The Companion of Fools (08/31/09 - 7 Comments)
The Bible tells us repeatedly that we will eventually and inevitably begin to resemble the people we spend time with. If we walk with the wise we will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20). Much of the book of Proverbs deals with this very theme, warning the young and foolish to avoid similarly foolish companions. Such proverbs cannot always be taken too woodenly or literally, yet they do point...
The Long Silence (08/30/09 - 10 Comments)
Yesterday I came across a "playlet" (the first time I've ever heard the term) called "The Long Silence." If you've read John Stott's The Cross of Christ you've probably read it before. I haven't been able to find out who authored it or when he did so (though judging by the word "negro" it must have been a few years ago), but I do know that it is well worth reading and pondering. ***** At...
Money, Greed, and God (08/29/09 - 13 Comments)
The twentieth century was witness to a great battle between capitalism and communism. Early in the twenty-first century it is clear that capitalism won a resounding victory. Yet many people living in victorious nations continue to be uncomfortable with capitalism. They see it as a system of economics, a way of life that transfers wealth from poor to rich, that exploits the planet, that is somehow inherently biased toward the few at the expense of...
Free Stuff Fridays (08/28/09 - 2 Comments)
With another Friday (it's amazing how quickly they come and go) we have another edition of Free Stuff Fridays. This week's sponsor is Frontline Missions International. For nearly 20 years Frontline has worked among people in areas of war, persecution, and poverty, primarily in restricted-access countries, seeking to strengthen the Church, give voice to persecuted Christians, and proclaim the Good News. Recently, FMI has developed a new DVD series on 21st-century missions entitled Dispatches...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (X) (08/27/09 - 9 Comments)
So, today we come to chapter 10 of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. We're on the homestretch now and it seems that Burroughs is concentrating quite a bit on the negative aspects of the topic. This week he offers a series of "Aggravations of the Sin of Murmuring." Summary In this chapter Burroughs considers eleven aggravations brought about by murmuring. I. To murmur when we enjoy an abundance of mercy; the greater and more...
A Faithful Servant (08/26/09 - 6 Comments)
A few years ago I wrote about Edwin Alden, a missionary and pastor who served in the United States in the nineteenth century. I have since updated the article and thought I'd share a little bit of what I found. Edwin H. Alden, was born in Connecticut River Valley, on January 14, 1836, born into a line directly descended from the Pilgrims. He went to Dartmouth College and then to Bangor Seminary in Maine. After...
Book Review - Glory Road (08/25/09 - 8 Comments)
There are certain things I never get tired of hearing. I never get tired of hearing Tom Cheek's call of Joe Carter's home run--the one that won the Blue Jays the World Series in 1993 ("Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!"). I never get tired of hearing the "Hallelujah Chorus" performed by a world-class choir. I never get tired of hearing the laughter of little children (Okay,...
The Reaction & Revulsion of a Holy Nature (08/24/09 - 29 Comments)
What makes you angry? We all have our triggers, don't we? We all have certain things, certain situations, certain affronts to our dignity or pride that stir anger within. I know I've got mine. And actually, I know quite a lot about anger, as Aileen could attest (and probably will if you think to ask her!). When she and I talk about God's grace in our lives, and evidence of it, she will often point...
A Disciple's Renewal (08/23/09 - 2 Comments)
Once again this Sunday I turned to The Valley of Vision and found there a great prayer. This one is titled "A Disciple's Renewal." ***** O My Saviour, help me. I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb; I am in the foothills when I should be in the heights; I am pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my poverty of love, my sloth in the heavenly...
Human Development (08/22/09 - 6 Comments)
A friend sent this to me earlier in the week, a quote from John N. Oswalt's The Bible Among the Myths (Zondervan, 2009). What grabbed me in this quote was the author's insistence that we cannot measure human progress apart from our God-given purpose. It's worth thinking about. ***** I question whether we can talk about 'development' of any sort apart from the unique biblical perspective. Does 'the historical process' teach us about development or...
Free Stuff Fridays (08/21/09 - 1 Comments)
It's time for another Free Stuff Friday. This week's sponsor is Evangelical Press. As you may well know, Evangelical Press is a non-profit mission organization based in the UK but with an increasing presence on this side of the pond. It's mission is to place sound Christian books and sound biblical teaching within reach of as many people as it can across the world. This week they are offering five prizes, each of which...
