February 2011

Biblical Intensive Counseling

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/28/11
  • 0

Often today's Christian is less sexually pure than we care to admit. Therefore, Biblical intensive Counseling deals with the reality of sexual sin in the lives of Christian leaders and laypeople. With access to the Internet, we have clearly demonstrated that through "digital sin" we are as capable as ever of "every intention of the thoughts of man's heart to only be evil continually"(Genesis 6:5). Ministries are destroyed, marriages dissolve, and lives are ruined through just one look. Clearly the corrupt heart is all about immediate satisfaction, and having a short moment of pleasure regardless of the dreadful consequences. We not only deceive others, but ourselves, when we cordon off sexuality from the rest of the Christian life and expect to go on living the way we want.

This why Dr. Harry W. Schaumburg, created Biblical Intensive Counseling, a ministry of Stone Gate Resources, www.stonegateresources.org. For nearly twenty years, thousands of individuals and couples have traveled from across America and from many foreign countries to participate in a week of intensive counseling. This unique program guides the relationally and sexually broken and sinful from false intimacy to real intimacy, first with God, then with others. Biblical Intensive Counseling is strongly biblical counseling, brief intensive counseling, and proven counseling.

While Dr. Schaumburg strongly believes that sinful sexual behavior and relational problems are the symptom of the "evil intentions of the heart," there are other indicators to consider when looking at the relationally and sexually darkness:

  • Diminished femininity and masculinity
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Impersonal sex in marriage
  • Lustful intent
  • Declining modesty
  • Premarital sex
  • The acceptance of masturbation
  • Hooking up

We are more than the product of our hurts and upbringing. We are both spiritually and sexually immature. Biblical Intensive Counseling is built on the concept that to be spiritually mature, you must be sexually mature; to be sexually mature, you must be spiritually mature.  Therefore, real change does not come primarily through behavior management, therapeutic techniques, recovery, or self-help, but must be from the inside out as God radically changes the intentions of the heart. For more information or to speak with Dr. Schaumburg personally about your situation, call 888-575-3030, or 303-688-5680.

Stonegate Resources

At the Speed of the Web

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/28/11
  • 24

Rob Bell may be a universalist. I don’t think this would prove surprising to too many people. Certainly his theological trajectory over the years has been concerning and it’s rare for a guy to suddenly and radically reverse that kind of a path.

Rob Bell Love WinsBell has a book coming out in the near future, one titled Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. According to the publisher’s description, “Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith--the afterlife--arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic--eternal life doesn't start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins.” It needs to be noted that this kind of copy is typically written by the publisher rather than the author and that it is intended to sell the book rather than necessarily provide an accurate description of the book’s contents.

A few days ago a video appeared on YouTube and Vimeo and other sites. In that video Bell describes the topic of the book. Here it is: (people reading via RSS may need to click this link):

Over the weekend several bloggers wrote about this video: Josh Harris, Denny Burk, Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor, Phil Johnson, and Z among them. Some of those articles went viral, garnering thousands of comments between them, making a bit impact on Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

I am not going to comment on whether or not Bell is a universalist. To be honest, at this point I think it is a little bit too early to make that determination. I watch the video and read the marketing copy and think that it shows a very deliberate vagueness that is meant to raise questions but not answer questions, that is meant to generate controversy and sell books. And so far it’s succeeding admirably. My guess is that in the end Bell will take a vague universalist position—not outright universalism but still something that is still clearly unorthodox (as Brian McLaren did in his earlier days before he got into the kind of outright denial that has been the core of his more recent books).

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A La Carte (2/28)

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/28/11
  • 11

It’s the last day of the worst month of the year. And fittingly, it’s several degrees above the freezing mark with a steady rain starting to obliterate the snow. Spring is nigh. Tomorrow I’ll have a collection of desktop wallpapers to bring some spring cheer to your desktop.

5 Things I Can’t Find - R.C. Sproul Jr writes about 5 things he’s surprised that he can’t find in the Bible.

Discovery - One of the space shuttle Discovery astronauts is taking photos of Discovery’s last mission and putting them on Flickr. There are some really amazing ones there.

USA 2010 Income Statement - This isn’t good.

Commentary Sale - Today only Monergism Books has several volumes of the (excellent) Reformed Expository Commentary series on sale. Each one is 50% off: Hebrews, Jonah & Micah, Zechariah, The Incarnation in the Gospels.

