Reformation Day Symposium - 2008 Edition (10/31/08 - 37 Comments)
Today is Reformation Day--the 491st 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. I have...
Book Review - The Prodigal God by Tim Keller (10/30/08 - 22 Comments)
After the publication of The Reason for God, Newsweek hailed Tim Keller as "a C.S. Lewis for the twenty-first century." That is a lofty comparison and one I'm sure must make Keller quite uncomfortable. Yet at some level the comparisons are becoming undeniable. Keller's ability to communicate to believers and unbelievers alike and to do so on an intellectual level clearly parallels that of Lewis. Where Keller's first book offered an explanation as to why...
Reading Classics - The Religious Affections (XIV) (10/30/08 - 4 Comments)
Today we are supposed to continue with our reading of Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections. Unfortunately my week was such that I did not manage to get through the whole reading. Thus I am going to defer this until Saturday. I do apologize. However, if you have read the chapter and have something to say about it, please do so in the comments. I'll update this on Saturday....
I Love You This Much (10/29/08 - 60 Comments)
Last week I spent an evening reading Rick Warren's soon-to-be-published book The Purpose of Christmas. It is a mostly-original work that, while it draws heavily from The Purpose Driven Life is at least not entirely derived from it. An evangelistic gift book, it is meant to be given as a Christmas gift. I have written a review of it that I will post a little closer to the release date. For now, though, I wanted...
Christless Christianity (10/28/08 - 15 Comments)
It is no small thing to take upon oneself the name Christian. Though it was first used as a form of derision when unbelievers mocked the "little Christs," the name was embraced by the earliest believers. The term, even when used mockingly, nicely encapsulated what they sought to do, namely, to imitate their Lord and Savior. Sadly, in the centuries since then, the word has become far too ambiguous and now refers to any number...
The Badder the Bad... (10/27/08 - 20 Comments)
Over the weekend I read Michael Horton's new book Christless Christianity. I greatly enjoyed reading it (despite chapters that were slightly longer than my attention span) and found that it gave me a lot to think about. A few days earlier I had read a new book by Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas. What a contrast there was between the two of them. Throughout his book, Horton emphasizes the importance and transcendence of the...
The Love of God (10/26/08 - 41 Comments)
Earlier today I was thinking about my favorite hymn lyrics (not hymns overall-just particular lyrics). I think my all-time favorite is and remains the final stanza of "And Can it Be?" The last two lines just grip my soul every time I sing them: No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine; Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach th'eternal throne, And claim the...
What's Oprah Ever Done For You? (10/25/08 - 14 Comments)
Apparently Oprah loves Amazon's Kindle reading device. She loves it so much that she featured it on her show. Amazon responded by whipping up a coupon code which will remove $50 from the price of the Kindle should you decide to order one (something they, for some reason, chose not to do when I reviewed it). I'm not sure how long this promotion lasts, but I can't imagine it will be more than a day...
The Third Annual Reformation Day Symposium (10/24/08 - 5 Comments)
October 31, one week from today, will mark the 491st 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 his Theses to try to begin...
Like Kindling a Flame (10/23/08 - 8 Comments)
Don't tune out just because this is about Jonathan Edwards. For the second time in this round of "Reading Classics" I want to withhold comment and just leave readers with some of Edwards' wisdom. In this week's reading he has been suggesting that a "great and very distinguishing difference between gracious affections and others is, that gracious affections, the higher they are raised, the more is a spiritual appetite and longing of soul after spiritual...
The Moral High Ground (10/22/08 - 43 Comments)
Yesterday I received an interesting email from a reader of this site. He had a question about abortion and, specifically, about abortion in the case of incest and rape. Here is an excerpt of his question: We're not living in a theocratic nation like the Old Testament Israel. Whether we like it or not, we're living in a democratic nation where people of varying beliefs, not God, make the laws. To what extent, then, can...
5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow (10/21/08 - 4 Comments)
5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow is a book about Christians and farming. R.C. Sproul suggests five things that every Christian needs to grow--barley, wheat, corn... OK, I'm just kidding. But don't you think the strangely ambiguous title could fit such a book? In reality, 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow is a reprint of a small book published in 2002 by Thomas Nelson. Revised, expanded and given a great new cover, the...
Amazing Grace or Random Grace? (10/20/08 - 18 Comments)
It was quite a while ago that I received an email from a father, concerned about the task of sharing the gospel with his children. While I answered the email then, I also filed it away for further thought. Today I want to answer it in a little bit more detail. Here is what this reader wrote to me: I have such a hard time grasping this notion of election as a father. God made...
