I have been at this blogging thing for a long time now, and would like to think there are a few lessons I’ve picked up along the way. There is a challenge I’ve been reflecting on recently, and it’s one I want to share with other writers: There is no necessary correlation between how many times people click on an article and how useful it actually is to them. It is no great feat to create the kind of headline …
It’s kind of a grab-bag day for Today’s Kindle deals. You may also want to check out this week’s deals at Westminster Books. We All Live in Marx’s World Now Carl Trueman does it again. “Perhaps serious Christians might spend less time hammering each other on Twitter and more time working hard in the local church, talking to the people they can actually influence—those with whom we have real relationships and a common church community. This has to be better than …
Today’s Kindle deals include a few books from Zondervan and one for college students. (Yesterday on the blog: Look! Look To Your Baptism!) Pastor, Be What You Want to See Jared Wilson: “God forbids pastoral domineering but commands instead ‘being examples to the flock’ (1 Pet. 5:3). Therefore, pastor, whatever you are, your church will eventually become. If you are a loudmouth boaster, your church will gradually become known for loudmouth boasting. If you are a graceless idiot, your church will …
This post is written by Paul M. Gould, author of Cultural Apologetics, a new book, video lecture series, and course, and is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. The dominant way of perceiving today can be described as disenchanted. For many, the world is not seen in its proper light. We think the world is ordinary, or every day, or mundane. But this is not what the world is actually like. In reality, the world is deeply beautiful. It is mysterious. It …
We Christians like to tell people where and how to look. To those crushed under the weight of sin or guilt we say, “Look to the cross! Look to the cross and see God’s justice for your sin being satisfied in his Son.” To those wearied by sorrow and suffering we say, “Look forward! God has promised that this light and momentary affliction will soon give way to an eternal weight of glory.” To those who are being persecuted we …
Today’s Kindle deals include several volumes in a biographical series from Crossway. (Yesterday on the blog: A Corporate Confession of Sin & Assurance of Pardon) The Age of Terrorism Meets the Era of the Troll Joe Carter reflects on the horror that unfolded in New Zealand. “The New Zealand shooter is an extreme example of an increasingly common disaffected person—mostly young men—whose worldview is shaped largely by an evil online culture. Here are six characteristics of these ‘trolls’.” The Perfectionist’s Enemy: …
One of my favorite elements of a worship service is a confession of sin and the subsequent assurance of pardon. At Grace Fellowship Church we include this in almost every service and, from time to time, I like to share an example. Here is how we confessed our sins together using Psalm 32 as our guide. *** We just sang together, “All the redeemed washed in his blood / Come and rejoice in his great love!” One of the ways …
Today’s Kindle deals include some newer books and some classics. This has been a really good week for deals! (Yesterday on the blog: Counsel for Couples) Why Charismatics and Non-Charismatics Can Get Along Tom Schreiner: “We don’t have to deny that our view on spiritual gifts or on whether or not infants should be baptized are important. These issues do matter, but they’re not first-order issues. They’re matters on which faithful believers disagree. And we celebrate the good work that …
This week’s free stuff Friday’s is brought to you by our friends at Southern Seminary. They are giving away eight copies of Dr. Tom Schreiner’s commentary on Hebrews. This giveaway is in celebration of their annual event, SBTS Madness, in which they give out hundreds of books! To learn more about SBTS Madness and how you can win even more books visit sbts.edu/madness. A degree from Southern Seminary represents more than a list of courses: It represents the trustworthiness that …
Over the past few years, we have been blessed with an incredible volume of resources related to biblical counseling. From primers for amateur counselors to in-depth examinations of specific issues, we are now well-served with resources meant to address a host of common issues. New to the field is Jonathan Holmes’s Counsel for Couples: A Biblical and Practical Guide for Marriage Counseling. Holmes is the pastor of counseling at Parkside Church in Ohio and brings a wealth of both practical …
There are a few new Kindle deals that you may want to consider for your virtual connection. (Yesterday on the blog: Exclusive Preview & Bonus Resources for A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible) The Epic Hunt for a Lost World War II Aircraft Carrier I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of the search for the U.S.S. Wasp, a carrier sunk during the Second World War. “On Jan. 2 of this year, a research vessel called the Petrel set out from Honiara, on …
We are just two weeks away from the release date for my new book A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible (which I co-authored with Josh Byers). In it we have attempted to make the deepest truths of the Bible accessible in a way that can be seen, understood, and experienced like never before. To do this, we’ve combined graphics and text to teach the nature and contents of the Bible in a fresh and illuminating way. Today I’d like …
Today’s Kindle deals include the whole Gospel for Life series from B&H. (Yesterday on the blog: Should Christians “Self Care?”) Don’t Mistake Transfer Growth for Evangelism Transfer growth isn’t necessarily bad, but we sure don’t want to be content with only transfer growth. “Here’s a better question for assessing healthy growth: Who is coming to your church who otherwise probably wouldn’t be active in the faith? This metric, of course, is imprecise, and we don’t want to presume how the lives of …
Words and phrases come and go. Both within the church and without, they often rise for a while, then quietly slip into decline and disuse. It is an annual tradition for dictionaries to announce the new words they are adding as well as the antiquated ones they are removing. In recent days, I’ve repeatedly heard the phrase “self-care,” or one of its many synonyms. I’ve heard it used in church contexts and in secular ones. I’ve seen Christians and non-Christians …
Crossway has just released the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible, and Westminster Books already has it on sale. Today’s Kindle deals include several books by Paul Washer as well as a few others. No Private Matter I appreciate this look at social media debate and conversation. “Surely this speaks to the social media debates and debacles which have become so much a part of what Christians are saying and then restating via retweets and shares. Could there be room for …
Today’s Kindle deals include a whole load of books from Zondervan, many of which will appeal to those of you who are academically inclined. (Yesterday on the blog: What’s the Purpose (and the Benefit) of Family Devotions?) What It’s Like to ‘Vote’ in North Korea “Voting for the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) is mandatory and there’s no choice of candidates. Any kind of dissent is unheard of. Turnout is always close to 100% and approval for the governing alliance is unanimous.” I …
This week the sponsored post is proved by Baker Books and is adapted from Matthew Barrett’s new book None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God. Matthew Barrett is the author of None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God. He is associate professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and executive editor of Credo Magazine, where he hosts the Credo podcast. You can follow him @mattmbarrett. Have you ever read a book that completely changed your life? Way back in …
What’s the purpose of family devotions? Probably no habit or discipline is so lauded, recommended, or even commanded among Christian families than this. But what’s the point of it? What is it meant to accomplish? Over many years of leading family devotions, I have been surprised to learn that it’s both more and less than I had expected. As Aileen and I began building the habit of family devotions, first as something that followed dinner and later as something that …
I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today’s digital world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God. Read More
