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A Letter to Young Men Seeking the Call to Pastoral/Elder Ministry

Dear brothers, I write this to you who are considering if the Lord's purpose for you is to serve in the church as pastors and elders. It is a good and right thing that you desire to serve the Lord as elders, pastoring the people of God. This is a weighty thing, not lightly to be considered, and certainly not lightly to be entered into. As a result of the great responsibility and weight of this calling and work, I write to encourage you should the Lord choose to use you as elders and pastors, and I write to you to guard you against some of the temptations and traps that lay ahead of you as you pursue this noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).

Little Voices in the Pews

Many children in our western culture have been told they can’t sit in worship. They have been led to believe that the Bible is too difficult for them to understand. That there are only certain stories worth learning about. Why these stories? Because some believe kids can only learn the “fun stories of scripture." Children are taught about Jericho falling down, but are they taught about Joshua, Rahab, or Moses? Are they taught why the walls of Jericho needed to fall down? Are they taught of the victory of God in fulfilling His great promises to His people? Are they taught how destructive and devastating sin is? Are they exposed to the ultimate reality of God’s wrath against His enemies? Are they told of the grace of God in Christ? Are they taught about the significance of the return of Christ?

Some quotes on the Ascension of Jesus

While Christmas and Easter get by far the most contemporary "press" and "headlines", the ascension is another "pillar" in understanding who Jesus is and why he matters. The Apostle's Creed is a unifying summary of beliefs among many Christians since as early as the 5th century.

10 Simple Hymns to Teach our Children

One of the problems I find with teaching hymns to young children is that the words are not repetitive. This is great for adults and older kids who can read but becomes more difficult with younger children. Below ,you can find hymns that are simple to learn and fun for your children.

Jacob Toman 4/8/22 Jacob Toman 4/8/22

Jesus Speaking Prophetically in Mark

One of the things that has stood out to me while studying Mark's account of Jesus' days before his resurrection is how Jesus knows what is coming. Jesus speaks prophetically - meaning he speaks regarding what is happening or what is about to happen with truthful accuracy.

Jacob Toman 3/16/22 Jacob Toman 3/16/22

A Preface to Interpreting Revelation - Four Views

Because of the multiple approaches to interpreting Revelation that have been held by Christians throughout the centuries I've decided to give a bit of background on Revelation here for anyone interested in "going deeper". This week the next few posts will be detailing a few quotes describing different approaches to interpreting Revelation.

Jacob Toman 3/15/22 Jacob Toman 3/15/22

3 Mistakes Made When Reading Prophecy in the Bible

Beyond simply being a book with much interest, Revelation gives the Bible reader a chance to reflect on their own interpretive methods and habits. There is no book in the Bible which requires more self-awareness of what baggage, assumptions, and frameworks we bring to the text. Since we all have baggage, assumptions, and frameworks through which we view the Bible today I'm going to poke a bit (like a doctor or a parent, asking "where does it hurt?") at 3 mistakes which injure our ability to read a prophetic passage in scripture.