Free Stuff Fridays (11/20/09 - 3 Comments)
This week's sponsor is christianaudio.com. "The mission of christianaudio is to shape Christian hearts to think and do right. We are in the business of making contexts in which Christians can think properly about God, themselves, and the world. We believe that spiritual growth occurs within the framework of proper beliefs - the contexts that allow Christians to go about enjoying God and serving others." I have met the guys behind christianaudio on several...
The Ultimate Christian Novel (11/19/09 - 82 Comments)
I think I have done it. I've come up with the ultimate idea for the ultimate Christian novel. This novel seamlessly blends today's most popular genres into one beautiful, compelling, cohesive whole. I thought you would want to know all about it. So I give to you... Cassidy: Amish Vampiress of the Tribulation That's right. It's an Amish novel; it's a vampire novel; it's an end-times novel. It's the best of all worlds. Here is...
Reading Classics Together - Redemption Accomplished and Applied (II) (11/19/09 - 12 Comments)
This is week two of our reading project. We are reading our way through John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, a classic text that provides a thorough treatment of the doctrine of the atonement. Murray is not a man to waste a word, so this book is dense; but he is also a brilliant theologian, so it is well worth the sometimes-difficult read. It is work, but the pay-off is huge. If you would like...
The Late Merger (11/18/09 - 77 Comments)
Though I don't feel quite right about it, I just had to give it a try. It is an experiment of sorts, I guess. I just had to know what it was like to be one of the few, one of the proud, one of the obnoxious--one of the late mergers. You know these people. Most of you, when you are crawling along the highway in heavy traffic and see a sign telling you that...
Who Made God? (11/17/09 - 14 Comments)
Why should the Devil get all the good scientists? It sometimes seems that way, doesn't it? We hear of scientists like Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins and others who are acclaimed as being at the top of their field and almost inevitably it seems that they are atheists or otherwise committed to explaining the world in terms of Darwinian evolution. Occasionally we find a great dissenting mind, but then we discover that that person is...
This Week's Sponsor: Unleashing the Word (11/16/09 - 3 Comments)
Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts) I came across Tim's blog in 2005 when I was doing some research for our recording of Martin Luther's Here I Stand. The day I connected with Tim, he told me that he had just that day started listening to John's Gospel from the ESV version of the Listener's Bible that we had recently published. Not long after that he interviewed me...
Well-Rested (11/16/09 - 9 Comments)
A few days ago I was talking to some friends about fatigue. It is a popular topic when you're in the stage of life that includes young children (though, from what I've overheard, it also seems to be a popular topic as you begin to hit old age). I got to thinking about the topic and found something I had written about fatigue a couple of years ago, apparently after a particularly tough night. *****...
A Prayer About Impossibilities (11/15/09 - 10 Comments)
Last week I posted a prayer by pastor Scotty Smith. Today it seemed like it would be good to post another one. This one stood out to me as one I needed to pray--a prayer about impossibilities. It is based on these words: "Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with men is possible with God.'" (Luke 18:27) ***** Merciful and mighty, Lord Jesus, how I need to wrestle with this hope this day. First of all,...
No Day Without Its Line (11/14/09 - 11 Comments)
A little while ago I read Warren Wiersbe's book 50 People Every Christian Should Know. Just the other day I was tidying up my bookcases and noticed a toothpick sticking out of the book. I opened it to the page marked by the toothpick and found a quote I guess I must have been hoping to come back to. Turns out it's a good one. It comes from a chapter devoted to Alexander Whyte. Here...
Free Stuff Fridays (11/13/09 - 5 Comments)
This week's sponsor of Free Stuff Fridays is Shepherd Press. Shepherd Press is a ministry dedicated to publishing solid, biblical books and material. They are likely best-known for publishing material by Ted Tripp (including Shepherding a Child's Heart) but they also publish material by a variety of other authors. I have yet to find a Shepherd Press book that was not worth reading. One of the more unique products they offer is a series...
Reading Classics Together - Redemption Accomplished and Applied (I) (11/12/09 - 31 Comments)
Today we begin another iteration of Reading Classics Together--a project which affords us the structure and accountability to read through some of the classics of the Christian faith. This time around we are reading John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied. The structure of the program is simple. We read one chapter per week and then come here to discuss it. Each week I will create a post like this one to introduce the topic and...
