Personal Archive
Rain in the Dining Room (04/28/08 - 5 Comments)
I’m not much of a do-it-yourself type. I’m well aware of my limits. You know, I’m pretty comfortable changing light bulbs and painting walls, but beyond that I tend to put a call out to my father-in-law (for low priority jobs) or a paid expert (for high priority jobs). We’ve got a few neighbors who are involved in the trades and I’ve been known to get them to come in to do cabling or minor...
Friday Miscellania (04/11/08 - 42 Comments)
It has been a tough couple of days. On Wednesday I wrote about the perfect storm of being away from home and returning only to have Michaela (my two year-old daughter) come down with some kind of illness. Well, that illness has progressed and yesterday she was admitted to the hospital. The doctors aren’t quite sure what is wrong with her, though at least they’ve been able to eliminate several awful things. At this point...
The Perfect Storm (04/09/08 - 19 Comments)
Today was a perfect storm. I spent Monday and Tuesday in Grand Rapids to meet with a client out there and got home yesterday evening. I came home to find Michaela (who is a month away from turning two…can you believe that?) just starting to show some signs of illness. Sure enough she spent the night doing her utmost to keep the rest of us awake while dealing with the inevitable consequences of some kind...
O Little Child of Salem (03/30/08 - 10 Comments)
Some time ago my mother made me aware of a poem her grandfather had written many years ago. My great grandfather was an Anglican minister somewhere in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and, to be honest, beyond that I know very little about him. But I really enjoyed this poem (which would have been ideal to post a week ago, perhaps on the Saturday before Easter). O little child of Salem Why weep ye so today? I...
NCCT 08 - Heading Home (02/10/08 - 5 Comments)
The Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology wrapped up last night with Dr. Carson speaking on “Preaching Christ Crucified.” It was, I think, a very useful conference and one that seems to have touched many of those who attended. The staff and the team of volunteers were very kind and very eager to serve. I always love the conferences that are held at local churches as they give such great opportunities for service. It...
NCCT 08 - Day 2 (02/09/08 - 4 Comments)
It’s day two of the Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology. Things kicked off last night with a session from Dr. D.A. Carson in which he introduced the Emergent Church and Emerging theology. He also dipped into postmodernism and a variety of related topics. For those unfamiliar with the whole movement, I’m sure this proved a useful introduction. You will be able to download audio from the conference site after things have wrapped up....
Checking in from Nashville, TN (02/08/08 - 10 Comments)
I’m a little bit later than usual in updating this site, but I’m also a timezone removed from where I usually update it. Yesterday, after spending over a hour shoveling out the car, the house, and a neighbor’s driveway, I left behind the cold and the snow and caught a flight to Nashville (where it’s merely cold—there doesn’t seem to be any snow). I am here for the Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology...
Friday Miscellania (02/01/08 - 8 Comments)
It’s a snow day today. We woke up to a pretty good blanket of the stuff on the ground and it’s supposed to keep up all day. It’s an absolute mess on the roads which makes me doubly glad that I am able to work from home. It’s a good day to stay in. The kids saw their schools canceled today, so I expect they’ll be heading outdoors soon to have some fun. It’s a...
Self-Disclosure (01/27/08 - 25 Comments)
Yesterday I posted a prayer for the Lord’s Day eve and said that I had made that prayer my own. Unfortunately that venerable Puritan neglected to pray for health and good sleep and, as it happens, I enjoyed neither last night. The kids were hacking and coughing and I woke up in the wee hours with a ridiculous sinus headache, runny nose, and all the rest. Rather than infecting others in the church I figured...
Just a Fundamentalist (01/16/08 - 121 Comments)
Yesterday Andrew Sullivan saw fit to link to my article on Biblical Inerrancy. Sullivan writes The Daily Dish for The Atlantic and is one of the most widely-read bloggers out there with at least 150,000 daily readers. You will not be surprised to hear that he did not like my article and linked to it with just one word of description, and an inflammatory one at that. “One fundamentalist makes the case,” he said. There’s...