Books I Didn't Review (08/21/09 - 9 Comments)
Here is (yet) another list of books I read that will not be receiving extensive reviews. Shakedown by Ezra Levant. Unless you are Canadian, you have probably not heard of Ezra Levant. Let me fill you in. Several years ago he was publisher of Western Standard magazine and made the decision to print the infamous Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. He did so because they were newsworthy and he wanted to use them to...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (IX) (08/20/09 - 14 Comments)
So after being just a little bit underwhelmed with chapter eight, I thought that Burroughs came back strong in chapter nine. Actually, I'm sure it is my fault and not his that I found the previous chapter slow-going, but I digress. There were a lot of things in this chapter, once again dealing with the evils of a murmuring heart, that hit me right between the eyes. Summary Some weeks I use this space to...
The Incident of the Fish (08/19/09 - 13 Comments)
A couple of years ago I decided that I'd try to read through the works of historian David McCullough (a project that continues). I eventually came to Brave Companions, a book that offers “Portraits in History”—brief glimpses of people and incidents that helped make America what she is today. One of the chapters deals with “The American Adventure of Louis Agassiz.” Agassiz was a French zoologist and geologist who settled in the United States in...
The Death Penalty on Trial (08/18/09 - 65 Comments)
That the Bible advocates and even commands the enforcement of the death penalty seems almost like it should be beyond controversy. The dignity God gives to humans, created as they are in his image, demands the utmost penalty for those who would recklessly and deliberately destroy life. Yet controversy abounds with many of those who profess Christ insisting that a God of love and justice would never endorse the use of this ultimate human punishment....
Counseling Myself (08/17/09 - 17 Comments)
Just about a week ago Aileen and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary. The Lord has been kind to us and, though in many ways we feel like we're just getting started, at the same time we can look back on an ever-lengthening legacy of God's faithfulness to us. Last week I paused a few times to think about the last eleven years and began to wonder what I would say if I could go...
A Minister's Preaching (08/16/09 - 3 Comments)
This week a friend, a pastor, sent to me one of his favorite prayers from The Valley of Vision. Since it is a prayer by a minister for his preaching, it is one I had never paused over. But what a great prayer it is. ***** My Master God, I am desired to preach today, but go weak and needy to my task; Yet I long that people might be edified with divine truth, that...
Love Constrained to Obedience (08/15/09 - 16 Comments)
A couple of days ago I stumbled across this old hymn (or poem--you pick) by William Cowper. What a great poem it is. I thought I'd share it with you in case you've never read it or, as in my case, have read it in the past but have forgotten all about it. It is called "Love Constrained to Obedience." No strength of nature can suffice To serve the Lord aright: And what she has...
Free Stuff Fridays (08/14/09 - 4 Comments)
Another Friday brings another round of Free Stuff Fridays. This week's sponsor is Crossway, a company that needs little introduction around these parts, I'm sure. They are offering a bundle containing several of their newer titles: Feelings and Faith, Counsel from the Cross, and Unpacking Forgiveness. Unpacking Forgiveness "examines God's Word to form a sound theology of forgiveness, helping readers move beyond the wounds and baggage of bitterness, disagreements, and broken relationships. Engaging and...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VIII) (08/14/09 - 8 Comments)
The editorial schedule around here has been a bit out of whack this week, leaving "Reading Classics Together" to get pushed from Thursday to Friday. Please accept my apologies (those of you who were expecting it yesterday). So though we're a day late, still we come to chapter eight, "The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit." Here Burroughs turns from the positive (the excellence of contentment) to the negative (the evil of a murmuring spirit). Summary...
A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church (08/13/09 - 19 Comments)
"My name is Warren, and I'm a recovering evangelical." There are plenty of books today that begin in roughly this way--biographies by Franky Schaeffer and Bart Ehrman come to mind. But Warren Cole Smith is different in that he remains an evangelical, he remains a professed Christian. His recovery from evangelicalism does not involve tossing away the faith, as others have prescribed. His recovery involves reformation, not of the Christian faith but of its evangelical...
To Backstreet (and Back) - An Interview with Burk Parsons, Part 4 (08/12/09 - 8 Comments)
This morning I finish up my interview with Burk Parsons. Today he explains how he came to minister alongside R.C. Sproul and shares some of his dreams for the future. If you are just catching up, here are links to part one, part two and part three of the interview. ***** How did you come to meet R.C. Sproul and to minister alongside him? I first began listening to RC in 1994. Developing Christian Character...
To Backstreet (and Back) - An Interview with Burk Parsons, Part 3 (08/11/09 - 10 Comments)
This morning I continue my interview with Burk Parsons. You can find part one of the interview here and part two here. ***** I've heard rumor as well that you were the first person Lou Pearlman spoke to when he decided to begin another band he called 'N Sync. Is this true as well? Yes, let me explain. In one sense, the second offer I received from Lou Pearlman was harder to turn down than...
