PhD in Systematic Theology and adjunct professor. Pastor of GracePointe Church in Springtown, TX. Father to Kendall and Lauren. Husband to Sandy.
Today I finished a journey through the book of Joshua. The primary idea behind the message is that God is the One who conquers His enemies, enters into a covenant with the faithful, and establishes an eternal kingdom. Each of these are beautifully fulfilled in the New Testament Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ. Click the … More Joshua 24 – Covenant, Conquest, and Kingdom
A short study over Ephesians 1:20-23.
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. Psalm 26:7 NAS Our Father, We have been brought low. We have suffered division, disease, and discouragement. We are broken. We have come to the end of ourselves. We have discovered that we are incapable of healing ourselves. We cry. We … More A Prayer of Thanksgiving
There are no series of sermons that I enjoy preparing and preaching more than Christmas sermons. Filled with promise and infused with hope, Advent sermons seem to reenergize me every year. Perhaps even more so this year. This year–burdened with a desire to reignite hope in the lives of the Lord’s people–I am preaching from … More Servant Songs: Sermons for the Advent of Our Lord
Psalm 43:3 (CSB): Send your light and your truth; let them lead me.Let them bring me to your holy mountain,to your dwelling place. I came across this prayer written by Karl Barth circa 1960. It reminds me of two things. First, though the world progresses, the needs of humanity never change. Second, though the needs … More Send Your Light
John Webster once wrote, “Memory is the urgent business of setting before our eyes God’s great act of delivering us from death and giving us a share in his life, (Webster, Meditations of a Theologian, 152). Christians should be people who have short memories toward those who have wronged us, but long memories toward the … More Reflection and Growing in Joyful Humility
The following is taken from Kelly M. Kapic, Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering, (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017), 34-35. It is a spontaneous lament written by a friend of Kapic’s reflecting on the various struggles of life. It is a fictitious conversation with God regarding suffering. Why did my daughter’s husband … More “A Spontaneous Lament”
One of the joys of researching the life of a famed theologian is that, after spending much time interacting with their work, you begin to notice characteristics of their personality. Those close associates and students who have written about the life and work of Karl Barth have indicated that one of the greatest characteristics of … More When Angels Laugh
Currently I am preaching through the Sermon on the Mount in a series I have titled “Authentic: Living the Genuine Christian Life in a Disingenuous World.” I have preached through the Sermon on the Mount before, but this times seems different. Perhaps it is the rapidly changing world stage or the more subtle undercurrent of a … More Monday Morning Reflections: Blessed are the Mourners
“A preacher then should have loftiness of mind, far exceeding my own littleness of spirit, that he may correct this disorderly and unprofitable pleasure on the part of the multitude, and be able to lead them over to a more useful way of hearing, that his people may follow and yield to him, and the … More Chrysostom on Pulpit Presence
John B. Mann, Ph.D. 