October 2007 Archive
The 2007 Reformation Day Symposium (10/31/07 - 24 Comments)
Today is Reformation Day--the 490th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg's Schlosskirke. That small act triggered a series of events that forever changed the world. It stands as one of the most important events in all of history--though an event that has been largely forgotten. Today we remember that day and express our gratitude to God for raising up men such as Martin Luther. As...
A Blessed Assurance (10/30/07 - 33 Comments)
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes..." Dr. Criswell, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, was once traveling by plane to attend a speaking engagement on the East Coast. After boarding the aircraft and getting himself settled and situated, he was thrilled to recognize the man in the seat beside him as a well-known Christian theologian. Criswell greatly admired this man and was eager to get to know him. Soon the...
The Need for Constant Practice (10/29/07 - 3 Comments)
Next year is an Olympic year and in the summer of 2008, athletes will converge on Beijing to complete in 302 events across 28 different sports. Already we are beginning to hear about qualifying events and national Olympic committees choosing the teams they will send to China to represent their countries. There isn't an athlete who isn't already dreaming of earning a spot on the Olympic team and earning a gold medal for his country....
King for a Week - The Blazing Center (10/28/07 - 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…or sometimes just because I really like them. It is a way of introducing my readers to blogs that they may also find interesting and edifying. Every two weeks (or so. That is theoretical. Practically, I don’t get around to updating as often as I should and we’ve...
What Should We Disclose? (10/27/07 - 24 Comments)
Rather than attempt to answer a question today, I thought I'd ask one instead. This is a question primarily for people who read blogs, though certainly people who write them may be interested as well. The question is this: How much should bloggers disclose? Let me explain. Bloggers tend to put a lot of work into their sites but receive relatively little in return. There are usually just a few options open to bloggers who...
Friday Miscellania (10/26/07 - 19 Comments)
It looks like Westminster Books is the first to receive copies of what is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated books this fall: Pierced For Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. The book was previously available only in Europe, but Crossway secured the North American rights and has just published it. You can read my review of it here: Pierced for Our Transgressions. For just one week the book is available at 40%...
Autonomy (10/26/07 - 5 Comments)
Lessons from an infant... Michaela, my youngest daughter, is just about eighteen months old. She's at the stage of infancy I enjoy the most--she is just starting to figure out how the world works and is just learning how to communicate. Her vocabulary is increasing by the day and so many of her attempts to use these new words leave us howling with laughter. A couple of times a week Aileen "puppysits" for some neighbors...
Guarding the Deposit (10/25/07 - 13 Comments)
“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you...” One of my favorite television programs is Antiques Roadshow. The program affords people the opportunity to present their antique possessions—whether furniture, paintings, toys, or anything else— and to have them appraised by some of the world’s foremost experts in antiquities. For every episode the producers single out ten or fifteen items and show an expert providing a detailed description and valuation of the item. Each section closes...
Halloween - Trick or Retreat? (10/24/07 - 69 Comments)
Will you participate in Halloween this year? Halloween is once again nearly upon us. Articles about the occasion are beginning to make their way into my RSS reader and I thought I'd keep up with one of this site's few traditions and write an article on the subject. My thoughts on the subject continue to develop as perhaps long-time readers will notice. Just this morning Pulpit Magazine linked to a great article courtesy of Grace...
The Accuser's Demand (10/23/07 - 8 Comments)
Though Satan makes his claim on my life... Studying European history can be both fascinating and frustrating. Understanding the intricacies of nations, borders and rulers could easily be a life-long pursuit. The history of the continent is filled with claims, and counterclaims as one person sought to prove himself the legitimate heir to one of its many kingdoms. There were many who sought to claim thrones and kingdoms and these claims had to be settled...
The Source of Submission (10/22/07 - 27 Comments)
Is submission a consequence of man's fall into sin? The concept of submission is a tough one to get our minds around. There was a time when I'm sure it came more naturally to people--a time when inequality and hierarchy were assumed. In that kind of social situation I'm sure submission would seem more natural. But today, when we acknowledge that all men (and women) are created equal and when and when there are few...
The Dawkins Letters (10/21/07 - 5 Comments)
(I apologize for all the book reviews - I've had a bunch stacked up here and wanted to clear out the queue! I suppose I shouldn't apologize, really, as these are all good books and I know someone will benefit from the reviews...) David Robertson, a Free Church of Scotland pastor who lives in Dundee, wanted there to be an intelligent Christian response to Richard Dawkins' bestselling The God Delusion. To that end he wrote...
The Life of John Murray (10/20/07 - 2 Comments)
John Murray, long-time professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, was, until his death in 1975, widely regarded as one of the world's foremost Reformed theologians. Iain Murray (no relation to John Murray) is regarded as one of the world's foremost Reformed biographers. And here, in The Life of John Murray, the biographer brings us the life of the theologian. John Murray was born in 1898 Badbea, in Sutherland county, Scotland. Coming...
