The Unknown Waters of this Year (12/31/08 - 6 Comments)
Yet another year is giving us its last gasps. Tonight we'll celebrate the passing of an old year and the dawning of a new one. It is a good occasion, a good opportunity, to reflect on the year that was and the year that will be. To that end, here is a prayer drawn from The Valley of Vision. It shares hope and encouragement for the new year. It is a good one to include...
The Best Measure (12/30/08 - 13 Comments)
Continued from yesterday... Every now and again my son decides the time is right to build a paper airplane air force. He raids my printer to get the stacks of paper he'll need and then opens up The Dangerous Book for Boys to try out some of the designs printed in that book. But after building a few of these he inevitably wants to try some new planes--some bombers or fighters, perhaps. So he and...
The Right Measure (12/29/08 - 7 Comments)
On July 23, 1983, Flight 143, an Air Canada Boeing 767, lifted off from Montreal's Montreal-Dorval International Airport on its way to Edmonton, Alberta. On board were 69 passengers and crew. Sometime around the flight's halfway mark, while over the tiny community of Red Lake, Ontario, near the border of Manitoba, an alarm sounded in the cockpit, indicating that there was a problem with the fuel pressure on one side of the aircraft. The pilots,...
A Prayer for Year's End (12/28/08 - 6 Comments)
Let me share again today a prayer from The Valley of Vision that great collection of Puritan prayers. This one seems appropriate as we approach the end of another year and look forward to the year beyond. O Love beyond Compare, Thou art good when thou givest, when thou takest away, when the sun shines upon me, when night gathers over me. Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world, and in love...
Poll: Christian Conferences (12/27/08 - 56 Comments)
Christians love their conferences. Calvinists love their conferences. Put the two together and, well, you've got an awful lot of events in any given year. Many major ministries offer their annual conferences along with a selection of regional conferences; churches offer small conferences designed to serve a local constituency; ministries like Together for the Gospel and The Gospel Coalition offer bi-annual conferences designed to attract and coordinate pastors or ministry leaders from around the nation...
Odds and Ends (12/26/08 - 8 Comments)
I'm mostly taking time off through the end of this week, but wanted to share a few links I found round and about. The first shares the sad news that Disney has decided to walk away from the Chronicles of Narnia films. This leaves Walden Media looking for another distributor who can take them on (which Fox probably being the most obvious contender). It's not that the movies were losing money; far from it, really....
Merry Christmas (12/25/08 - 20 Comments)
Here is a brief introduction to a Challies family Christmas. It's really the only kind of Christmas I've ever known and it's one I've come to love. I grew up as part of a tradition that celebrated Christmas but did not generally emphasize it as a day to remember the birth of Jesus. It was not quite a secular holiday, but neither was it a sacred one. Aileen's family was quite similar. So our Christmas...
Books I'll be Reading in 2009 (12/24/08 - 27 Comments)
A couple of days ago I was a guest on a radio program, discussing my favorite books from 2008. At one point the host asked what books I am looking forward to reading next year. I thought I'd share just a short list here. This is based only on books that have been announced or that I've somehow discovered in my online wanderings. As you probably know, 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's...
Book Review - Virtual Integrity (12/23/08 - 6 Comments)
The internet is a minefield--there is no doubt about it. For every blessing it brings (and there are many) there seem to be innumerable dangers. For every relationship forged and strengthened, there is another damaged or destroyed. For every minute of time saved through some great technological advance, there are hours wasted in distraction and procrastination. For every good use, there are uncounted evil uses. Such is the fate of technology in the hands of...
We Shall be Changed (12/22/08 - 12 Comments)
On Saturday night, Aileen and I joined some friends to take in a performance of Handel's Messiah. And what a performance it was. It featured the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. It was, in a word, sublime. Conductor Noel Edison clearly understood the piece (I guess I should say "the oratorio") and wonderfully separated gravitas from joy. As the piece moved from prophecy, to the life of Christ, to his death and...