Endorsing the Endorsers (01/04/08 - 54 Comments)
On Wednesday, Justin Taylor posted the news that my book is now available and provided a list of the blurbs for it. This led to some interesting discussion in the comments section. It began with the entirely fair question of “Who is Tim Challies?” and soon turned to “I was just surprised that, as his website says, a web designing blogger now writes books on spiritual discernment. When did our pastors and bible teachers quit...
The Routine-Driven Life (12/27/07 - 15 Comments)
It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to do my weekly John Owen “Reading the Classics Together” post today. And for that I apologize. Being away from home has completely disrupted my ability to keep this site operating as it usually does. I’m a routine-based person, it seems, and being away from my usual day-to-day life really changes my ability to do what I usually do. I woke up very early this morning...
Merry Christmas (12/25/07 - 12 Comments)
It has been a long but good day here in Woodstock, GA. We got up early and had the kids dig into their stockings. Then, once family had arrived from far and wide, we got busy opening what looked like just an obscene amount of gifts (there are, after all, eighteen people involved). After a great breakfast, a few of the menfolk (mostly) headed downstairs to package up copies of my book to be sent...
Christmas Traditions (12/24/07 - 5 Comments)
I’ve seen a few blogs where the authors are outlining their Christmas traditions. I’ve also been asked by some readers what my Christmas includes. So I thought I’d let you in on the Challies family Christmas. The way Aileen and I celebrate Christmas is a bit of a blend of two family traditions. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I grew up as part of a tradition that celebrated Christmas but did not generally emphasize...
Don't Waste Your Drive (12/21/07 - 42 Comments)
Yesterday morning (shortly after posting my John Owen post, as it happens) we bundled the family into the car and began to drive south. Far south. We are on our way to Atlanta to spend some time with my family. Yesterday we made it from Toronto all the way to almost the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. I’m writing today from a hotel that I believe is in a town called Corbin or something like...
A Southern Christmas (12/10/07 - 10 Comments)
I’m going to be in the Atlanta and Chattanooga areas over the holidays this year, hanging out with my family and then attending the Reality Check Conference (where I’ll be blogging, book signing, and having fun). So that means a couple of days in Adairsville, GA, a couple of days in Woodstock, GA (which, I hear, is a ‘burb of Atlanta) and a few days in Chattanooga, TN. Looks like it’s going to be a...
Christmas Music Favorites (11/23/07 - 33 Comments)
Every now and again I get concerned that people are going to think this blog is getting too commercialized—that I keep trying to sell you things. I’m not into blogging for that. But sometimes it’s fun to talk about things like this, so bear with me. Today I’m going to talk about Christmas music and offer up some suggestions. A few of my favorite blogs have been offering Christmas music suggestions. I don’t think lists...
Making Progress by Writing (11/18/07 - 5 Comments)
A question I am asked quite often goes something like this: “Do you ever have a day where you just do not want to write anything?” Are there ever days when the absolute last thing I want to do is to sit down and write? I can answer, quite honestly I think, that this happens only very rarely. There are definitely times where I don’t feel like I have much to say (and some would...
Two Conferences (11/05/07 - 2 Comments)
I wanted to draw your attention to a couple of conferences that, though they do not take place until 2008, are coming up rather quickly now. Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology (February 8-10) The Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology is hosted by Community Bible Church. This is how they introduce this conference: “After fifty years of ‘church growth’ methodology, the Church’s landscape is littered with countless relics of the latest and...
Calling Chattanooga (10/11/07 - 21 Comments)
I have an older brother named Andrew who lives in the fine city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Andrew needs help with something and I'm hoping that someone here--perhaps someone who lives in Chattanooga or who knows people who do, may be able to offer assistance. Now I would not generally create a post such as this one, but the fact is that my brother has some special needs. He was diagnosed just a few years ago...
