must have said it a thousand times: “Who would want a call to be the minister of the church at Corinth?” Among other things, it suffered from “the worship wars.” Read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and you quickly …Read More

Church Growth and the Sovereignty of God by Burk Parsons

FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

It seems that every time I meet a pastor from another church, he asks me the common, unsolicited, ecclesiastical question of the twenty-first-century: “How big is your church?” Most pastors are usually a bit confounded when I respond: “I …Read More

The School of Jesus Christ by David Powlison

FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

When I first received the intelligence of the death…of your son Louis, I was so utterly overpowered that for many days I was fit for nothing but to grieve; and albeit I was somehow upheld before the Lord by …Read More

That They May Be One by Carl Robbins

FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

No Christian would say he is for division in the church. Divisiveness stands condemned (1 Cor. 1:10). Even the newest believer knows that we are given warnings not to tolerate those who would cause division (Rom. 16:17–18 …Read More

To Whom Be the Glory by Robert Barnes

  I’m a confessional Calvinist, but I have the nagging sense that God slipped up when he allowed me to pastor a church. A number of questions go through my mind as I consider God’s decision to allow me …Read More

Measuring Success by Larry Mininger

FROM TABLETALK | April 2009

About forty people scattered on metal chairs greeted me on my first Sunday in my first (and only) pastorate in a quaint little sanctuary nestled in the woods between massive orange groves just west of Orlando, Florida. There were no …Read More

The Pastor-Scholar by Philip Ryken

FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

As far as John Calvin was concerned, almost nothing was more urgent for the church than the reformation of pastoral ministry. For centuries, most ministers had been shockingly ignorant of the Scriptures and thus ill-equipped to preach the gospel. As …Read More