Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
Trending Topics
#books
#pornography
#prayer
This week the blog has been sponsored by Westminster Bookstore, and they are now offering a giveaway to the readers of this site. At the Westminster Bookstore, we are committed to distributing biblically faithful books to God’s people from Kindergarten to MDiv. In that spirit, we wanted to give away a bundle of our bestsellers of 2020 (so far) — 15 books valued at over $400. The resources in our giveaway are: The Wonderful Works of God Gentle and Lowly: …
The New York Times recently ran a column headlined “Churches Were Eager to Reopen. Now They Are a Major Source of Coronavirus Cases.” The lede is alarming: “The virus has infiltrated Sunday services, church meetings and youth camps. More than 650 cases have been linked to reopened religious facilities.” Here’s how the story begins: Weeks after President Trump demanded that America’s shuttered houses of worship be allowed to reopen, new outbreaks of the coronavirus are surging through churches across the …
I’m often amazed at how much great material people willingly create and then release online for free. Today’s a good example of how different Christians use their gifts and explore their interests to bless people like you and me through their blogs. I’m grateful for each of them. Serving Our Housebound Members for the Long Term One unexpected benefit of the lockdowns is they gave us all a glimpse of what it means to be housebound. Hopefully that will help …
Whether it’s a vacation or a staycation (still one of my least-favorite words), it’s awfully good to take some time off, isn’t it? That’s what I’ve been doing this week—queuing up everything in advance, so I can just step away. Thanks for bearing with me! (With that said, I did spot some Kindle deals, so updated the page accordingly.) (Yesterday on the blog: Today I Will Live Like a Christian) The High Stakes of a Hard Heart Jen Oshman says …
The great daily challenge I face in Christian living is not a challenge of knowledge—I know what I need to know in order to live in a way that pleases God. It is not a challenge of discernment—there is rarely any great difficulty in distinguishing truth from error and right from wrong. It is not a challenge of ability—there is no temptation I cannot resist and no sin I cannot turn away from when I am indwelled by the Holy …
Just a reminder that I am taking this week off, so will not be updating the Kindle deals too often (though there are a few there now). Four Reflections on Sin Writing for TGC Canada, George Sinclair offers four reflections on sin. Do I Need to Understand the Trinity to Be Saved? I have seen a few variations on this question over the years, but especially appreciated this treatment from John Piper. 30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies …
"The storms of winter often bring out the defects in a man’s house, and sickness often exposes the gracelessness of a man’s soul. Surely anything that makes us find out the real character of our faith is good." (J.C. Ryle)
"In our anger, we think we see clearly—much clearer than most people. We are certain that we are right and just. All we see is our righteousness and someone else’s injustices done against us." (Ed Welch)
"Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination as by action." (Jonathan Edwards)
"The deeper into weakness and suffering and testing we go, the deeper Christ’s solidarity with us. As we go down into pain and anguish, we are descending ever deeper into Christ’s very heart, not away from it." (Dane Ortlund)
"To pray rightly, you must make God your hope, stay, and all. Right prayer sees nothing substantial or worth being concerned about except God." (John Bunyan)
"Every believer is called to be one of God’s bellhops, always ready to pick up someone else’s baggage." (Philip Ryken)
"The world needs to see Christians burning, not with self-righteous fury at the sliding morals in our country, but with passion for God." (Kevin DeYoung)
"Love those who differ with you by respecting them, not disdaining them. Don’t assume that anyone who is stricter than you is legalistic or that anyone who is freer than you is licentious." (Jonathan Leeman & Andy Naselli)
I hope you and yours are enjoying this beautiful summer. It has been a crazy year so far in so many ways, with so much suffering and uncertainty, so perhaps it’s more important than ever to get outside, to look at what God has made, to ponder it, to see his hand in it, and to praise him for it. (Yesterday on the blog: An Early-July Family Update) 4 Ways Not to Be a Jerk Online “Scripture calls us to …
This week the blog is sponsored by Westminster Bookstore and they are introducing a New Web Series and Podcast. We launched “The Afterword” because we don’t want our ministry to the readers of the Church to end with the delivery of a book. To that end, we hope these digital discussions will foster a culture of reading in our congregations as we engage with books and get to know the authors behind them. Throughout this series, we’ll cover all the …