American Idol - This blogger writes about his near-tragic experience with the other American Idol: gluttony.

Manslater - I caught this on Josh Harris’ blog and got a laugh out of it. Or a chuckle, anyway.

Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds. —Thomas Brooks

A Preacher's Prayer

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/27/11
  • 9

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I have the privilege of preaching at Grace Fellowship Church this morning. I awoke feeling tired and worn, believing that fatigue is God’s means of rebuking me, of calling me to depend on him instead of myself. So I turned to the Valley of Vision, looking for a prayer that I could make my own. Here is how that book ministered to me today.

My Master God,
I am desired to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;
Yet I long that people might be edified with divine truth,
that an honest testimony might be borne for thee;
Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and unction.
Present to my view things pertaining to my subject,
with fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a feeling sense of the things I preach,
and grace to apply them to men's consciences.
Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.
Help me to offer a testimony for thyself,
and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting thy mercy.
Give me freedom to open the sorrows of thy people,
and set before them comforting considerations.
Attend with power the truth preached.
and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.
May thy people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ's incarnation and sufferings,
that men might be made holy.
I myself need thy support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of thy grace,
and be able to do something for thee;
Give me then refreshment among thy people,
and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way,
or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer,
or be harsh in treating of Christ's death, its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.
And keep me in tune with thee as I do this work.

Weekend A La Carte (2/26)

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/26/11
  • 6

After a busy week and just prior to what is bound to be a busy Sunday, we are looking forward to a nice, quiet day at home. Tim Keller’s King’s Cross showed up in the mail yesterday and it looks like just the kind of thing I’d love to kick back and read on a Saturday afternoon. Beautiful.

Talk to Kids About Sermons - Joe Holland has a list of 8 tips for talking to your children about the sermon.

A Disturbing Trend - Unfettered Bloke (interesting blog name) writes about pastors and their ministry saying “Behind our responsibility to God, our responsibility to our family is our #1 priority above all else. If our family fails, everything else fails with it.”

Ask R.C. Live - Ligonier Ministries recently hosted another episode of “Ask R.C.” You can watch the video here.

Dead Island - This video gamer writes about a rather ugly trend in game design—more and more games involve destroying children.

How to Encourage Your Pastor - Thom Rainer has a good list of ways you can encourage your pastor.

Said Musa - Said Musa has been released (as you have probably heard by now). Praise God! And now let’s pray that he doesn’t immediately get thrown onto an international Christian stage because you know there are book offers already being sent his way!

Parenting Through Snow Days - Here’s some biblical advice on dealing with snow days.

A Sequence of Lines - On one hand this is about the most boring video you’ll ever see. But on the other hand, it is strangely fascinating to see how things change over time—how each of us can think we are faithfully copying something when, in reality, there has been massive though unintentional deviation.

No man can give at once the impressions that he himself is clever and that Jesus Christ is mighty to save. —James Denny

Free Stuff Fridays

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/25/11
  • 7

Free Stuff Fridays

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is CBD Reformed—you know them by now, I’m sure. They are giving away a prize package that contains 3 books by 3 authors you know well, I’m sure.

  • Think by PiperThink by John Piper  - Retail Price $19.99
  • Crazy Love by Francis Chan - Retail Price $14.99
  • Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - Retail Price $13.99

Additionally they are offering a 4-day sale (February 25 - 28) on the following three products:

Anyone is invited to take advantage of those deals, regardless of whether you enter the giveaway or whether you win the giveaway.

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS or email, you may need to click through to see the form.

A La Carte (2/25)

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/25/11
  • 18

Standing at the gas pump this morning watching the numbers add up I decided to try a little math. If you factor in the metric to imperial conversion and then factor in the Canadian dollar to US dollar conversion, I am now paying almost $5 per gallon of gas. That just isn’t right.

Signs You Are Growing in Grace - Timmy Brister provides a round-up of tweets from Scott Smith. Who says Twitter can’t carry significant content?

The Day I Became Catholic - Rick Thomas speaks of the moment he (functionally) converted to Roman Catholicism. It’s worth reading.