To Backstreet (and Back) - An Interview with Burk Parsons, Part 2 (08/10/09 - 9 Comments)
Yesterday I began an interview with Burk Parsons. You can read the first part here. The interview continues today... People may have heard rumors in the past that you were an original member of the Backstreet Boys. Is this true? Unfortunately, yes, it's true. In fact, I recall the day we were told the name of our group. Alex, Nick, Howie, Sam, and I were together in Lou Pearlman's enormous game room (adorned with original...
To Backstreet (and Back) - An Interview with Burk Parsons (08/09/09 - 8 Comments)
It was several years ago now that I first met Burk Parsons. If you know Burk (or know his name, at least), it is probably through a connection with Ligonier Ministries or Saint Andrew's Chapel (where R.C. Sproul is Minister of Teaching and Preaching). At Ligonier Ministries he serves as Editor of Tabletalk Magazine while at Saint Andrew's he is Minister of Congregational Life. When I first met him it did not take long for...
The Dearest Hold (08/08/09 - 2 Comments)
I came across an interesting quote in Joshua Kendall's book The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus. It is a biography of Peter Mark Roget, the man behind the creation of the famous thesaurus that bears his name. In 1824 Roget married Mary Hobson (who, like her husband, was of Huguenot stock) and, by all accounts, they had a very happy marriage. Sadly, the marriage lasted only nine...
Free Stuff Fridays (08/07/09 - 0 Comments)
With only a few short weeks left of summer vacation, this is a great time to get back into the discipline of individual Bible reading and family devotions. To help you, The Good Book Company (www.thegoodbook.com) is giving away ten 'family devotional toolkits', each containing 3 outstanding resources for family Bible reading. Table Talk for families is a series of devotions for parents to use with kids aged 4 through 10. Designed for use...
The Housing Boom and Bust (08/07/09 - 15 Comments)
At a time of global economic crisis, in all of the talk of a subset of that crisis, the housing boom and bust, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the cause of that bust is so very simple. "Behind all the esoteric securities and sophisticated financial dealings are simple, monthly mortgage payments from millions of home buyers across the country." When the housing payments slowed or stopped, sometimes by necessity and...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VII) (08/06/09 - 8 Comments)
After a week's absence (based on a week's vacation) I am back today with the next chapter (Chapter 7) of Jeremiah Burroughs' The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. The topic for this reading is "The Excellence of Contentment." I do trust that many of you continue to read the book with me. Summary Every week I feel the need to begin with an expression of my affection for this book. Today will be no different!...
The Religious Hell Hole (08/05/09 - 103 Comments)
Several months ago I received an email from a person who had happened by this blog. As you will see in the excerpt of that email, she had been searching for information about original sin and its application to babies who die in infancy (or who die because of abortion). Google led her here. This is what she wrote: I volunteer at a pregnancy resource center here in Southern California. I teach a post abortion...
Review - John Piper DVDs (08/04/09 - 7 Comments)
Desiring God and Crossway have partnered together to create some interesting new products. They have recently released three small group studies which combine lessons on DVD with book-format study guides. I will provide a brief description of each and then share my thoughts on the series: Why We Believe the Bible. "With the deluge of communication around us--books, newspapers, blogs, journals, and magazines all insisting that their view of the world is most compelling--which should...
Books I Didn't Review (08/03/09 - 2 Comments)
My vacation is over. But as luck would have it, my first day back is a holiday, so I guess that extends things by one day. Today is Canada's annual Civic Holiday. I don't think anyone really knows why this holiday exists except as an excuse to enjoy a day off in what is usually about the best part of the Canadian summer. I'll actually be working much of the day, catching up on the...
A Prayer Following Prayer (08/02/09 - 1 Comments)
This is one of my favorites from The Valley of Vision as much for the concept of the prayer as its actual words. This is a prayer meant to follow prayer. Read it and I'm sure you'll see, as I do, just how weak and listless my prayers actually are and how much even my best efforts in prayer and praise and petition are in need of God's grace. Bewail your prayers and thank God...
Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (08/01/09 - 40 Comments)
Here are three brief quotes quotes from Leonard Sax's Boys Adrift. I thought of this book recently as I was talking to my parents and heard them describe a person they know whose child apparently suffers from "Oppositional-Defiant Disorder." That explains the third quote. The other two are just good to think about. If you've got boys of your own, do take a look at Boys Adrift; it is a good read. ***** "Forty years...
