Five Good Reasons to Own a Kindle (05/31/08 - 34 Comments)
My recent travels allowed me another opportunity to really put my Kindle to the test. (Because I live in Canada, several of its best features are only available to me when I head south of the border.) And having done so I can’t deny that I like it better than ever. Beyond the benefits I laid out in my recent review of the Kindle, here are five good reasons to own one. Thousands of Free...
Friday Miscellania (05/30/08 - 3 Comments)
I returned home last night from my final conference of the year (or of the spring season, at least). At this point I’ve got only one tentative date on my calendar through the rest of 2008. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed going to this year’s conferences, I’m not sorry to have a rather barren travel schedule for a while. Looking back at my calendar I can see that this spring I was in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky,...
Banner of Truth Conference (IV) (05/29/08 - 2 Comments)
Last night I grabbed a few of the newest Banner books from the rather well-stocked bookstore here at the conference. This morning Rick Phillips preached his second message on the book of Hebrews, this was entitled “Outside the Camp.” It was based on Hebrews 13:9-14: “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those...
Banner of Truth Conference (III) (05/28/08 - 10 Comments)
This evening’s session was based around a talk given by Iain Murray and entitled “Our Present Needs.” It was a message that felt like an older pastor lovingly exhorting younger pastors. He covered three great needs for pastors (he spoke in the first person plural and I will do the same even though the “we” doesn’t really apply to me as a layperson!). Our Need for Less Self Confidence Calvin’s Institutes begins with by saying...
Banner of Truth Conference (II) (05/28/08 - 0 Comments)
I had a good and restful evening last night. My roommates never showed up (or maybe I was never assigned any). Regardless, I got to bed early and woke up early; just the way I like it! I enjoyed breakfast with some fellow Reformed Baptists, though these ones hail from Maryland. It was good to spend some time with them. This morning began with a sermon from Rick Phillips, whom I’ve written about several times...
Banner of Truth Conference (05/27/08 - 4 Comments)
This morning I headed to the airport and made the brief hop to Harrisburg, PA. It was a short flight (just over an hour) on the tiniest plane I’ve flown on. You know it’s a small flight when the guy who takes your bags planeside (and who checks your seat belts and who explains the emergency exit procedures) pulls off his orange safety vest, jumps into the cockpit and flies the plane! The plane was...
Review - Amazon's Kindle Reading Device (05/27/08 - 17 Comments)
UPDATE: Since I wrote this review (I wrote it yesterday and posted it this morning), the price on the Kindle has dropped $40. This is a long-awaited price drop and seems like a reasonable move for Amazon. A few weeks ago I cracked open the box for my new Kindle, Amazon’s wireless reading device. Since then I’ve had ample opportunity to use it and I’d like to provide a short review based on my experiences...
The Revival of a Rebel Jew (05/26/08 - 24 Comments)
In June Crossway will release Colin Duriez’s Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life. To my knowledge there are currently no biographies of Schaeffer in print—and certainly none that could be recommended as being comprehensive (and this includes Frankie Schaeffer’s lamentable recent effort). I have a particular interest in Schaeffer because in many ways he shaped my faith and I’ve been reading the manuscript for this book with rapt attention. Though I have not read many...
A Prayer for Scriptural Convictions (05/25/08 - 3 Comments)
Continuing my new habit of posting prayers on Sunday, here is a prayer for Scriptural convictions. It is once more drawn from The Valley of Vision. It seemed appropriate in a week I've been considering how I tend not to regard Scripture as the treasure it is. This is a prayer praising God for the gift of the Bible and asking forgiveness for regarding it so little and so lightly. O God of love, I...
A Family Guide to Prince Caspian (05/24/08 - 3 Comments)
With Disney’s adaptation of Prince Caspian having just arrived on the big screen, we have seen a flood of Narnia-related books hitting the store shelves. Readers who searched for books to coincide with the release of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be familiar with many of the authors and their books. Devin Brown’s Inside Prince Caspain is written in the same style and format as Inside Narnia. Leland Ryken’s and Marjorie Mead’s...