My Heart Was Too Full (10/19/08 - 3 Comments)
In his sermon this morning our pastor quoted John Paton's Autobiography (still in print almost 120 years after it was first published). It's a quote I've heard often and one that has stirred me every time. It describes Paton leaving his home in Torthorwald to attend missionary school in Glasgow (just to get to the train he had to walk some forty miles). His godly father accompanied him for the first portion of the journey....
The Communion of Saints (10/18/08 - 5 Comments)
Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at Chinese Gospel Church in downtown Toronto. It's a church right in the heart of the city in the area known (not so creatively) as Chinatown (if you ever go there you will quickly find out why it has this name). I told the people there that, when I was growing up in the suburbs, we used to go on class trips to Chinatown as a kind of...
Unpacking Forgiveness (10/17/08 - 11 Comments)
You do not need to live long in this world before you will accumulate a nearly endless list of people to whom you owe forgiveness. Even young children quickly begin to sin against others and have to ask forgiveness (just as my two-year old had to seek forgiveness from her sister yesterday for tearing a page from her new Bible). And though Christians speak often of forgiveness extended to them by God, they speak far...
Reading Classics - The Religious Affections (XII) (10/16/08 - 6 Comments)
Today we turn to one of our final readings in The Religious Affections. We are quickly closing in on the book's closing pages. In another few weeks we'll be ready to turn to another book. But for now, let's look to what we read this week. Summary Here is what we have learned so far about religious affections: They are from a divine influence. Their object is the excellence of divine things. They are founded...
The Good Ol' Hockey Game (10/15/08 - 16 Comments)
This is a short story I wrote a little over three years ago. It represents what may be the only time I've ever written fiction for this blog. While I'm quite sure I haven't thought about this story since the day I posted it, that changed yesterday when it suddenly made its way into my brain. I re-read it and thought it would be fun to post it for you. It's just a silly little...
The ESV Study Bible - A Review (10/14/08 - 29 Comments)
I still remember getting my first study Bible. It was many years ago, probably in the late 80's, that my parents gave me the gift of a brand new NIV Study Bible. I used that Bible daily for many years though it was eventually replaced by a New Geneva Study Bible in the NKJV translation and after that by a Reformation Study Bible in the ESV. Today, if you drop by my home in the...
On the Giving of Thanks (10/13/08 - 10 Comments)
If you've been reading this site for a few years, you may remember the time I wrote about my old van leaving me stranded on the side of the highway. My lease was nearly over and I had to drive across town (about one hour each way) to visit a car dealer and have him put a price on my van. This happened to be a rare occasion that I did not have my cell...
A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving (10/12/08 - 0 Comments)
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving up here in Canada and we'll be gathering with family to celebrate the day. I thought it would be appropriate to offer this prayer, drawn once more from The Valley of Vision. O My God, You fairest, greatest, first of all objects, My heart admires, adores, loves You, For my little vessel is as full as it can be, And I would pour out all that fullness before You in ceaseless flow....
True Woman (VII) (10/11/08 - 20 Comments)
Here is the liveblog from the last of the True Woman sessions. Immediately after this wrapped up, I hopped a cab and went to the airport. There were several hours before my flight, but I thought I'd find a place to hole up and get some work done. Well...it turns out there was an earlier flight as well and I just had time to get to it. So it worked out well and I got...
True Woman (VI) (10/10/08 - 1 Comments)
We're going to keep with the CoverItLive format for this evening's sessions. Feel free to read along and join in the fun, beginning at 6:30 PM CST....
True Woman (V) (10/10/08 - 6 Comments)
This morning, just for one session, I'm going to try something different. This is a piece of software called CoverItLive and its made specifically for live-blogging. I thought I'd give it a shot....
ESV Study Bible (10/10/08 - 18 Comments)
I just got handed a copy of the ESV Study Bible by a roaming Crossway marketing guru. Ah, the joys of being a reviewer. The Bible is set for release this Tuesday and you can now order it from Amazon, Westminster Books, or any other online retailer. Westminster is offering it at a ridiculous discount in each of the eight editions and is shipping it starting today. Hardcover TruTone Nat Brown TruTone Classic Black Black...
True Woman Conference (IV) (10/09/08 - 16 Comments)
After John Piper finished his session, a "True Woman Profile" played on the screen. It was the story of one of the women at the conference and told of her conversion to Christ in prison. This was followed by the Getty's singing "The Power of the Cross" and "When I Survey." And then it was Nancy Leigh DeMoss' turn to speak and she took as her text Romans 11:33-36. "Oh, the depth of the riches...
