Author Archives: Benj

About Benj

I’m a native North Jerseyan, transplanted to Pennsylvania...lived and taught in Eastern Europe for six years…Old Testament professor, ordained minister, occasional liturgist…husband to Corrie…father to Daniel and Elizabeth.

Maundy Thursday Devotional: Lovely Feet

But, why the feet, Peter asks? Why not wash the whole of me? As I was mulling this over, some examples from the Old Testament came to mind (as they often do for me!)—there are places that describe cleansing one part of the body as symbolic or sufficient for cleansing (or consecrating) the whole person…. Continue reading

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Series on Isaiah, and a Few Publications

I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so I wanted to give a few quick updates… Continue reading

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Advent and Christmas Sermons — 2022

As I’ve mentioned in the last couple of posts, I’ll no longer be sharing all my sermons in mp3 format on this site; the podcast feed will be dedicated to other talks and special presentations. Center Church’s YouTube channel will continue to broadcast services, and I’ll be the preacher at the majority of these services for the foreseeable future.

That said, I wanted to share links to our Advent and Christmas services, queued up to the sermons if you are interested. Continue reading

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Kids, Teens, Worship, and Tech

I’ve been thinking and writing about technology and how it affects worship for quite a number of years. When I wrote a series about ‘online church’ and the importance of in-person worship during COVID, one of my main concerns was … Continue reading

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Advent Sermon: “Trading Away Our Glory” (Gen 1:26–31; 2:7; 3:1–11)

This is the audio (49:10, 38.0 MB) of a sermon preached at Center Church (EPC) of Grove City, PA, on November 27, 2022. The main texts are Genesis 1:26–31; 2:7; and 3:1–11. Continue reading

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Changes to Blogging and Media Sharing

As I have shared in the last few months, I am transitioning from serving as a professor who is involved in ministry part-time, to serving as a full-time pastor in a church. This is a huge change for me, but I’m excited to embrace this new challenge…. Continue reading

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Moving Again!

The last time I gave a significant update here was in June. That seems like an eternity ago, so it seems like a good time to share about our situation. Since we moved back from Lithuania to the US on … Continue reading

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Sermon: “I Am the Bread of Life” (John 6:25–71)

This is the audio (49:10, 38.0 MB) of a sermon preached at Center Presbyterian Church (EPC) of Grove City, PA, on September 18, 2022. The main text is John 6:25–71. You can also watch the service on YouTube. Continue reading

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Sermon: “We Are Members of One Another” (Ephesians 4)

This is the audio (37:24, 11.9 MB) of a sermon preached at Klaipėda Free Christian Church, on August 14, 2022. The main text is Ephesians 4. Continue reading

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Does the Old Testament Prescribe a ‘State’?

Genesis 47 is the part of the Joseph story that most people don’t remember, in which Joseph becomes a tyrant… Continue reading

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