Six Ways to Hinder Your Prayers (05/23/08 - 9 Comments)
It is the Lord’s delight to give us what we ask of Him in prayer. Like David, we should all pray, “O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth” (Psalm 54:2). If Christians did not believe in the efficacy of prayer, there would be no reason for us to ask anything of God. He is the one who tells us that we can have confidence that our prayers ascend to...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 4) (05/22/08 - 10 Comments)
This morning those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the fourth chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Summary Jesus’ fourth saying on the cross is the word of anguish. While hanging on the cross and facing the wrath of God, just cried out to His Father. This...
May Giveaway - Win a $200 Shopping Spree (05/21/08 - 1 Comments)
Though it has not been long since I closed the last giveaway, it is time already for a new one. And I think you’re going to like this one! The Sponsor This month’s sponsor is once again our friends at Monergism Books. Monergism Books exists “to serve the worldwide church by providing the finest classic and contemporary books within the rich tradition of historic Christian orthodoxy. As we carry out our mission, we are committed...
Hasty Reading and Serious Meditating (05/20/08 - 9 Comments)
Here is a quote sent to me by a reader of this site. It is drawn from Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks. It is well worth pondering (and, in a case of good timing, was something I was pondering this morning as I opened the Bible to Psalm 19). Remember, it is not hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the...
A Review of The Shack (Download it Here) (05/20/08 - 51 Comments)
In January of this year I released a review of William P. Young’s The Shack. Since that time the review has been read tens of thousands of times (and no doubt many times more than that at Amazon where it has been voted on 700+ times and has generated almost 100 comments). I continue to receive two or three emails every day either thanking me for the review or expressing anger that I could have...
It's a Fact, Eh? - Victoria Day (05/19/08 - 9 Comments)
Today is the day that I and my fellow Canadians celebrate Victoria Day. It is a day in which we, at least in theory, commemorate the birthday of Queen Victoria (and Queen Elizabeth II, though I suspect most people are not aware that she piggybacks in her birthday as well). Most Canadians, I’m quite sure, do not know or care what the day commemorates, though they are happy enough to enjoy a day away from...
Prayer for the Lord's Day Evening (05/18/08 - 5 Comments)
Since I committed to daily blogging I've often joked that the day I don't post, lots of people will presume I'm dead. This is one of those days that saw me hurry through the morning and then head to church. After the service we enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship with a family in our church and we then went to the evening service. Suddenly it's 7:30 and I haven't blogged. We came home to a...
Book Review - Out of the Black Shadows (05/17/08 - 2 Comments)
I knew I had to read Out of the Black Shadows after I came upon Philip Ryken’s brief review of the book. Ryken wrote, “The book is a great read for Christians of all ages. The members of our book club would put Out of the Black Shadows in the very first rank of spiritual autobiographies.” The book tells the story of Stephen Lungu, now an evangelist serving with African Enterprise. Stephen was the oldest...
Book Review - In the Eye of the Storm (05/16/08 - 14 Comments)
In 2003 Gene Robinson was elected bishop of the tiny Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire after having served as assistant to the previous bishop for almost eighteen years. Robinson’s profile, both within the Episcopal Church and outside of it, is completely out of proportion to the size of his charge. He is, after all, the first practicing homosexual to be elected as a bishop within that church body. His story has been told widely within...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 3) (05/15/08 - 9 Comments)
This morning those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the third chapter of A.W. Pink's The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. This week we move on to the book's third chapter. Summary Jesus' third saying on the cross is the word of affection. While hanging in agony he looked down to...
Next Year Treat Your Pastor to The Basics (05/14/08 - 9 Comments)
The Basics conference is just wrapping up with a Q & A session involving the three speakers (Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges and Voddie Baucham). They are answering questions put to them by the people attending the conference. Questions have varied from the spiritual qualifications of men and women who serve in worship teams, to the place of parachurch ministries in the life of the church, to the reason there is no cross at the front...
