I remember it clearly even though it was six years ago. I was sitting on a bench outside a lecture hall at Grand Valley State University, waiting for my class’s turn to enter. A young man sat down next to me wearing a shirt that had the words “Covenant Christian.” I didn’t recognize him, but […]
The familiar words of Lord’s Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism are beautiful. In summary, they are: “I am not my own, but I belong to my Savior.” When we make confession of faith publicly, we are saying not only “I belong to Jesus,” but also “I belong to the body of Jesus Christ, his […]
Our use of the word “passion” has changed since its first use. Today you may hear it used by people like this: “I am passionate about my work.” What they mean, generally, is that they love what they do, and they exert themselves to do their best. Passion can also describe the bond of love […]
Last summer my wife was at a local park. She observed another young mother sitting on a bench, clearly engrossed in her phone while her children played. After some time of not paying attention to her kids, she got up and took a selfie with them near the playset. This picture, if shared on social […]
“I know it’s in here somewhere. I just have to remember what it looks like and where I put it.” Everyone has a place in their house where they store things that don’t get used very often. Maybe it’s an actual storage room in your basement. Maybe it’s your garage or a spare bedroom. Maybe […]
What is the church? This issue of Beacon Lights attempts to answer that question by explaining several aspects of the church. There are many things that characterize the church. The church is characterized by the pure preaching of the gospel. The church is described as the bride of Christ. The church is described by adherence […]
The Issue at Hand, March 2020 Ryan Kregel If you are a young man, you probably fit into one of three categories of men. Man #1: You are a big, bad, brazen, beer-drinking individual. You are the cool kid at school. Weaker boys fear you. You have no problem with cutting them down with […]
Right Now Ryan Kregel It’s been a month since you read the last issue of Beacon Lights, an issue devoted to spiritual discipline. Now might be a good time to check in with how you are doing in the disciplines. Maybe you are thinking, “Come on, do I really need to do that already? […]
Whether you realize it or not, there is a brutal war being waged against you. The battleground is your mind. Your foe? Not a physical army seeking your death, but the philosophies of this world. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of […]
The Belgic Confession of Faith, being a confession, begins with a heart-shattering confession of faith that ought to bring us to our knees. “We all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God” (Art. 1). The article continues with a description […]