A Delight and a Frustration (01/31/07 - 17 Comments)
Being a parent is wonderful. Parenting is filled with moments of joy and happiness and excitement and love. But it's also filled with moments of almost overwhelming frustration. We've had plenty of great times and plenty of awfully frustrating times in the past few weeks. A couple of days ago Aileen and I were talking about the children (our two older children in particular) and I said, "You know, what I find most frustrating is...
Book Review - The Long Tail (01/30/07 - 7 Comments)
"The Long Tail" is one of those buzz-phrases I have heard time and time again in the past couple of years. In my ongoing pursuits to catch up with books that have been sitting on the New York Times list of bestsellers and to better under the culture we live in, I decided to read the book that seems to do the best and most thorough job of explaining this phenomenon. Written by Chris Anderson,...
This He Gives You (01/29/07 - 9 Comments)
There is always a catch. You've gotten the letters, phone calls and emails just as I have. There is always someone wanting to offer us something, but things are never as they seem. There is always a catch. You can have a wonderful vacation in Hawaii, but you're responsible for paying for your own accommodations and it can only be at this or that overpriced hotel. You can get a free barbecue but first you...
Review - Guidance and the Voice of God (01/28/07 - 68 Comments)
Guidance and the Voice of God is one of several books I have read that discusses the way God speaks to and guides His children. I initially turned to these books in response to the words I hear all around me in modern Christianity. People continually ask God to speak to us in circumstances and situations. Likewise, I am often asked how God spoke to me during a period of time or perhaps during a...
Things You Never Wanted To Know (01/27/07 - 24 Comments)
Just for kicks, here is a list of things you never knew about me and never wanted to. Since we got married, Aileen and I have lived in four different houses. Our current home is the only one we have owned as the previous ones were all rentals. The first vehicle I ever owned was a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. Since then I've owned two Toyota Corollas, one Ford Windstar and one Dodge Grand Caravan....
Friday Ramblings (01/26/07 - 19 Comments)
Sovereign Grace Music is offering a free song written by Steve and Vikki Cook and sung by Vikki. It is from the Everlasting recording that was released in 1999. "I Bow Down" is a slow, meditative song that reflects on the holiness of God. Here is a sample of the lyrics: You saved me the sinner With crimson red You washed me White as snow How I love You Lord You loved me the mocker...
Self-Centered Sex (Part 2) (01/25/07 - 71 Comments)
This article continues the discussion I began yesterday on the topic of self-centered sex. Because sex is created by God and to be used for His glory, it is not purely a physical or sexual or emotional issue, a theological issue. Thus in yesterday's article we built a brief framework in which to understand sex from a biblical perspective. We saw that sex is: a Gift From God; intended only for marriage; for giving and...
Self-Centered Sex (Part 1) (01/24/07 - 21 Comments)
Twelve or eighteen months ago I wrote a couple of articles about the always difficult subject of autoeroticism (i.e. masturbation). This is a subject I hesitate to write about and yet one that I feel is both important and relevant. It is a subject that takes us outside of our comfort zones but hiding our heads in the sand and pretending it is not a real problem is almost unfair. I have had opportunity in...
This Thing Called Blogging (01/23/07 - 39 Comments)
This thing called blogging is not nearly as easy as it looks, and this is especially true in a blog that receives a good deal of traffic. I suppose if you were to plot out the history of this blog in terms of its traffic, you would end up with a graph showing a slow but steady rise from the left of the graph (representing the time I began the site) to the right (representing...
Selfish Prayer (01/22/07 - 38 Comments)
This is probably another one of those articles that discusses something everyone else already knows and has already thought about, but for which I am a bit late to the party. I'm not necessarily the sharpest knife in the drawer and sometimes you need to give me a little extra time to figure these things out. So bear with me. A little while ago, as I was sitting around waiting for something exciting to happen,...
King for a Week - Unashamed Workman (01/21/07 - 3 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (in theory) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my right sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to encourage and support other bloggers while making my...
ChurchMerch - The Bible Experience (01/20/07 - 21 Comments)
The Bible Experience is a unique product. Featuring a unique cast, it offers what is surely a unique recording of the Bible. Hear the words of the Bible brought to life like never before. Inspired By...The Bible Experience: New Testament Audio CD is a fully-dramatized reading of the Bible performed by an unprecedented ensemble of distinguished African-American actors, musicians, and personalities. The cast, including recognizable voices as Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, and Angela Bassett, reads...
