Meet the Ministries: Acts 29 (10/19/09 - 11 Comments)
A few weeks ago I began a series called "Meet the Ministries." This purpose of this series is to learn about some of the more prominent or more interesting ministries seeking to serve the church today. In the past this series has stopped at Grace to You and Desiring God. Today it continues to Acts 29 where Scott Thomas, Acts 29's Chairman and Director, was kind enough to answer a few questions. How and when...
Meet the Ministries: Desiring God (10/07/09 - 9 Comments)
Last week I began an interview series I am calling "Meet the Ministries." This is an opportunity for us to meet some of the Christian ministries available to serve us. The first interview featured Grace to You. This week I'm glad to share an interview with Matt Perman, Director of Strategy for Desiring God. How and when did Desiring God begin? Desiring God as an organization began in 1994. An elderly couple had been in...
The Gospel: The Key to Parenting (09/30/09 - 21 Comments)
Last week I reviewed Bill Farley's new book Gospel-Powered Parenting. I recommended it highly, saying it had "just the right combination of affirmation (your struggles are universal struggles, your joys are universal joys) and exhortation to both encourage and challenge me in all the right ways." After I reviewed it, I found there were a few things I wanted to ask the author. I went ahead and asked if he would be willing to do...
Meet the Ministries: Grace to You (09/28/09 - 13 Comments)
There are a vast number of ministries serving the church today. Though I am familiar with many of them (by name at least) I have often wondered what each of them offer to us, and what we can offer to them. I thought it might be useful to offer a series of interviews with some prominent ministries to ask just this kind of question--who are you?, what do you do?, why do you exist?, and...
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 God Who Gives Strength as Needed: An Interview with Terry Stauffer (07/10/09 - 21 Comments)
On September 28, 2008, I was shocked to read these words on the blog of Terry Stauffer, a man I had met at a couple of conferences and who has long been a reader and commenter at my blog: "Last night at about 4:45 our precious 14 year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as she was out for a walk. We don't know a lot of details, but we know that two young men...
The Soul in Cyberspace: An Interview with Douglas Groothuis (05/06/09 - 13 Comments)
In 1997, Douglas Groothuis (Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary) published The Soul in Cyberspace. It was, as far as I know, the first Christian book that critiqued and contemplated the darker side of computer-mediated communication. Twelve years is a long time when it comes to technology (and digital technology in particular) but I recently read this book nevertheless, and was surprised by just how relevant it is, even today. Though cyberspace has changed and...
Gum, Geckos and God - A Blog Tour (08/05/08 - 1 Comments)
Jim Spiegel is on a blog tour to promote his book Gum, Geckos and God (He is also author of The Benefits of Providence, a book I highly recommend). He asked if I’d like to participate in the tour and I thought that would be a great idea. So here are a couple of questions combining themes of both books. In several of your other publications you defend a high view of divine providence. In...
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...
Interview - Justin Reimer (04/27/08 - 2 Comments)
In the past months you may well have heard me mention The Elisha Foundation. This is a foundation I first discovered through my pastor (who is a regular speaker at the Foundation’s annual retreats) and subsequently learned about more when I designed a new website for it. I quickly came to respect what they do and wanted to share with you an interview I conducted with Justin Reimer who founded and still heads up the...
An Interview with Lukas VanDyke (04/03/08 - 10 Comments)
This marks the third interview I’ve completed with artists involved in various disciplines. I first interviewed Max McLean about performance art and then Makoto Fujimura on his abstract art. Today I turn to photography and interview Lukas VanDyke, a photographer I have met at several conferences. Lukas is an exceptional photographer and I enjoyed his responses to these questions. I hope you do too! Tell me a little bit about yourself—who you are and...
An Interview with Ben Zobrist (03/02/08 - 9 Comments)
I met Ben Zobrist while in was in Nashville speaking at the Nashville Conference on the Church and Theology. The conference was hosted by Community Bible Church, the church he and his wife, Julianna, call home (Julianna is a professional singer and musician. You can visit her MySpace). Ben was pointed out to me as the shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays (apparently they are no longer the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). I know the...
An Interview with Os Guinness (02/29/08 - 7 Comments)
Os Guinness is the author of nearly twenty books, the most recent of which is The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends on it. Guinness was kind enough to answer several questions I posed to him after the publication of this latest title. This has already been posted on Discerning Reader, but I wanted to post it here to be sure you were able to read it. Also, I'd like to hear your...
An Interview with Makoto Fujimura (02/03/08 - 20 Comments)
A little while ago I conducted a brief interview with Makoto Fujimura (makotofujimura.com). Fujimura is a New York-based artist who deals with a kind of art with which I have little familiarity. I first heard of him through an article written by Phil Ryken in which he describes visiting an exhibition featuring Fujimura’s work. I was intrigued by the examples of his art I saw through the internet and asked if he’d be willing...
An Interview with Devin Brown (Part 2) (01/30/08 - 25 Comments)
Yesterday I posted the first portion of an interview with Devin Brown, author of Inside Prince Caspian and Inside Narnia. Today we continue with the second and final piece, and look at mistakes people make when reading the Narnia books and the film adaptations of Lewis’s works. TC: What are some of the most common mistakes people make when reading and interpreting the Narnia books? In my opinion, the two biggest mistakes people make about...
An Interview with Devin Brown (01/29/08 - 3 Comments)
Last week I posted a review of Inside Prince Caspian, a new book by Devin Brown and a follow-up to his earlier work Inside Narnia. These books provide literary analysis of the Narnia books and have greatly enhanced my understanding of and enjoyment of C.S. Lewis’s imaginary world. I thought it would be interesting to follow the reviews with an interview and Brown was kind enough to spare some time. I asked him not only...
An Interview with Max McLean (01/21/08 - 13 Comments)
A short time ago I had the opportunity to interview Max McLean. You may know McLean as the narrator of the Bible in the ESV, NIV or KJV or as the narrator of the audio version of The Valley of Vision. He has also released recordings of several Christian classics and has been involved in many stage productions. Most recently he has starred in a production of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters in New York...
