Martin Wickens
Speaking the Truth in Love
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A Coloring Book with a Bigger Purpose: Helping Children Understand God’s Plan
Introducing God’s Big Plan: A Bible Coloring Book That Teaches Children How to Understand God’s Word! (Click the image to the left or at the bottom of the article to see the Amazon product page). For a long time, I have wanted to write something to help children learn how to read and understand the…
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Why Another Commentary?
Why do I feel qualified to write a commentary? Why do we need another commentary? I think the answers to these two questions overlap and so I’ll deal with them together. I enjoy many different commentaries from a wide a variety of authors who have represent several theological backgrounds. But of those, most do not…
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Props and Sermons
The Use of Props in Sermons For years I have seen examples of the excessive use of props in sermons. The worst examples usually go hand in hand with services that look more like a Hollywood production than the gathering of God’s people to worship, serve, and for mutual edification. For certain reasons, the subject…
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Discipline Changes Everything
Good habits are better than natural ability. Discipline can be worked on and habits formed that will enable us to grow consistently and accomplish much. I found this list a while back but I don’t have the source. I think it’s compiled from a variety of books and speakers. 1. Make decisions the night before,…
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Ebenezer Scrooge – a Man Misremembered
In 1841, while walking through Canongate Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Charles Dickens noticed a weathered gravestone bearing a curious inscription. The man’s name was Ebenezer Scroggie, and Dickens believed the stone described him as “a mean man.” Dickens reportedly thought to himself, “How dreadful must a man be for such a verdict to be carved into…
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Why Jacob was Afraid (3/3): Depending on Self
Scripture: Genesis 43:11-14Key Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Jacob had a long history of relying on his own schemes rather than trusting in God. He lied to his faither…
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Come, O Thou Traveller Unknown
John and Charles Wesley were used of God in a powerful way. Not only in the Christian world, but nations and empires were different because of their lives. Charles Wesley wrote over 6500 hymns during his lifetime and many of them are still favorites today. Isaac Watts, who himself is probably Charles’ only equal when…
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Corporate Worship – Book Review
Recently, I finished reading Scott Aniol’s book, “Biblical Foundations of Corporate Worship“. It is a relatively small book at 121 pages, but its conciseness is part of its strength. Across five chapters Scott lays out a Biblical case for what constitutes Biblical, corporate worship. Many today worship in a purely emotional way and then assess…