The Basics Conference - Alistair Begg (2) (05/14/08 - 1 Comments)
This morning Alistair Begg continued the message he began yesterday. In the first message he covered the first point and today he covered the final two. The Method The tools of the trade are words and the ministry we exercise is a ministry of the Word, proclaiming Christ as the living Word, by using words. Even a casual survey of church history shows that whenever the church has lost sight of the importance of the...
The Basics Conference - Jerry Bridges (2) (05/13/08 - 2 Comments)
Tonight Jerry Bridges provided his second address, this one look to 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 which says “For the love of Christ controls us [that we] live might no longer live for [our]selves but for him who for [our] sake died and was raised.” He continued to speak on the theme of preaching the gospel to ourselves. And in this case he taught that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves because it reminds...
The Basics Conference - Voddie Baucham (2) (05/13/08 - 0 Comments)
This morning ended with Voddie Baucham preaching his second message to us. In this message he wanted to ask Why do we preach what we preach? Why should we remain committed to preaching the gospel? Why should we make up our minds that this is all we will preach? There are so many other things that people are turning to. Why shouldn’t we turn to some of these other things? He turned again to 2...
The Basics Conference - Alistair Begg (05/13/08 - 6 Comments)
I love the relaxed pace of The Basics conference. Some conferences are almost frantic in their pacing; this one is relaxed and subdued. I like it! It makes for a very pleasant experience. This morning brought us Alistair Begg’s first message. For this message and the next his text will be 2 Corinthians 4. He began with an explanation of why he chose this text and how he approached it (and though this may sound...
The Basics Conference - Voddie Baucham (05/12/08 - 6 Comments)
In this evening’s session (and after a wonderful dinner or barbeque ribs and chicken) Voddie Baucham preached from 2 Timothy. He expressed great affection for the book of 2 Timothy pointing out that it is written by a man who is about to die; he is about to be martyred. There are two striking things in the book: first, he asks Timothy to come to him quickly. He is about to die and desperately wants...
The Basics Conference - Jerry Bridges (05/12/08 - 4 Comments)
Here I am in Cleveland to take in The Basics conference. I drove up here with my friend Jason and after an early start we arrived just around noon. We ate at a local restaurant and I continued my strategy (borrowed from Thabiti Anyabwile) of always asking the server just to bring me whatever she thinks I’d enjoy. So far it has proven a good strategy. I recommend trying it! The conference began at 3...
The Basics Conference (05/12/08 - 8 Comments)
I am off to Cleveland in just a few moments. I’ll be attending The Basics Conference which is held at Parkside Church (which is, of course, pastored by Alistair Begg). Cleveland is somewhere around five hours away by car so I decided to drive rather than fly. I will be there until the conference wraps up Wednesday at around noon. If you could remember me in prayer, I’d be grateful. Not only would do I...
A Family Prayer (05/11/08 - 6 Comments)
I went looking this morning for a prayer for Mother's Day. I guess the Puritans didn't celebrate Mother's Day (wasn't Hallmark around back then?) but I did find this prayer for the family in The Valley of Vision. It is called simply "Family." O SOVEREIGN LORD, Thou art the Creator-Father of all men, for thou hast made and dost support them; Thou art the special Father of those who know, love and honour thee, who...
April Book Giveaway Winners (05/10/08 - 2 Comments)
A week ago I announced a giveaway of some great books. Today I want to wrap that up and announce the winners. This month’s sponsor was Reformation Heritage Books. RHB publishes and distributes Puritan and Reformed books. Soli Deo Gloria Publications, which you know as a publisher that has done more than just about any other organization to bring Puritan writings back into print is now under the direction of Reformation Heritage. The Prizes 3rd...
