Robert Grunden

Sheep Food

Trevin’s Seven
Links for your weekend reading.
The Enticement of Envy and the Comparison Game
The way to keep from playing the comparison game is to blow it up. And the best way to blow up the comparison trap is to fix our eyes on the cross of Jesus.
Faithfulness in a World of Performative Individualism
The “freedom” to define and express yourself has evolved into the obligation to do so only in ways that are culturally acceptable.
Trevin’s Seven
Links for your weekend reading.
Don’t Be Too Hasty in Your Take on the Post-Pandemic Church
Don’t assume the trends are inevitable or that ministry philosophies that focus on in-person gatherings will fade.
The State of Church Attendance as Covid Turns One
The majority of churches have reopened, but ministries geared toward adults, students, and children have lagged behind worship services.
Trevin’s Seven
Links for your weekend reading.

Not Gathering with the Church Hurts You Spiritually
Pandemic-weary pastor, gently encourage your pandemic-weary congregation to gather as soon as they can.
2 Reasons to Preach through 3 John
The book of 3 John is only fifteen verses long; it contains a grand total of 296 words. Pastors, you should preach through it.
Baptists and Preaching: Lessons from Sprague’s Annals of the American Baptist Pulpit
When it comes to preaching, pastors should heed the wisdom of our Baptist forefathers.
In Our Discipling Relationships, Best-Sellers Are Great . . . But the Bible Is Best
Books are tremendous tools for discipling. But with so many good resources out there, we can be tempted to forget the best book on discipleship—the Bible.
How to Pastor When Sanctification Becomes Illegal
I now live and pastor in a State where, before long, genuine conversion to Christ—and the life of holiness that ensures—may be deemed illegal. So what should I do?
10 Brief Reflections on an Elder’s Character
We must realize that character isn’t only necessary for ministry; character is itself a ministry.
3 Reasons You Should Preach through 2 John
The little books of the Bible like 2 John often get neglected, don’t they? But they shouldn't.

The Bible and the Civil War: An Interview with James P. Byrd
The Bible has been used to argue for peace, and it has been cited to justify horrible forms of violence.
“Christian Patriotism” in the Civil War
Christian patriotism is at its best when it summons us to make common sacrifices for the most vulnerable or oppressed in society.
A Christian Sherlock Holmes: Rebuilding an Empirical Christian Culture
How can we build a Christian academic culture that prizes evidence?
Fear and the “Evangelical”
A historian writes that “an entire history of American evangelicalism as the story of Christians who have failed to overcome fear.” Is that true or fair?
Evangelicals in a Post-Trump World
As dismaying as a Biden/Harris administration may be to some white brothers and sisters, it may represent a healthy “wilderness time” for many evangelicals.
How Bad Is This Moment in American History?
As bad as things have gotten with the riot/insurrection at the Capitol, Americans have been in spots like this before.
80 Years Ago C. S. Lewis Warned Against Making Faith a Means to a Political End
“Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing.”