Bible study is about more than new insights
Derek Fekkes
I used to work in the marketing department for a Bible software and Christian e-book company. In our efforts to “market” our products to people, we would often say things like, “Discover new biblical insights!” or “Go deeper in your Bible study!” And we used phrases like this because these are the types of things […]
Two cliffs
Derek Fekkes
There are two common, yet equally-unbiblical views of how salvation works: legalism and cheap grace. Legalism says, “Everything is dependent on what I do. I must earn and keep up my salvation.” Cheap grace says, “It doesn’t matter what I do. I’m saved by grace so I can sin now and be forgiven later.” And […]
J.I. Packer on substitute gospels
Derek Fekkes
J.I Packer is a brilliant writer. Put him on the ever-important topic of clarifying the biblical gospel against its substitutes, and you get this: Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered (the) gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a […]
The polar bear vs. Penn Jillette
Derek Fekkes
There was this great meme I saw recently that portrayed Christians who evangelize to a polar bear chasing a guy around his car. It’s funny because most of us have encountered Christians who want to “push their religion down your throat,” who don’t seem to really care about you as a person, just that you believe […]
Why preaching? Three reasons…
Derek Fekkes
(This is the second in a series of posts explaining why we do what we do during our Sunday gatherings. See the opening post here.) Sunday services at Communion (and soon at Roots!) are intended to refocus and realign our lives to God’s story, his work to reconcile humanity to himself and be the center […]
Our liturgy: Why gather?
Derek Fekkes
One of the things that I’ve appreciated most from the various pastors I’ve had is the taking of time to explain why the church does the things they do. Specifically in regards to Sunday gatherings, many churches have similar liturgies, or “forms of worship”—preaching, worship through song, communion—yet the purposes behind these elements often varies church […]
Exciting news for Roots Church
Derek Fekkes
I am excited to announce that Roots Church, our Stanwood church plant, will begin public worship services April 23. This means that we are moving to a weekly worship service format with the preached Word and corporate worship. Here’s what else you need to know: When: We will gather every Sunday @ 5 p.m. Where: Services […]
Equip Classes: The Meaning of Marriage
Derek Fekkes
Twice a year, we do a four-week series of Equip Classes, a ministry designed to equip the church with biblical wisdom on relevant topics. Starting Wednesday, March 8, we’ll be diving into the topic of marriage, using Tim Keller’s video series, The Meaning of Marriage: A Vision for Marriage and Single People, as our guide. We’ll […]
Valentine’s Day Reflections from Gary Thomas
Derek Fekkes
Anlee and I have tried to read a number of books on marriage or parenting together, only to get a third of the way through and lose steam for various reasons. But there’s one book we’ve made it through, and absolutely loved: Gary Thomas’ Sacred Marriage. We first read Sacred Marriage as part of our […]
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