Mike Wittmer

Month: April 2010

  • it’s only money

    I liked this story and decided to turn it into a devotional for Our Daily Journey.  It’s a good reminder for me. read > Luke 12:13-21 “Beware!  Guard against every kind of greed.  Life is not measured by how much you own” (v. 15). Grigory Perelman won the Millennium Prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute…

  • these golden years

    Life is tough right now in Michigan, but I heard some encouraging items over the weekend that remind us that life here is better than we think. 1. Alvin Plantinga will soon retire to Grand Rapids to teach part-time at Calvin College. Our fair city will then boast the retired Nicholas Wolterstorff, George Marsden, and…

  • the moody bump

    I just returned from two encouraging days with the men of Moody Bible Institute—I’m not aware of another place which has as much rich tradition and present vitality—and I left with the distinct impression that the church is going to be all right. After chapel this morning I was getting creamed in a game of…

  • smashing serpents

    Here is my latest entry for Our Daily Journey, where near the end I abandon the wisdom of my teachers and experiment with allegory. In my defense: 1) If you are going to experiment with allegorical interpretation, then a devotional seems to be the place to try it; 2) Technically I’m only reappropriating Jesus’ allegory–so…

  • who is your nemesis?

    I don’t remember how we got off track, but about a month ago one of my class discussions took a brief detour on the value of having a theological nemesis. Batman had the Joker, Superman had Lex Luthor, and Spiderman had the Green Goblin, and so we wondered if our pastoral skills might be sharpened…

  • reflections on THE resurrection

    I encountered two significant mistakes this Easter season that cheapen and distort the resurrection of our Lord beyond recognition. I list them here in the hope that I never hear them again. 1. Emphasizing the Principle of resurrection over the historical Person who arose. Here’s the quote: “We are stuck with Jesus, and he won’t…

  • marketing repentance

    I’m sure that you have seen the new Tiger Woods’ television ad for Nike.  The 30-second spot features Tiger staring into the camera as the voice of his late father Earl says: “Tiger, I am more prone to being inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find…

  • America’s finest

    Last week I made the time to carefully read through George Marsden’s magisterial biography, Jonathan Edwards:  A Life. This is an important book for pastors, especially those in America.  It seems important to know the finest pastor-theologian that our country has ever produced.  At risk of oversimplifying an engrossing 500 page story, here in random…

  • this we believe

    I have been researching and drafting confessions, and I’ve discovered a few surprises which I will share soon.  But first I would appreciate any thoughts which you might have on this one.  I wrote this for a nondenominational church which is baptistic and Calvinisticish.  They wanted a concise, clear statement that their people would read…

  • no free lunch

    It is popular today to say that God didn’t need Jesus to die in order to forgive us.  If God loved us so much why didn’t he merely wave his hand and say all was forgiven?  What kind of vengeful Father would demand the blood of his innocent Son in order to forgive sinners? I…