Stopped by Calvary Baptist Church in New York City to see their new building. I served here as interim pastor for 18 months when we were meeting in rented space as the new building was being built. Now it has a beautiful facility in the heart of Manhattan, just down the street from Carnegie Hall. It was great to visit with the leaders from those churches while I was in Manhattan. (BTW, it has 8 floors, not 6 as I said in the video.)

Okay, I grew up on Long Island, but how come I didn't know that New England was so beautiful in the fall?

Folks praying at the front today at Crossroads Community Cathedral in East Hartford, CT. I'm thanking the Lord for how He worked today.

Second of three services at Crossroads Community Cathedral here in East Hartford, Connecticut.  Such a great Assemblies of God church, pastored by one of my former students Sean Wiles. Pray we make much of Jesus! 

Morning in Connecticut. You can’t beat New England on a beautiful fall day.

Watching online conflict entrepreneurs complain about online conflict entrepreneurs. “I can’t believe people build a platform doing this,” they tell the platform they built doing this.

Worshipping with pastors and leaders this morning. It’s great to be with the @ConvergeWW movement. Pray we make much of Jesus meeting here at Black Rock Church in Fairfield, CT. 

Met with our @TalbotTheology students at our NYC extension— in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn. It’s called the Feinberg Center for Jewish Messianic Studies, in partnership with Chosen People Ministries. Worth noting, about half of the folks at dinner could not be in the picture due to future plans. We sang songs in Hebrew, had a great meal, and prayed for one another.

Loved dropping in on a class at Talbot Seminary–Phoenix! It’s a privilege to invest in these women and men as they prepare for ministry and deepen their theological training. There’s room for you, too! Find out more at buff.ly/fEl5P44

Here in Phoenix with our campus dean Matthew Bingham—and the Talbotron 3000. Great day with pastors and leaders here. Two more Phoenix events to go in the next few weeks as we're getting the word out about the Talbot School of Theology Phoenix campus. Check out our Equipped Together events-- Thousand Oaks and Nashville next week! https://www.biola[dot]edu/talbotontour (just put in the . in the right place!)

Super excited about the response we are getting in Phoenix. The #Talbotron3000 is liking the heat. :-)

As I continue this series on suffering, today’s reading from the @Logos Bible reading plan is Isaiah 53:1–12. It’s a passage many of us know well. We hear it at Easter. We recognize its descriptions of Jesus’ suffering. But reading it while walking through suffering yourself brings some of those words into sharper focus. “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Acquainted. There’s something deeply comforting about that word. When I started this series, this was the passage I found hardest to engage. The others speak more directly to suffering in our lives. This one focuses on Jesus’ suffering. But that’s essential: Jesus knows suffering firsthand. He experienced pain, rejection, humiliation, and grief. When we bring our suffering to him, we bring it to someone who understands. Over these past few months, I’ve been reminded that understanding what is happening in your body and living with it are two different things. You can know the diagnosis, understand the recovery timeline, and still find yourself asking, “How long, Lord?” I’m grateful we can bring that question to Jesus. And I love coming back to Jesus, over and over. Isaiah 53 takes us further, prophetically pointing to Jesus, who entered our suffering and bore our sins. That is the heart of this passage. The innocent Servant suffers on behalf of the guilty. Our rebellion, our wandering, our iniquity—all of it is laid upon him. His suffering accomplishes our reconciliation with God. That also means we should be careful about how we apply this passage to our own pain. My suffering does not atone for my sins. Jesus has already done that. The gospel rests on what Jesus has done. So I don’t have to wonder whether enduring enough pain will somehow make me right with God. My hope rests in what Christ has accomplished. And the healing promised here should never become a burden we place on someone whose body is still broken. Continuing pain is not evidence of insufficient faith. We pray for healing, pursue treatment, and trust God while we wait. Some of that waiting may last longer than we ever wanted. For those of us walking through a long recovery, that matters. In my case, the suffering may last a year. We don’t know. Some of it could remain for the rest of my life. And for many people, suffering is a lifelong reality. Like many of you, I’ve seen some of the most godly people endure tremendous suffering. Their faithfulness amid pain has encouraged me as we look together to Jesus. Isaiah’s account of the Servant moves through suffering toward vindication. His sacrifice bears fruit. His suffering accomplishes God’s saving purpose. Because of Jesus, we can look toward the day when redemption is fully realized, including the resurrection of our bodies. Until then, we may still hurt. We may still have questions. We may still need help getting through an ordinary day. I know I do. And some of my questions remain unanswered. But I’m trusting Jesus anyway. I’m praying for recovery. I’m praying for relief from neurological pain. And I’m learning to rest in the care of the Savior who is acquainted with grief. He knows what suffering costs. And he has given himself for us.

JP Pokluda told me what he thinks the enemy looks for in the church: “They're really looking for that inauthenticity. They're looking for double lives.” Listen to the whole episode here: buff.ly/G9Qq0R9

John Dickson told me evangelism starts with conviction about who Christ is: "It seems to me the thing that inspires evangelistic activity and zeal is a fresh vision of Christ's majesty over all things." Join us as we talk about revival. Listen here for more: buff.ly/ROogSoW

What will Christian higher education look like ten years from now? That question has implications far beyond our universities and seminaries. The decisions we make today will shape the pastors, scholars, and ministry leaders serving the Church tomorrow. I’m grateful to @Logos for bringing together several important conversations about how we can navigate change while remaining deeply rooted in our mission. Watch the series: Future-Proofing Christian Higher Ed. buff.ly/piHpHwV

I don’t have a dog in this hunt, as I left @CTMagazine with different (directional) concerns several years ago, but I will say that we need Christianity Today to be thriving, evangelical, and journalistic. I’m praying that it will be.

John Dickson and I disagree about apologetics and how the early church evangelized. We discussed both at Oxford in this week's episode of The Exchange. Listen here:buff.ly/ROogSoW

Talbot Seminary is expanding its seminary offerings in New York City! Talbot is rooted in an urban context, outside the Bible Belt, where engaging a diverse and changing culture is part of everyday ministry. That makes NYC a natural fit. We're building on our existing presence at the Feinberg Center in Brooklyn and exploring new ways to bring accessible, biblically grounded seminary education to pastors and ministry leaders across the city. I'll be hosting a pastors' lunch in Manhattan on Monday, October 26, to share more about our plans and hear from local leaders. Interested in joining us? Email [email protected] for details. And please share with pastors and ministry leaders in NYC!