Giveaways, Amazon Reviews, and Forgotten Heroes (10/19/07 - 1 Comments)
This is a compilation of various things that caught my eye this week. They were things that needed more explanation than I could offer in A La Carte, but not enough that they merited an article of their own. The Great October Giveaway Winners The Great October Giveaway comes to a close today. I have already drawn the names of the winners and will be sending emails out shortly. So check your inbox in the...
Reading Classics Together - Holiness ("Assurance") (10/18/07 - 16 Comments)
"We know that we are of God." (1 John 5:19) Today we come to the final chapter of the first classic we're reading together. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Even if you have not participated in this effort, please keep reading. I’m sure there will be something here to benefit you. At the very least read the end to see how you can join in our next effort....
A Reformation Day Symposium (2007 Edition) (10/17/07 - 17 Comments)
The Second Annual Reformation Day Symposium October 31, two weeks from today, will mark the 490th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg. In so doing he struck a match, beginning a fire that quickly spread throughout Europe and throughout the world. Having become increasingly disillusioned with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and in particular the sale of indulgences, Luther wrote...
Living it and Writing it (10/17/07 - 33 Comments)
I graduated from college in 1995 (Or so. To be honest, I don't even remember exactly what year it was), having earned a degree in history. That degree did not open up the world of possibilities I had obviously thought it might when I first chose history as my major three years before. With few options available to me, and suffering from a lack of motivation, I decided I had better find some kind of...
A Journey Worth Taking (10/16/07 - 5 Comments)
Finding Your Purpose in This World It seems to me that very few people today seek to understand life's big picture. We live our day-to-day lives happily on the whole, but often disconnected from any wider understanding of life; free from any true sense of a wider meaning or purpose. When considering this fact author Charles Drew says, "We are free to be ourselves, but we are fuzzy about who we are and how we...
"Become a Better You" by Joel Osteen (10/15/07 - 75 Comments)
There are few things I love to eat more than bread. I just love a good loaf of white bread. I eat it the way many people eat junk food (and, I suppose, one could argue that it is junk food). Not too long ago we bought a bread maker from a person nearby who was selling all his possessions to move back to his native Poland, having found that North American living was not...
Involuntary Community (10/14/07 - 17 Comments)
One of my ongoing concerns with the way churches tend to be gathered today is that people seek to build very homogeneous communities. Pastors or church planters often choose a target audience and attempt to attract primarily that kind of person, gearing all the church does to one particular audience. Many of these churches have seen dramatic growth, but growth that does not show a lot of diversity. Yet diversity is one of the things...
DVD Review - The Eric Liddell Story (10/13/07 - 2 Comments)
The Torchlighters video series is a series of animated DVD’s dedicated to "Highlighting the honor, integrity and life-changing experiences of those well-known and little-known Christian men, women and children who in response to God’s call, dedicated their lives to a life of whole-hearted commitment and passionate service to Jesus." The series is targeted primarily at children between the ages of eight and twelve. It is a production of Christian History Institute along with International Films...
Blessings, Kingdoms, Smiles and Books (10/12/07 - 13 Comments)
This is a compilation of various things that caught my eye this week. They were things that needed more explanation than I could offer in A La Carte, but not enough that they merited an article of their own. Same Sex Blessings It's easy to write off the Anglican Church, and especially so up here in Canada where it seems that so few churches have really remained faithful to the gospel. So many churches, or...
Calling Chattanooga (10/11/07 - 21 Comments)
I have an older brother named Andrew who lives in the fine city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Andrew needs help with something and I'm hoping that someone here--perhaps someone who lives in Chattanooga or who knows people who do, may be able to offer assistance. Now I would not generally create a post such as this one, but the fact is that my brother has some special needs. He was diagnosed just a few years ago...
Reading Classics Together - Holiness (Growth) (10/11/07 - 16 Comments)
"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) Today those of us who are engaged in this project to read some great Christian classics together are going to be looking at the sixth chapter of J.C. Ryle’s Holiness. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Even if you are not participating, please keep reading. I’m sure there will be something here...
Interviewing the ProBlogger (10/10/07 - 10 Comments)
An Interview with Darren Rowse. Darren Rowse is the original ProBlogger, presiding over ProBlogger, a site that draws tens of thousands of visitors every day. After stumbling across blogs in 2002, Darren began a site of his own that explored "issues of Pop Culture, Spirituality and Blogging." The pastor of a small, emerging type of church, Darren has become a full-time blogger and the coordinator of a large blog network. Because I've attempted to make...