Review - N.T. Commentary Survey (01/19/07 - 4 Comments)
Buying commentaries is often a difficult proposition. There are so many available and yet so few that are really solid. A good commentary is an invaluable aid in leading the reader to the cross; a poor commentary tends to lead anywhere but. With commentary prices being what they are, it hurts to purchase one only to find that it is a poor choice. New Testament Commentary Survey, edited by D.A. Carson and now in its...
Things I Hate About America (01/18/07 - 161 Comments)
When I was a kid, my family would travel to the United States every year or two. We would visit friends or family or just find some new and exciting place to settle down for a short vacation. I always enjoyed this trips to the U.S. but noted some peculiarities about American culture. This tends to surprise Americans, but things really are quite a bit different up here in the Great White North. In recent...
Book Review - Me, Myself, & Bob (01/17/07 - 27 Comments)
I never really caught on to the VeggieTales craze. I was introduced to them by friends when I was in my late teens but couldn't bring myself to watch and enjoy a kids' show featuring talking vegetables. I could appreciate some of the humor, but I usually opted out of the VeggieTales evenings others enjoyed. At that time I had no idea, and nor did anyone else, I suppose, what a phenomenon the Veggies would...
Sentences in the Book of Providence (01/16/07 - 21 Comments)
Last week Paul (who, for those who haven't made the connection, happens to be my pastor) wrote about an article in the Canadian media which stated that "The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada will recommend next month that all expectant mothers undergo screening for fetal abnormalities such as Down's syndrome -- not just those over the age of 35, as is the practice." Dr. Andre Lalonde, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology...
Grudem and Piper on Profanity (01/15/07 - 83 Comments)
The issue of profanity in the church is one that continually surprises me. To myself and to many other Reformed types, what is most shocking about the profanity discussion is that we need to have it at all! That we should avoid foul speech seems obvious and beyond dispute. And yet here we are. There is little consensus in the church about this particular issue. One thing that I find is often missing in discussions...
King for a Week - Pro-Existence (01/14/07 - 1 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (in theory) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my right sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to encourage and support other bloggers while making my...
DVD Review - Overlord: A Mighty Host (01/13/07 - 1 Comments)
It has been almost sixty-three years since the British, American and Canadian armies stormed the beaches of Normandy, but the D-Day invasion and the weeks that followed continue to fascinate us. The events have provided fodder for countless books, movies, and video games. As time passes, fewer and fewer of the veterans of that day survive to give their first-hand testimonies. I am grateful that many people are now speaking to these men and recording...
Condescending to our Imperfections (01/12/07 - 20 Comments)
Last week I posted a quote from Jim Elliff on the subject of "zealous immaturity." Writing about those who seek God's will in a way that he feels is unbiblical, Elliff writes "God may use the sincere individual who gets his guidance the illuminist's way. He may bless him. He may honor his faith more than his method. I am quite sure that God always condescends to our imperfections. And if there is immaturity, we...
Book Review - The Perfect Thing (01/11/07 - 18 Comments)
People looked at me in a strange way when I told them I was reading a 300-page book about the iPod. "No, seriously. It's a whole book about the iPod!" Steven Levy, author of The Perfect Thing is senior editor and chief technology correspondent for Newsweek magazine and the author of five previous books. Levy is a technophile and over the course of his career has seen many products, many technologies, come and go. But...
A Call To Discernment (Part 3) (01/10/07 - 6 Comments)
This is the third article in a three-part series examining the Bible's call for spiritual discernment. You can access the first article here and the second here. Yesterday we learned the bad news that Scripture portrays those who lack spiritual discernment in three ways: They are spiritually immature, they are backslidden, and they are dead. Those who lack discernment will fit into one of these three categories. These are the dangers of ignoring discernment. Today...
A Call To Discernment (Part 2) (01/09/07 - 17 Comments)
This is the second article in a three-part series examining the Bible's call for spiritual discernment. You can access the first article here. Today we will see three marks of a lack of discernment. Lack of discernment shows spiritual immaturity In the closing verses of Hebrews 5, the author of this great letter warns his readers against apostasy, against straying from the faith. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to...
Prayer Answered and Requested (01/08/07 - 4 Comments)
Prayer Answered: R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was moved out of intensive care and into a private room at Baptist Hospital East this afternoon and continues to improve following complications from abdominal surgery that was performed Dec. 28. Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern, said Mohler is in good spirits following a difficult weekend. "I am extremely...