Over the past few weeks it has been interesting to see how different jurisdictions in Canada and elsewhere in the world have created and released guidelines for worship services during a pandemic. And then it has been interesting to see how different churches interpret those guidelines. Here in Ontario, we were given broad guidelines from the province that were to then be explained and enhanced by more specific versions from the various regions. But since all of these documents were …
I am taking this week off, so will not be sharing Kindle deals, unless I happen to spot something spectacular. You’ll survive for a week! In the meantime, enjoy these links from around the web… (Yesterday on the blog: A Glimpse of a Disciplined Life) Against Every Accusation “The devil is not only a liar who seeks to deceive us, a tempter who seeks to ensnare us, and a murderer who seeks to kill us. He is an accuser who …
One thing that always fascinates me when I read biographies is learning of other people’s habits. That’s especially true when the subject is extremely disciplined. Tim Chester’s Stott on the Christian Life is not quite a biography of John Stott, but it’s not far off. He gives an interesting glimpse of Stott’s normal, well-disciplined routines. Here is what his life looked like: Commitment to discipline and to the disciplines was a feature of Stott’s own personal piety. “Fundamental to all …
I wish all of my American friends (and family) a joyful and celebratory Independence Day today. Today’s Kindle deals include the usual Saturday classics with a few newer titles as well. (Yesterday on the blog: A Mid-Year Bible-Reading Checkup (Don’t Give Up!)) Proud to Be an American? Bruce Ashford: “As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it is a good time to reflect on the proper perspective a Christian should have on his or her nation. In particular, now is …
Six months ago many of us were excited to kick off the year with a new Bible-reading plan. We had the plan printed out and the Bible laid open and the time set aside. We began with a lot of discipline and enthusiasm. But along the way, life happened. We missed a day here and there, then missed a week, then realized we had fallen far behind. Now, halfway through the year, many of us have given up and are …
Today’s Kindle deals include a few books that are worth a look. Westminster Books is offering a deal on a new book called Sketches of Faith and, with it, some excellent church history books for kids. Master Cleanse This is a fascinating and insightful article on Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and women’s self-help. “Female self-loathing is still a major moneymaker, the only difference being that the relentless focus on women’s flaws has moved under the skin. Your problem areas are …
There are once again some good picks in the daily roundup of Kindle deals. Also be sure to check yesterday’s list if you missed it. (Yesterday on the blog: Hope When Life Unravels) With Liberty and Justice for All Kevin DeYoung has written a reflection on national history and identity. Here’s a key quote: “We do not have to believe we are as bad as we’ve ever been to acknowledge that we aren’t what we can be.” Inter-Faith Prayers for …
Christians are well-resourced when it comes to books on suffering. Such books can typically be divided into two types: Those that are structured around theological themes and those that are structured around lived experiences. So some people begin with an examination of what the Bible has to say about suffering while other people begin with their own experiences of suffering and apply Scripture to them. There is value in both approaches. Adam Dooley’s Hope When Life Unravels falls squarely in …
Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! I hope and trust it will be a restful, celebratory kind of day. Today’s Kindle deals include a long list of solid works like Costi Hinn’s God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel as well as books by MacArthur, Stott, Zacharias, and others. You may also want to sort through Amazon’s collection of monthly general market deals. Memory, Monuments, Morality, and Mayhem: The Burden of Reckoning with Historical Symbols Al Mohler: “Across the …
If you’re looking to grow your ebook library, Westminster Books has about 350 of Crossways ebooks on sale at 50% off. (Yesterday on the blog: Follow the Way You Want To Be Followed) A Day for Lament at the Supreme Court Here’s Marvin Olasky writing for WORLD: “Roberts may have the opportunity to redeem himself when the court gets a case that could lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade as a whole. Yet, based on what he did with …
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