False Messages III: Desiring Him (11/11/09 - 18 Comments)
This is now the third (and final!) entry in this short series written by my wife, Aileen. In the last article she talked about rejection and how it effects both wives and husbands. The day before that she dealt with sexual desire, pointing out some of the differences between men and women. Today the series concludes. One thing I want to say. In this series she has been dealing predominantly with "average" marriages. It is...
False Messages II: The Heart of Rejection (11/10/09 - 23 Comments)
This short series, guest authored by my wife Aileen, began yesterday with False Messages I: What He Really Wants. Today Aileen picks up where she left off. ***** by Aileen Challies When you thought about getting married and when you anticipated having sex with your husband, did you ever think about how often you'd be saying "no" to him? I know of a few women who decided before they married that they would never refuse...
False Messages I: What He Really Wants (11/09/09 - 42 Comments)
For the next couple of days there will be a guest blogger on this site--none other than my wife, Aileen. She will be sharing a few articles directed specifically at women. Here is how this came about. Two weeks ago (yes, it was really that long ago) I posted a series called Sexual Detox. One of the unexpected results of the series was a large number of emails from women who read this blog. I...
A Prayer About Heart Guarding (11/08/09 - 3 Comments)
For some time now pastor Scotty Smith has been posting prayers at his blog. This one, in particular, caught my attention as a prayer that could come from the heart of any believer. ***** Heavenly Father, how I long for the Day when I will no longer be tempt-able, deceive-able, or even capable of worshipping any other "god" but you. I so look forward to an eternity of giving you the adoration, affection, attention and...
Sexual Detox: The E-Book (11/07/09 - 13 Comments)
Last week's series on Sexual Detox was quite an experience for me. I figured it would garner a little bit of interest simply because it dealt with an universal issue (sex) and because it included several important peripheral issues (pornography, addiction, and so on). But even then the response surprised me, both in terms of the number of visitors who showed up to read the articles and the outpouring of comments and emails in response...
Free Stuff Fridays (With 50 Prizes!) (11/06/09 - 11 Comments)
This week Ligonier Ministries is offering 50 (count 'em 50!) prizes. Each of the 50 (!) winners will be given a year-long subscription to Tabletalk Magazine (or a subscription for a friend, neighbor, hairdresser, family member, etc if the winner happens to already be a subscriber). Tabletalk is a tool that helps you grow in your knowledge of God and in your love for His Son and His people. Each month is packed with...
Reading Classics Together - A Reminder (11/05/09 - 15 Comments)
A couple of weeks ago I announced that the next book we would read together as part of the Reading Classics Together program would be Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray. We will begin reading that book on November 12, exactly one week from today. Actually, we will begin discussing the book on that date, so it would be best to start reading it before then. This is a final invitation to participate in...
To Love Him Is To Know Him (11/04/09 - 15 Comments)
How many times have you heard a person claim that he has "accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior?" Have you ever asked him what it means that Jesus is his Lord? Have you ever asked him how Jesus is his Savior? What makes him his Savior? And what does it mean that he is his personal Lord and Savior? How many times have you heard a person open a prayer with the words...
Unleashing the Word (11/03/09 - 17 Comments)
When was the last time you read a book about reading? Maybe you have read Adler's How to Read a Book or another like it. When was the last time you read a book about reading Scripture? Maybe you have read a book about how to do better personal devotions and have found there some ideas about reading Scripture in a more effective way. But when was the last time you read a book about...
Introducing 10MillionWords (11/02/09 - 31 Comments)
Seven years into blogging and six years into daily blogging, I've decided to try something, well, completely different. Today I want to introduce to you a new blog I've begun. It is called 10MillionWords. First, though, let me say that, as far as I see it, not much is going to change here at challies.com. I intend to continue to blog daily in much the same way I have been doing for all these years....
6 Years (11/01/09 - 24 Comments)
It was November 1, 2003 when I decided I'd commit to blogging every day for a full year. I was getting lazy with blogging and had given it little effort in the weeks leading up to that day. I figured I should either commit to doing it on a very regular basis or give it up altogether. A year later I had managed to blog every day and thought it would be good to renew...