The Great October Giveaway (10/09/07 - 6 Comments)
Forty-one books to the winner... Last month's Great September Giveaway was a great success with three readers taking home some excellent prizes. Of course I extend my sympathies to the multitudes who didn't win; I can identify with your disappointment since I don't think I've ever won anything in my life! But I am confident that my time is coming. This month you've got another chance to win a great prize. Or forty-one of them...
Bringing Life to the Living (10/08/07 - 15 Comments)
Taking God at His Word. Do you remember that amazing miracle of Jesus where he brought life to Lazarus? I'm sure you must remember it. Lazarus was sitting in his home along with his sisters Mary and Martha. He was chewing on some bread and cheese as an afternoon snack when, from outside the door of the house he heard a bit of a commotion as if a crowd was quickly approaching. There was mourning...
A New New Reformation (10/07/07 - 6 Comments)
Just a couple of days ago I completed a project for New Reformation Ministries, the teaching ministry of Dr. Steven Lawson. The timing was largely coincidental to the fact that only last week I was down in Mobile, Alabama at a conference hosted by Dr. Lawson and by his church. This is what the ministry is all about: "The unique focus of New Reformation is to recover and reclaim in the church a high view...
KfaW - Pulpit Magazine (10/06/07 - 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…or sometimes just because I really like them. It is a way of introducing my readers to blogs that they may also find interesting and edifying. Every two weeks (or so. That is theoretical. Practically, I don’t get around to updating as often as I should and we've...
Reading Classics Together - Holiness (The Cost) (10/05/07 - 7 Comments)
"Which of you, intended to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost?" Today (a day late, for which I apologize) those of us who are engaged in this project to read some great Christian classics together are going to be looking at the fourth chapter of J.C. Ryle’s Holiness. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Even if you are not participating, please keep reading. I’m...
"Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges (10/04/07 - 15 Comments)
Confronting the Sins We Tolerate A new book from the pen of Jerry Bridges is always a noteworthy event and this month we're blessed to see not one, but two new books bearing his name. The first of these, published by NavPress, is titled Respectable Sins. "The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major...
Looking for Advertisers (10/03/07 - 5 Comments)
As you've no doubt noticed by now, I've begun to do a bit of advertising through this site. I have added spots for three 125 x 125 banner ads in the right sidebar and have also opened up a bit of space for some text ads. Though I'm somewhat leery of doing this, I explained last week that the time has come, I think, to attempt to monetize the blog just a little bit. I...
I Left My Heart in Lanark (10/03/07 - 14 Comments)
Last week I had the joy and privilege of watching my cousin get married to the love of her life. The wedding was held in Ottawa, about 5 hours from where we live. Because it was an early morning wedding, we knew we would need to leave at least a day in advance in order to get there on time. So we booked ourselves in at the home of my aunt and uncle (unrelated to...
Expositors' Conference (IV) (10/02/07 - 2 Comments)
This afternoon Dr. Lawson got very practical, leading the pastors here through "The Ten How To's of Expository Preaching." He went step-by-step through the process of preparing an expository sermon. Obviously he could not go into great depth as sermon preparation is something that often takes a semester or two to teach. But he went quickly from point-to-point, suggesting how a pastor can prepare this kind of sermon. He included a helpful handout that outlined...
Expositors' Conference (III) (10/02/07 - 9 Comments)
In this session MacArthur continued where he left off as time ran out in the last one. As he discusses the value of expository preaching he is, in a sense, preaching to the choir (which is not to say there is anything wrong with that!). The crowd here has assembled to hear exactly this kind of information and receives it eagerly. Being a southern crowd, the sermons or addresses are punctuated by cries of "Amen!"...
Expositors' Conference (II) (10/02/07 - 1 Comments)
I enjoyed a declious breakfast this morning with Don Elborne (of Rebuild Lakeshore fame) and some other new friends. This followed what was a great night's sleep--a blessing since I was awfully weary with fatigue last night. No one can make breakfast quite like the southerners, even if they do insist on including grits and gravy with everything. I was assured that the grits down here are the definitive grits and have to say they...
Expositors' Conference (I) (10/01/07 - 6 Comments)
I'm writing this evening from Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. I am here for The Expositors' Conference which is a ministry of Steven Lawson and this church. It is a conference targeted at preachers and one that seeks to foster their love of, dedication to, and skill at expository preaching. Dr. Lawson was kind enough to ask me to come down here to take in the conference in this, its first year. Dr....
A Wedding Contract (10/01/07 - 10 Comments)
Last week I went to Ottawa to enjoy my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful, classy, simple wedding. While the service was great from beginning to end, I particularly enjoyed the brief sermon which drew a startling contrast between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God; between the love of the world and the love of God. The pastor began by discussing a marriage contract drawn up by Albert Einstein. With his...
