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 - 53 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 - 6 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...
