Earlier this week, I began a series of two posts on my sabbatical this past September 1-December. That first post was framed around a fairly basic question: "What did I do on my sabbatical?" This second post is a bit more challenging to write as I probe the question, "How was my sabbatical?" There are …
Pastoral Sabbatical Begins (and a word about the blog)
Dear friends, This week I begin a three-month pastoral sabbatical (September 1-December 1, 2024) after serving at Eastbrook for fourteen years. I am entering into this sabbatical with great anticipation of drawing near to the Lord in prayer and solitude, making use of some resources for spiritual retreat and mentorship, as well as looking forward …
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Five Factors for Revival from Tim Keller
This past weekend at Eastbrook, Pastor Ruth Carver preached a message entitled "Revival in the Ruins" from Nehemiah, chapter 9, as part of our series, "Rebuild and Repair: Engaging the World with Nehemiah." Ruth did a wonderful job expounding this passage, while also exploring the fascinating topic of revival. Revival has diverse definitions and understandings, …
A Call to the Wilderness: What We Need to Hear from John the Baptist Today
John the Baptist’s preaching and baptisms occurred in the wilderness of Judea at the Jordan River near the Spring near Salim (John 3:23). The wilderness was an evocative place in the imagination of the Jewish people. It likely brought immediate memory of the Exodus. The wilderness was both the place between slavery and promise, but …
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The Voice of One Calling Out
This past weekend we continued our series "Power in Preparation" at Eastbrook Church by looking at the appearance of John the Baptist near the Jordan from Matthew 3:1-12 and how this sets the stage for Jesus. John is an extraordinary character in the gospels, whose life and preaching is incredibly challenging. You can view the …
Matthew Erickson 