Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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At different times in their lives, the children of a particular family were summoned to their father’s office. He called them in and sat them down and told them that he was going to give them something precious. What he gave them might be different from what he had given their siblings, but it would be no less valuable to him, no less cherished. He would give them something and ask them to care for it, to treasure it, and …
As we venture into a new month it’s a good time to remember that right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne. Westminster Books has a deal on a helpful new resource book. Ministry Is Tough: When Self-Care Becomes Self-Absorption Interesting… “I wonder if in some cases the cultural shift toward self-care has led to a new set of wrong assumptions among those just entering ministry. If the generation before me assumed the need for overworking …
January has been quite a good month for Christian book releases. I sorted through the many options and arrived at this list of new and notables. In each case I’ve provided the editorial description to give you a sense of what it’s all about. I hope there’s something here that’s of interest to you! A Praying Church: Becoming a People of Hope in a Discouraging World by Paul Miller. “In our current culture, the church and prayer are often dismissed …
Blessings to you today. (Yesterday on the blog: The Decay of the World and the Love of God) Against Autonomy “The modern story is one of autonomy: the path to human flourishing will be found in being most myself. I will achieve actualisation if I am my most authentic self, whoever that proves to be. At its very simplest it boils down to the Disney princess mantra, we follow our hearts.” This leads into what is quite an interesting article. Why …
This week, the blog is sponsored by the D3 Winter Conference, hosted by Boyce College. This year’s conference is designed to help high school students answer, with biblical fidelity, life’s most essential question: “Who is Jesus?” Registration is underway now for the March 10-11, 2023 in-person event. Who is Jesus? Your answer to that question will ultimately determine your eternity. Yet, that is a question that Christians and non-Christians have been asking for more than 2000 years. As generations come …
Do you ever find yourself wondering just how much the Lord loves us? Do you ever find yourself wondering just how good his purposes can be and just how glorious his plans? Do you ever find yourself wondering if God really cares? I found myself pondering these matters the other day after a friend sent me an article about the precipitous rise of euthanasia in Canada. What politicians insisted would be nothing more than a means to hasten death for …
"Friend, never be comforted by how much worse of a sinner you could be. No sin is safe, no matter how small you perceive it." (Garrett Kell)
"Laziness is not an infirmity; it is a sin. It affects the whole of our lives." (Alistair Begg)
"Self-deception is not the worst thing you can do, but it’s the means by which we do the very worst things. The sin that is most distorting your life right now is often the one you can’t see." (Tim Keller)
"A man has no more right at table to talk all than to eat all." (C.H. Spurgeon)
"No matter where you have been, what you have done, or what has been done to you, the grace of God can wash you clean, consecrate you as his child, and restore what sin has stolen." (Garrett Kell)
"God has designed and equipped the Christian life for perseverance that reaches beyond our own benefits...Our faithfulness isn’t just for us. It announces to the world that Jesus is worth every drop of our devotion." (Glenna Marshall)
"The best moment of a Christian’s life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven. And then it is that he begins to strike the keynote of the song which he shall sing to all eternity." (C.H. Spurgeon)
Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Today’s Kindle deals include several books in the Theologians on the Christian Life series. Killed by what they thought would save them “Seventy years ago, on the last Saturday morning in January, the MV Princess Victoria left the port of Stranraer in South-West Scotland. She was heading for Ireland with 179 people on board – but never arrived.” This article offers a few illustrations from the disaster. Just because I’m religious, doesn’t mean …
We have come to one of those rare weeks in which I collected so much good material for A La Carte that I couldn’t use it all. Instead, I chose some to add to this Sunday edition. The Kind Providence of God Jacob recounts ways in which he has been able to see God’s kind hand of providence. “In 2012, I began praying that the Lord would open a door for the gospel in North Korea. Soon after, I heard …
My thanks goes to Desiring God for sponsoring the blog this week so they could ensure you know about John Piper’s newest book. Today’s Kindle deals include newer and older books. (Yesterday on the blog: The Overloaded Christian Life) All Creation Groans Barbaranne Kelly considers one way that creation groans. “These sweet dogs were not made in God’s image, nor do they possess souls that will live forever. They don’t stand before their Creator responsible for sin; Jesus didn’t die …
It’s probably more than a little cliché to point out that we are a busy people who live in a busy time. And while we tend to think there is something unique to the modern context that pushes us especially hard toward overwork, as I have read the books of previous eras I have come to see that the issue transcends the trappings of the world as it is today. There may be some unique components to today’s context, but …
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today. All My Not-Enoughness Britt reflects on her “not-enoughness” in this poignant article. Caesar Said to Brutus Zach and Maggie (whom you’ll recognize from The Gettys’ live shows) have released a fun and quirky album. Here’s a video from it. You can find the full album on all the usual apps and platforms. Come, Lord Jesus by John Piper Crossway has published an important new book by John Piper entitled Come, Lord …
The God of love and peace be with you on this fine day. There’s a good little collection of Kindle deals for you to explore today. (Yesterday on the blog: On Letting Your Kids Go) A decade of musical worship This is a very helpful series of reflections on congregational singing. Do You Need Counseling? 6 Questions to Help You Discern Eliza Huie: “If you’ve ever wondered if you might benefit from counseling, here are six questions to determine the …
I won’t ever forget the day we dropped Nick at college. We had driven him down to Louisville, Kentucky where he had enrolled in pre-seminary studies at Boyce College. We had helped get his little dorm room all set up. We had dropped by the bookstore and picked up the last of his textbooks. We had attended the orientation meetings and the chapel service. We had huddled together to pray. And now there was just one thing left to do—begin …
The Lord be with you and bless you today. There are a couple of new Kindle deals for you today. How to Think about God Promoting His Own Glory Amy Hall: “Many people misinterpret God’s character when looking at his demands and actions in history because they imagine what they would think of a fallen human being who did the things God has done, and they recoil. Failing to picture God as he is, they picture instead what they’re familiar …
Blessings to you today, my friends. (Yesterday on the blog: What Does Your Faith Do For You?) Dolphins The latest video from the John 10:10 Project looks at some of God’s most incredible creatures. The New Testament Explosion Mitch Chase considers the significance of the NT being written over just 50 years or so (where the OT was written over about 1,000). What to Do Before You Read the Bible Joe Holland shares the prayer he prays before he reads …
It is good to be a man or woman of faith. It is good to be a man or woman who regularly attends church, who faithfully studies the Scriptures, who diligently puts sin to death and who joyfully comes alive to righteousness. This is all good and very good. But every now and again it is important to ask something like this: What does your faith do for you? In those times when life is difficult, in those times when …
Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Today’s Kindle deals include four solid picks from Crossway. (Yesterday on the blog: The Murderer Who Crushed a Worm) Be Your Own Unique Style of Grandparent This is good advice for grandparents—and parents for that. The Idol of Our Expectations “Isn’t this how God works? He orchestrates situations in our lives that challenge us because He loves us. He knows better than we do what He needs to drop into our lives to …
The Bible warns about the danger of a hard heart. It warns that a heart can be so hardened that it becomes resistant even to the words of God. It warns that a hard heart is an impenitent heart and that an impenitent heart is a heart that falls under God’s just judgment. In this brief exhortation, F.B. Meyer reminds us of the sobering truth that hearts grow hard slowly and over time, first through small acts of defiance and …
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