A Call To Discernment (Part 1) (01/08/07 - 3 Comments)
"You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but...
Review Questions and Study Guides (01/07/07 - 47 Comments)
As I continue to press on with writing The Discipline of Discernment and as I see the book starting to come together I am slowly beginning to consider some of the finer details. For example, I have decided to add a "Key Thought" to the end of each chapter. I always appreciate when authors are deliberate about ensuring that the reader has understood the purpose of each chapter (Bryan Chapell's Praying Backwards is an excellent...
ChurchMerch - The Outdoor Bible (01/06/07 - 25 Comments)
The Outdoor Bible is the flagship product for Bardin & Marsee Publishing, a small publishing company based in Canton, GA. Available in the New Testament and in the New American Standard Bible translation, this Bible's claim to fame is that it is designed for the great outdoors. Made to be used by the outdoorsman, the Bible is printed on durable, tear-resistant plastic material, making it fully waterproof and able to withstand the rigors of the...
Pray For Dr. Mohler (01/05/07 - 9 Comments)
This was just posted on Dr. Mohler's blog: Dr. Mohler's health has sustained a setback. Over the past 36 hours Dr. Mohler has suffered from unrelenting pain. This unusual degree of pain signaled concern for the attending physicians and prompted additional tests this afternoon. In the past hour these tests have revealed that Dr. Mohler is suffering from pulmonary emboli in both lungs. His condition is quite serious and he has been moved to the...
Book Review - The World is Flat (01/05/07 - 11 Comments)
Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is a book I feel quite unequipped to review. And, indeed, it has been very widely reviewed by people far more qualified than I. The reviews, which I turned to only after I had finished reading the book, are mixed. Some people feel this book is groundbreaking while others feel it rehashes old arguments simply set in a new context. It seems...
Ligonier Giveaway Winners (01/05/07 - 8 Comments)
The Ligonier Conference Giveaway I announced on Wednesday has now closed and the winners have been chosen. Each of the prizes is an admission pass to the conference (or, if a person entering the contest wished to take his or her spouse, a pair of passes). A word about methodology for choosing the winners. As the emails came in, I added them to a folder in my inbox. After the contest closed I counted how...
Zealous Immaturity (01/04/07 - 34 Comments)
My work on The Discipline of Discernment has taken me to many places in the Bible and to many of the books on my bookshelves. I have been surprised and delighted to see how God has been preparing me to write this book, for many of the books I have read in the past few years tie directly into what I feel the Bible says about discernment. I've found help in books by many authors...
The Doctrine of Hairology (01/03/07 - 20 Comments)
This is an oldie but a goodie. I looked all over and couldn't find an authoritative account of where it came from and neither could I track down an "official" file. I suspect it is fairly old as from the sound quality it seems likely that it was taken from a cassette. Because it was already uploaded on several servers I went ahead and uploaded it to mine as well. If anyone can point me...
Reformed Eye for the Arminian Guy (01/03/07 - 44 Comments)
A Letter to The Learning Channel To Whom It May Concern, I write today to offer your television network the rights to what I am convinced will soon be the most popular reality show on television. Reality television has offered the discerning viewer much entertainment and so many opportunities to learn. We have learned how to dress, how to cook, how to build motorcycles and hotrods and even how to build beautiful rooms using plywood,...
Giveaway - Ligonier Conference (01/03/07 - 7 Comments)
The 2007 conference season is fast approaching. If you are looking for just one conference to attend this year, you probably will not do any better than the Ligonier Ministries National Conference in Orlando, Florida. Contending for the Truth will be held from March 15-17 and will feature addresses by John MacArthur, Al Mohler, John Piper, Ravi Zacharias and, of course, R.C. Sproul. It is easy, when looking at conferences, to just skip over the...
"Of Making Many Books..." (01/02/07 - 9 Comments)
As you may know, I am in the midst of writing my first book. I am now four months into what I hope will be a six-month writing period. This will be followed many many months of editing, proofing and whatever else happens between the time a manuscript is submitted and a book arrives in the mail. If you have read this site for any length of time, you'll know that I am a lover...
Happy New Year (01/01/07 - 4 Comments)
Now that I've hit thirty years of age it seems more silly than ever to create all kinds of New Year's resolutions. After all, what would I resolve to do other than what I've resolved to do every other year in recent memory: spend more time reading the Bible, more time praying, more time with my family and, of course, shed a few pounds by dedicating more time to exercise. And yet there is something...