Book Review - The Irresistible Revolution (05/09/08 - 31 Comments)
Love him or hate him, it is tough to accuse Shane Claiborne of being an armchair quarterback. He is not a man who seeks to convince people to do something that he is unwilling to do himself. Instead he calls Christians to live as radicals while he himself lives in a radically counterculture way. Claiborne is one of the founders of The Simple Way, a small but increasingly high-profile ministry among the poor in Philadelphia....
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 2) (05/08/08 - 12 Comments)
Today those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the second chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Two weeks ago we began our eight-week study of this book by looking at the Introduction to the book and last week we read the first chapter which dealt with Jesus’...
All Men Are Equal Down at the Cross (05/07/08 - 18 Comments)
Yesterday I wrote about sin, asking if sin is primarily something we do or something we are. Some questions arose in light of that article and I wanted to carry on a bit of discussion by looking further at the doctrine of human depravity. I have shared most of this in the past but felt it was well worth covering again. It is easy to see this doctrine as one that is terribly depressing and...
The Evangelical Manifesto (05/07/08 - 17 Comments)
You have probably heard about the Evangelical Manifesto—a document that has received some attention in the press over the past few days. This manifesto was made public for the first time just a few minutes ago and is now publicly available at anevangelicalmanifesto.com. According to those who drafted the document, “The two-fold purpose of this declaration is first to address the confusions and corruptions that attend the term Evangelical in the United States and much...
Sin: What We Do or What We Are? (05/06/08 - 33 Comments)
As anyone knows who has studied the life of Jonathan Edwards, he dedicated a large portion of his ministry to thinking, writing and teaching about the freedom of the will. And, of course, he eventually published a classic work dealing with the subject. In writing the book he thought back to the days when revival had swept his church, his community and the area around it. And as he reflected on the individuals who had...
Books and Beefsteaks (05/05/08 - 18 Comments)
Here is a quote from Mortimer Adler, author of the classic How to Read a Book. In this piece he explains the importance of making a book your own. There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you establish by paying for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of purchase is only the prelude to possession. Full ownership comes only...
Book Review - Rapture Ready (05/05/08 - 18 Comments)
It is no secret that Christians have a subculture all of their own. It is an expansive subculture that for some people can encompass almost every area of life. From music to television, movies to sports, Christians can enjoy all manner of entertainment, all of it “blessed” by one Christian organization or another. While the majority of non-Christians are generally unfamiliar with this subculture, I have come across some for whom it presents something of...
How We Kept Mother's Day (05/04/08 - 14 Comments)
On a couple of occasions I’ve posted short stories by Stephen Leacock. Well, one of my favorite Leacock tales is this one that he tells about Mother’s Day. It seemed appropriate today since we’re just a week away from the occasion. I plan to make sure that my family treats Aileen at least this well next Sunday. You’ll want to do same. One year our family decided to have a special celebration of Mother’s Day,...
Saturday Miscellania (05/03/08 - 2 Comments)
It is a rainy Saturday afternoon here in the Toronto area. I’m supposed to be heading out to coach a baseball practice at 2 PM but it’s looking rather doubtful at the moment. It seems like the kids are going to head into their first game with only one practice under their proverbial belts. It should be an interesting game to say the least. I’d guess at least 2 out of every 3 outs will...
Book Review - "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan (05/02/08 - 16 Comments)
There are many voices critiquing the North American church today. The voices come from both within and without; from those who love the church and those who hate it. We all know that there is something wrong. But what? In many cases the prescription is the same while the cure varies widely. In his new book Crazy Love, first-time author Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, regular speaker at Passion conferences...
Thinking Christianly About Economic Stimulus Payments (05/01/08 - 24 Comments)
The Economic Stimulus Payment is on its way. In the coming weeks Americans will be receiving a check, courtesy of the government. Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17. This is going to be quite the windfall for many families. John Piper recently wrote a short blog post he entitled Economic Stimulus Payment & Christ in which...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 1) (05/01/08 - 17 Comments)
Today those of us who have embarked on a project to read some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the first chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Last week we began our eight-week study of this book by looking at the Introduction to the book. This week we move on to the first...