True Woman Conference (III) (10/09/08 - 4 Comments)
The first session of the True Woman Conference was led by John Piper who spoke on "The Meaning of True Womanhood." He made it clear that he counts it a privilege to address the most influential people in the world (distinguishing, he said, between privilege and authority). There is massive power in this room and he does not take this as a light responsibility. This message is offered as a foundation for the True Woman...
True Woman Conference (II) (10/09/08 - 2 Comments)
And at 6:45 the conference got underway, right on time (though my brain and my computer are still one time zone ahead). After playing some instrumental numbers, including a very nice Irish reel, Keith Getty and his band led the crowd in "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." Immediately I noticed how different a sound there is between 6000 women and, as at Together for the Gospel, 5000 men; or maybe it's as much...
True Woman Conference (I) (10/09/08 - 2 Comments)
It somehow seemed appropriate that both the Captain and the First Officer of the flight that took me to the True Woman Conference were women. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. I've often wondered if a female pilot would laugh if I said, "I'm totally comfortable with you flying the plane, but, you know, I've seen my wife's spatial sense and, well, would you mind letting a man park it?" (If it's not painfully obvious, I'm joking--don't...
True Woman (10/09/08 - 13 Comments)
Today I'm a True Woman; or I will be, at any rate. This morning, before the sun comes up, I'll be heading to Chicago to take in the True Woman Conference. This conference promises to be unique among those I've attended for the very fact that it is a conference for women (and, in case you've never realized it, I'm no woman). Of course I'm accustomed to going to conferences for which I am not...
Reading Classics - The Religious Affections (XI) (10/08/08 - 9 Comments)
Because I am traveling to Chicago tomorrow, I am posting this week's "Reading Classics" entry a day early. This week brings us to our twelfth reading in Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections and turns to the seventh and eighth signs of true religious affections. Summary Here is what we have learned so far about religious affections: They are from a divine influence. Their object is the excellence of divine things. They are founded on the...
Book Review - Desire and Deceit (10/07/08 - 1 Comments)
Dr. Albert Mohler has released four books this year and they have had very different origins. Atheism Remix began as the W.H. Griffith Thomas Lectures Mohler delivered at Dallas Theological Seminary early in 2008; He Is Not Silent is an original work, written as a book; Culture Shift and his most recent work, Desire and Deceit, began as articles written over a period of years, most of which were posted at Mohler's blog. Each of...
The Burden of Perverse Assumptions (10/06/08 - 37 Comments)
Though this article discusses homosexuality, I do not intend for it to speak about the rightness or wrongness of such a lifestyle. I am sure my thoughts on whether homosexuality can be reconciled with the Bible hardly need explanation. Instead, today I want to look at one very interesting result, one very interesting development, that has come with the widespread acceptance of homosexuality. I have thought about this a little bit in the past but...
The Dream is Over. The Endless Day Has Begun. (10/05/08 - 13 Comments)
I've met Terry Stauffer a few times--at Together for the Gospel and at least one or two other conferences. He has been a regular commenter at this blog and maintains a blog of his own. He serves as pastor of Edson Baptist Church in Edson, Alberta. Earlier this week I was shocked to receive an email from my pastor pointing to this entry on Terry's blog. "Last night at about 4:45 our precious 14 year-old...
A Week's Worth of Books (10/04/08 - 22 Comments)
I receive a lot of books in the mail. A lot of books. Choosing which ones I am going to read and review is always a bit of a chore. This morning I tidying up the disaster area that is my office floor and was trying to figure out which of the books would be added to my "to-read" bookcase and which would be filed in the other bookcases unread and forlorn. I jotted down...
Book Review - Called Out of Darkness (10/03/08 - 3 Comments)
Of all genres of books, memoirs may be the toughest to review. After all, how is a reviewer to evaluate the life experiences of another person? What is the measure of a good memoir and what is the measure of a poor one? Ultimately, as a reviewer, I can judge only the power and effectiveness of the writing, the truthfulness of what the author claims as fact, and, more subjectively, the personal impact of the...
Evangelical Humiliation (10/02/08 - 14 Comments)
I am guessing that the majority of the readers of this site do not read the "Reading Classics Together" posts. And, unless you're reading the books along with us, why would you? But today (if you've read this far) I'd like you to read one. I think you'll find it immensely useful. I am going to do little more than provide some quotes from Edwards, hoping it will give you a sense as to just...
The Best Defense (10/01/08 - 2 Comments)
The best defense is a good offense. You’ve probably heard that phrase before. As far as I can tell, it was coined by the Prussian military historian, theorist and tactician Carl von Clausewitz (a name I’m quite sure I haven’t written since military history classes way back in my college days). Since then it has been applied to all kinds of situations far beyond the military. It has also been turned around so occasionally you...