Calling For Truth (07/11/07 - 7 Comments)
Here's something a little bit different. I've been asked to guest on a radio program for today, so rather than typing out an article today, I'll simply refer you to the program. It will go out live this afternoon from 1-2 PM EST. If you're in the area of Greenville, South Carolina, you should be able to listen on your radio. Everyone else can pick it up over the Net through the audio stream. We'll...
Discerning Reader News (06/13/07 - 34 Comments)
As you probably know, I run not only this blog but also Discerning Reader, a site that, until now has focused entirely on book reviews. Just last week I relaunched the site with a whole new design and a bunch of new features. Most notably, we will now add new reviews every week (on Tuesdays) and will add other information on a near-daily basis. I expect to update the site at least three to...
Who You Know (06/02/07 - 5 Comments)
I'm a bit late posting today. I had arranged weeks ago for my son and me to head to the Rogers Center today to see the Blue Jays take on the White Sox. We were going to meet a new friend (and reader of this site who just so happens to have served as chaplain to the Blue Jays for decades) at the stadium and take in the game with him. Early in the day...
The Future of Discerning Reader (05/03/07 - 38 Comments)
About one year ago I became the owner of the domain discerningreader.com. The purpose of Discerning Reader has been to serve Christians by providing discerning reviews of books that are intended for Christians or that are of particular interest to Christians. The former category primarily includes titles published by Christian publishing houses; the latter includes books that may impact the church even though they are not targeted at Christians (titles such as The Da Vinci...
Personal Updates (05/03/07 - 6 Comments)
I have found it exceptionally difficult to write this week. Actually, I've found it difficult to work as well. I'm not sure what's going on, really. So today I'm going to cop out and just share a few personal tidbits and try to come up with something more creative and more exciting for tomorrow. Part of the reason I've been distracted this week is that I've been asked to lead a seminar at The Basics...
The Most Wonderful Day of the Year (04/02/07 - 39 Comments)
The first Monday in April has long been one of my favorite days of the year. It is the day that the Boys of Summer take to the field and begin the long, difficult journey through the baseball season. Since I was just a child I have loved baseball. I grew up listening to the sounds of the game and spending every moment I could on the field. My earliest baseball memories go back to...
Selfish Requests (02/03/07 - 5 Comments)
I am drawing ever-closer to the deadline to hand my book to the publisher. The current word count is somewhere around 43,000 and the page count around 140 (though obviously the page count can change a whole lot based on the spacing, font selection and so on). As work continues and as the book draws closer to completion, I am becoming increasingly excited and, even better, increasingly convinced that this book may actually have something...
Prayer Answered and Requested (01/08/07 - 4 Comments)
Prayer Answered: R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was moved out of intensive care and into a private room at Baptist Hospital East this afternoon and continues to improve following complications from abdominal surgery that was performed Dec. 28. Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern, said Mohler is in good spirits following a difficult weekend. "I am extremely...
Review Questions and Study Guides (01/07/07 - 47 Comments)
As I continue to press on with writing The Discipline of Discernment and as I see the book starting to come together I am slowly beginning to consider some of the finer details. For example, I have decided to add a "Key Thought" to the end of each chapter. I always appreciate when authors are deliberate about ensuring that the reader has understood the purpose of each chapter (Bryan Chapell's Praying Backwards is an excellent...
"Of Making Many Books..." (01/02/07 - 9 Comments)
As you may know, I am in the midst of writing my first book. I am now four months into what I hope will be a six-month writing period. This will be followed many many months of editing, proofing and whatever else happens between the time a manuscript is submitted and a book arrives in the mail. If you have read this site for any length of time, you'll know that I am a lover...