Things Vaguely Comprehended (12/21/08 - 10 Comments)
Earlier this year John Naish, a British journalist, released a book titled Enough (which does not seem to be widely available in the United States). He subtitled the book, "Breaking free from the world of more." He uses the book to encourage people to stop when they have enough--enough stuff, enough food, enough work, enough information. There were parts of the book I thought were much better than others; one part I thoroughly enjoyed was...
Book Review - Incomprehensible Demoralization (12/20/08 - 9 Comments)
It's probably not a good idea for a drug addict to work as a pharmacist. Actually, I'd say it's definitely not a good idea for a drug addict to work as a pharmacist. And yet, in 1996, when Jared Combs graduated from school and became a licensed pharmacist, he was heavily addicted to all kinds of drugs--any kind of drug, really. As is so often the case, Combs had to be brought low--very low--before he...
Memorizing Scripture - An Interview (12/19/08 - 34 Comments)
The name Ryan Ferguson may be familiar to some of the readers of this site. Ryan has appeared at a couple of conferences where he has recited long passages of Scripture. I first saw him at WorshipGod '06 where he dramatically recited all of Hebrews 9 and 10 (though he had memorized the entire book). I recently got ahold of Ryan and asked if he would answer a few questions about memorizing Scripture. I trust...
Reading Classics - Mere Christianity (III) (12/18/08 - 40 Comments)
Today we arrive at our third week of reading through Mere Christianity. The first week we read the Introductory bits while last week we read the first book, "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe." This week we read the second book, "What Christians Believe." Discussion In Mere Christianity Lewis attempts only to teach only the very foundations of the faith. Hence his look at "what Christians believe" touches only...
The Public Nuisance (12/17/08 - 15 Comments)
You'll have to excuse me for re-posting today. It was a tough night dealing with a sick kid and then this morning I had to take the kids to school and then shovel out after a pretty good snowfall. As I was shoveling this morning I thought of a post from last winter and thought I'd post it again. I hope you don't mind. Elizabeth is a public nuisance. Her status is not official yet,...
My Top 8 Albums of 2008 (12/16/08 - 38 Comments)
Tuesdays are usually the day that I publish a book review. Today I am going to break form and will instead fulfill a request by listing my favorite albums of the year. Now I will say off the top that I am no authority on music. In fact, I may be among the least-qualified people to discern good albums from bad. So do understand that this is a list of personal favorites. I am in...
One in a Sea of Faces (12/15/08 - 36 Comments)
The fifth chapter of John presents us with a pitiful scene. It is the Sabbath day and in Jerusalem, gathered around a pool by the Sheep Gate, is a great multitude of men and women. Some of them are lying on the ground, stricken with sores. Others are paralyzed or have shriveled limbs. Still others are blind or lame. All of these people are waiting by the edge of this little pool, for they believe...
Memorizing Scripture Together - A New Passage (12/14/08 - 6 Comments)
As I've said before, the bulk of the Memorizing Scripture Together effort is happening via email, but I do want to provide the occasional update on the blog. Because we are beginning a new passage today, it seemed like an appropriate time to mention it here. Those of us participating in the program have just completed memorizing Psalm 8. I want to focus on at least one more Psalm, and another one that can be...
Great Power and Great Stupidity (12/13/08 - 25 Comments)
It will come as no surprise to you that atheists are becoming increasingly militant in their stand against theism in general and Christianity in particular. This militancy is often taking the form of mock horror and dripping sarcasm. I find it valuable every now and again to read quotes like this one from Sam Harris, author of Letter to a Christian Nation. Why? Well, I suppose it helps me remember the old adage--the truth--that the...
Awakening to Grace (12/12/08 - 15 Comments)
There's always an element of frustration when I read the gospels. I read of these men who traveled with Jesus, who followed him month after month, who drank in nearly every word of his earthly ministry. And yet somehow they just did not get it. Somehow the full reality of who he was and what he would do escaped them. It was only in hindsight, only after all was unmistakably clear, only in the book...
Reading Classics - Mere Christianity (II) (12/11/08 - 49 Comments)
Today we continue reading classics together. We have come to our second reading in C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. We read all of book I, "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe." Discussion In our reading we covered five short chapters: The Law of Human Nature, Some Objections, The Reality of the Law, What Lies Behind the Law, and We Have Cause to Be Uneasy. In this first book, Lewis sets...