Benny Hinn - Benny Hinn is in trouble. “Televangelist Benny Hinn is being sued by Strang Communications, a publishing company that alleges that Hinn violated a morality clause in their contract when he began an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with Without Walls pastor Paula White.” May his money perish with him.

Technology and Values - Some interesting thoughts on the morality of technology (a topic I happened to discuss in an interview yesterday): “It's important to remind ourselves that technology is not such a villainous force. It's not a force at all. No technology - good or evil, exceptional or mundane - is built in a vacuum. No technology is built without human intervention.”

Who Owns the Job? - Douglas Wilson offers a few comments on collective bargaining, placing it within a biblical context.

I don't want to live in this body for the rest of eternity. I can't see. My wife thinks I can't hear. I can hear, but my wife thinks I can't. It's the fan! It's the fan! —John Piper

CK2:4 - A Conversation with Mary Kassian

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/24/11

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Download: Audio File |

Mary KassianYesterday David and I were privileged to enjoy a great conversation with Mary Kassian. Mary is one of the best Christian thinkers when it comes to issues related to women in family, society, culture and church. We spoke to her about pop culture, Twilight and TwiMoms, meat dresses, raising girls in a world like this, encouragement, and many other things.

Honestly, of all the interviews David and I have done, this one seemed to offer some of the most immediately-practical wisdom and advice. We were truly blessed to have Mary take the time.

Mary blogs at GirlsGoneWise.com, a blog I commend to you. She is the author of The Feminist Mistake and Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild, both books that come highly recommended.

If you want to give us feedback or join in the discussion, go ahead and look up our Facebook Group or leave a comment right here. You will always be able to find the most recent episode here on the blog. If you would like to subscribe via iTunes, you can do that here or if you want to subscribe with another audio player, you can try this RSS link.

A La Carte (2/24)

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/24/11
  • 8

Christchurch Earthquake - The Big Picture shows the devastation in Christchurch.

The Face of the Moon - Here you can see and download one of the highest-resolution photos anyone has ever taken of the moon.

Five New Feelings - Here are five new feelings our digital technologies bring us. “There are some pretty specific feelings that can only happen in the Internet age, as a consequence of it. Or, at least, as a consequence of our angst about it, in the shadow of the self-obsession it facilitates, even encourages.”

Positive Impacts - Of course the impact of social media and digital technology is not all bad, is it? This article shares some of its benefits. “The Internet doesn't steal our humanity, it reflects it. The Internet doesn't get inside us, it shows what's inside us. And social media isn't cold, it's just complex and hard to define.”

Wretched - In a couple of weeks I am going to be speaking at one of Todd Friel’s Wretched conferences in Lexington, SC. You know, just in case you’re looking for a conference to attend on March 11 or 12. I’ll be speaking on how to be discerning without becoming a complete jerk.

Disappearing Languages - National Geographic seeks to document disappearing languages. “Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, more than half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earth--many of them not yet recorded--may disappear, taking with them a wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment, and the human brain.”

Organizing the Bookcase - This is brilliant. (HT)

Man fell by a desire to be independent of God, and now man wishes to be equally independent of God in returning to him. —T.C. Hammond

A Short History of Communication

  • Tim Challies
  • 02/23/11
  • 18

Over the past few days I have been preparing to preach on Genesis 3, one of those amazing biblical texts that just opens wide as you begin to study it. One clear application from the first seven verses is that we need to know, believe and stand upon the Word of God. Adam and Eve did not do this—they doubted God’s Word. That doubt, that lack of trust, led to sin, led to the Fall, led to this world.

One thing I have been thinking about is the fact that Adam and Eve did not have God’s Word written for them. They had God’s Word spoken to them. And that brought me back to a study I did a few months ago on the ways in which humans have communicated over time. From the first days until today we have passed through various phases of communication, beginning with an oral culture, passing through a written and then printed culture, and now arriving at a digital culture.

I want to outline this flow over time and seek your input on a couple of things. So get reading and then help me out along the way.

Oral Culture

As far as we know, God created Adam and Eve not just with the ability to speak but with ability to speak meaningfully in some kind of a language. Created as adults, Adam and Eve were created with the ability to communicate with one another and with God. The speech they knew when they were created they taught to their children and their children after them. This was the first form of human communication. This was an oral culture in which words were not written but, rather, memorized and recited. What they did not remember or choose to record in their memories was lost forever.

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