Here are the ten best books I read in 2020. The are listed in the order I read them. You can see my entire reading list here. Escape from Rome by Walter Scheidel Rome fell, and that’s a good thing. Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization by Samuel Gregg The uneasy relationship between…
Arguing for the truth of God’s word is made that much easier when the pagans are gracious enough to do the heavy lifting. In Romans 1:18-32 the apostle Paul describes for us the sequence of degradation experienced a society that has rejected the Creator. As I read the daily headlines, I am always reminded of…
The other day, around the dinner table, I had a talk with my boys about race. Here, in the form of a letter to them, is the gist of our conversation. Dear Michael and Nathanael, The time has come, I think, to talk to you about race. I really wish the world were in a…
The following is a preliminary version of the prologue for the as-yet-unfinished third book of the Missionary Max series. It may change substantially before publication. Once again, artist Zilson Costa has provided an illustration exclusively for this preview. —— The mountainous waves tossed the wooden ship to and fro as if it were so much…
We’ve been sharing updates on the preparations and asking for prayer for several weeks now, and today we are excited to present our report of the very first official camp youth retreat to be held at the Mount Zion Baptist Camp. Rather than bore you with details, let’s jump straight into the pictures and video,…
Or so I’m told by their teacher, Mrs. Oliveira. If the pictures are any indication, these students at Twin Tiers Christian Academy (my alma mater) are pretty excited about delving into the adventures of our favorite fictional missionary hero. Click here to find out what all the excitement is about. *Not actual quotes. Did you…
The other day it occurred to me that it had been a while since I checked for new reviews for the Missionary Max books on Amazon. Turns out, there was indeed a new one for Missionary Max and the Lost City, and it’s…well…um…take a look: How is this written in this century let alone this…
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. A Quick Disclaimer… Before we jump into the application of today’s text (and it’s a doozy), I have to make a confession. I’m not quite…
This one gets filed under both “Camp” and “Church Plant”, because it marked a milestone in both ministries. Pastor Francivaldo and I had the privilege of baptizing four believers, bringing them into membership at Ebenezer. That is the main story. The cherry on top was that this one done at the Mount Zion Baptist Camp,…
One of my favorite missionary stories is from the early Middle Ages. It concerns a monk intent on converting nearby Germanic peoples. He discovered that these people venerated a certain large tree, called “Thor’s Oak”. One fine day our hero walked up to it and, in the sight of the entire village, proceed to chop…