My Top 8 Books of 2008 (12/10/08 - 15 Comments)
I'm not quite sure how many books I read this year, but it is probably in the neighborhood of 80-100. I recently combed through the list, looking for the books I read in 2008 that were also published in 2008. And as I did that, I built a list of my favorites. Now do note that these are my favorite books. This is different than attempting to say in some objective manner that these are...
Don't Stop Believing (12/09/08 - 2 Comments)
Michael Wittmer feels trapped in the middle. To one side are conservative Christians demanding lockstep allegiance to narrow doctrinal statements--statements so detailed that they insist on specific theories of the end times or specific understandings of the spiritual gifts. Such people interpret doubts, questions, or appreciation for other viewpoints to be the first signs of an inevitable slide to liberalism. On the other side are postmodern Christians who question many traditional assumptions--or maybe even every...
God's Gag Reflex (12/08/08 - 31 Comments)
Read an outside view on Calvinists or Calvinism, and you are sure to read something about God's wrath. The God of Calvinism is a wrathful, vengeful God, boiling over in anger against any part of creation that has turned against him. He is no God of love, this. Sure, he may have some love for his elect, but to the rest of the world he is this angry, brooding presence eagerly awaiting the day of...
Board (Not Boring) Games (12/07/08 - 87 Comments)
In recent months my family has been discovering (for the kids) or rediscovering (for Aileen and me) a love of board games. We've had great fun playing games like Ticket to Ride (an amazing game for the whole family), Lost Cities (a fast and fun strategy game for two adults or older children), and a few of the classics. In the next day or two Aileen and I are going to tackle Carcassonne, by all...
Book Review - Signs of the Spirit (12/06/08 - 7 Comments)
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in the writing of prominent Christians of days past. Christians have turned with renewed interest to church Fathers, to Reformers and to Puritans. One of the chief benefits of this interest has been the many "interpretations" and contemporary adaptations of classic books. Taylor and Kapic, working with Crossway, have edited two volumes of John Owen, giving us updated versions of Owen's classic texts on the Holy Spirit...
The Silence at the T4G Blog (12/05/08 - 67 Comments)
My buddy Scott wrote me recently to ask if I happened to know why the Together for the Gospel blog has gone silent. I took a look at the blog and, sure enough, it has not been updated since April. I snooped around some. As far as I can tell, the reason the blog has not been updated is this: the four "friends" are no longer talking to one another. There is a bit of...
Reading Classics - Mere Christianity (I) (12/04/08 - 74 Comments)
Here we are, at the beginning of another round of Reading Classics Together. In the past months we've read four great Christian classics--Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen, The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by A.W. Pink and The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. And now we add to the list Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I trust that this will be a slightly easier read than...
Doubt as Virtue, Assurance as Arrogance (12/03/08 - 21 Comments)
I have written often about the issues of doubt and assurance. They are, I think, issues that are well worth spending time on. Many fine Christians spend much of their lives doubting their salvation while other nominal Christians live in reckless assurance of their right standing before God. Meanwhile, many people today teach that doubt itself is a virtue while assurance is a mark of arrogance. John Frame offers some valuable perspective on this in...
Book Review - Outliers (12/02/08 - 6 Comments)
I am an unabashed fan of Malcolm Gladwell's books. I enjoy his style of writing and admire his ability to not only dig up fascinating stories and statistics, but to weave them together into a cohesive whole. Blink and The Tipping Point were both excellent books that, even if not particularly deep, offered popular-level introductions into topics all of us experience but few of us think about. It is little wonder, really, that Gladwell's books...
A Great Servant; An Evil Master (12/01/08 - 19 Comments)
It's a question you've probably asked. Why is it that when you are looking for a house, driving slowly down a darkened street straining to see the numbers on the fronts of the homes or on the mailboxes at the end of the driveways, you automatically turn down the car radio? Why do you need silence when focusing, concentrating? You do so, I suppose, because you instinctively know that music and voices are a distraction....