Merry Christmas (12/25/06 - 9 Comments)
It is Christmas. Our day began a little bit earlier than I would have liked, but also a little bit later than I had expected. With our children growing older, we are finally able to celebrate Christmas the way I remember it as a child - a day of rising early and trembling with anticipation, hoping, just hoping, that the toy you wanted most is there, waiting under the tree. Christmas is a great time...
Quelle Surprise! (12/02/06 - 12 Comments)
Aileen gave herself the best birthday present ever. On her thirtieth birthday she gave birth to our daughter, Michaela Joy. It was a great day, even if we didn't get around to having Aileen's birthday dinner that day. Now that it is my thirtieth birthday I have proven unable to deliver such a great gift for myself. Thankfully, I've got family on my side. This morning at around 10 AM my biggest little sister (Maryanne,...
Meeting Adrian (11/13/06 - 13 Comments)
Last night Adrian Warnock flew into Toronto on a short layover while travelling to a top secret meeting in an undisclosed American city. He will be spending a couple of days with Andrew Fountain, who pastors a church somewhere in Toronto. But last night Paul and I drove out to a restaurant near the airport to meet the guy. We had a nice meal together and enjoyed getting to know both Adrian and Andrew. For...
Thank You (05/06/06 - 3 Comments)
I've heard it said that when a person loses a loved one who is particularly close to him--a wife or a child perhaps--he struggles with the fact that, while his life has been thrown into disarray, the world around him just keeps on moving. His world has been rocked and he may feel like his life is over, yet everyone else he knows continues to go to work and school and baseball practice. There is...
Michaela Joy Challies (05/04/06 - 87 Comments)
I'm in love. Last night, on her thirtieth birthday, my wife gave herself (and me!) quite a gift: our daughter, Michaela (in case you don't know, the name is pronounced "mih-KAY-lah") Joy Challies. I'm crazy about her already. Actually, I'm crazy about both of them. Michaela was an unexpected gift, actually. In her two previous pregnancies, Aileen has given birth ten days and seven days past her due date, so we were not anticipating Michaela's...
Baby's On The Way (05/03/06 - 15 Comments)
Aileen had a midwife appointment this afternoon and after much humming and hawing, the midwife decided to send Aileen to the hospital for a consult with the O.B. The O.B., after much similar humming and hawing, thought it would be best to induce Aileen tonight and get that baby out. There are no serious medical concerns, but they just thought this was the best course of action since, at 38.5 weeks, the baby is considered...
A Clean Bill of Health (04/25/06 - 6 Comments)
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Aileen. She went to the midwife today and received a clean bill of health. Her blood pressure, which had been trending up through the past three or four visits, suddenly fell precipitously back down to where it was a couple of months ago. It is now at a near-perfect level, actually. So I guess the combination of lots of prayer and lots of rest did...
Settling In (03/26/06 - 6 Comments)
Well here it is, my first post from the new house. The move yesterday went very smoothly - it took three trips in a 14' U-Haul with about eleven people helping (most of whom, strangely enough, were pastors). We were amazed with the amount of "stuff" we own, but I suppose there is nothing like seeing all of one's possessions in boxes to understand just how blessed one is! Our friends were most gracious with...
Travelling Mercies (12/28/05 - 0 Comments)
For the past week I have been basking in the warmth of the Atlanta sun. While I will grant that the Atlanta sun is only moderately warmer in December than the Toronto sun, it creates an atmosphere which is, at the very least, on the better side of the freezing mark. Just yesterday we enjoyed a tremendously nice day in which we hiked to the top of Kennesaw Mountain. This is the site of a...
A Horrifying Admission (12/27/05 - 0 Comments)
Today I will make a horrifying admission, one that might just cast a shadow of doubt over my life, ministry and masculinity. Ready for it? I enjoy Jane Austen movies. I don't just enjoy them, actually, but really, really enjoy them. I hate chick flicks as much as the next guy, but thoroughly enjoy Austen movies. And no, I do not consider those to be contradictory statements. Last night my sister and brother-in-law suggested that...
