Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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Grace and peace to you to. (Yesterday on the blog: When God Took Away: His Goodness in My Grief) Knowledge Is Not A Bank I identify with this. “When I was younger, I thought about knowledge as if it was a bank: that what I stored in my mind would be safe and accessible, and that once I had it, I would have it forever. Now I know that my bank is not a very good one. Not the kind I’d …
There is a deep mystery to suffering. While the Bible makes it plain that we must expect to encounter times of sorrow and loss, of trial and grief, we often don’t know why these times come. Though we know he is weaving together a marvelous tapestry that will wondrously display his glory, we also know it is one whose beauty we will fully appreciate only when faith becomes sight. It was in the waning weeks of 2020 that my family …
May the Lord be with you and bless you today. Today’s Kindle deals include the entire Word Biblical Commentary series. Rather than link to individual volumes, I’ll direct you to the series page where you can access them all. Remember that the accompanying Word Biblical Themes series is also on sale. When You’re Up to Your Neck in Mud — Sing! This is a fantastic illustration of the crucial role of singing in the Christian life (and the Navy SEALs). What …
There’s yet another solid list of Kindle deals to explore today. We’re spoiled! I happened to notice Amazon has lots of back-to-school supplies on sale today in case that’s of interest. (Yesterday on the blog: If I Was the World’s Only Christian…) Complementarianism, the regulative principle I really appreciate much of what Stephen says here about the regulative principle, complementarianism, and our tendency to conflate elements and forms. Songs of Suffering: A Short Film Featuring Joni Eareckson Tada You may enjoy this …
Today’s post is written by Tim Chester and is sponsored by Christian Focus Publications. Tim is a senior faculty member of Crosslands Training and the author of over 40 books, including Angels: When Heaven Meets Earth. He has a PhD in theology, a PgDip in history and 25 years’ experience of pastoral ministry. “My grandma’s house is full of angels.” I must have looked a somewhat quizzical, so she clarified: “Statues and pictures.” “Is she a Christian?” I asked. “Oh …
If I was the world’s only Christian, I might easily lose confidence in my faith. Can it really be true if I am the only one who believes it? Similarly, if I was the only kind of Christian—if all the world’s Christians were the same age as me or the same race or the same nationality—I might also lose confidence. Can it really be true if only one demographic affirms it while the great majority reject it? Can it be …
"The Bible is more relevant than tomorrow’s newspaper, more reliable than tomorrow’s sunrise." (Steven Lawson)
"The faith that fizzles at the finish was faulty at the first." (Adrian Rogers)
"One of the great challenges for the Christian church is knowing the difference between a church and a crowd." (Albert Mohler)
I’m excited to announce a special pre-order offer for Seasons of Sorrow. Visit my site to get details!
"Let’s admit that we are not enough, and turn to the God who is." (Jen Oshman)
"When God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is the infinite center of worship, it invariably transcends color, culture, and comfort." (H.B. Charles Jr.)
"The word that the Sabbath-school teacher will this afternoon whisper in the ear of the class, will be echoed back from everlasting ages of light or darkness." (De Witt Talmage)
Good morning! Grace and peace to you on this fine day. Today’s Kindle deals include a number of excellent titles from Crossway. You’ll also find the “Word Biblical Themes” series deeply discounted. (Yesterday on the blog: Prayer That Pleases God) Luxury Beliefs This is a very interesting article about “luxury beliefs.” Not Now: The Surprising Joy of Waiting on the Lord “As a society and culture we don’t like to wait. Like Ms. Salt, we want what we want, and …
We pray. We pray because God tell us to. We pray because we need to. We pray because prayer matters. But do we pray with confidence that God is pleased with our praying? Do we pray with confidence that God is pleased with our praying even when he does not grant our petitions? Charles Spurgeon addresses those questions in this brief excerpt. We have been pleading with God. Prayer after prayer has knocked at Heaven’s gate, entreating for the conversion …
Blessings to you as you work, serve, and/or worship this weekend. Today’s Kindle deals include a few newer books as well as a few older ones. (Yesterday on the blog: How to Read and Understand God’s Word) Closeness Comes Through Fire: How Suffering Conforms Us to Christ Ed Welch makes some helpful observations here about sanctification and suffering. (Though I’m not so sure about using both Ignatius of Loyola and Martin Luther as examples of the same virtue in the …
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries. They are offering free admission to ten pairs of winners at their 2023 National Conference. As Christians are pushed toward the margins of a hostile society, we cannot afford to surrender our convictions or to retreat in fear. By God’s grace, we have the truth that this lost world needs. Now is our time to stand with unrelenting devotion to God’s unchanging Word. Taking place in Orlando on March 23–25, Ligonier’s …
The Bible can be an intimidating book. I suppose any book of the Bible’s size can be intimidating merely by virtue of its page count. But then there’s also the claims people make about the Bible—that it’s a book that transforms lives, that it’s a book that reveals the mind of God himself, that it’s a book that is without error. And beyond that, there’s the nature of the Bible as a collection of writings that span centuries, peoples, cultures, …
I think we’ve come to the end of a nice little streak of daily Kindle deals. We’ll hope for better things tomorrow. On the printed book front, Westminster Books has deals on books about parenting, headlined by a new edition of one of Paul Tripp’s works. Jordan Peterson’s Christian Problem I’m not familiar with Michael Warren Davis and suspect we would disagree on quite a number of matters of theology. But I really did appreciate this expression of his concerns …
Grace and peace to you today, my friends. There are not quite as many Kindle deals today as in the past couple of days, but there are still a few worth checking out. (Yesterday on the blog: Once Again Honestly Assessing Our Decision to Public School Our Kids) Seeking and Following God’s Guidance Vance Christie: “Recently while seeking God’s direction about quite a significant ministry decision in my own life, I was encouraged by going back and reviewing some of the …
Many years ago, Aileen and I made the decision to enroll our children in the local public school. This was a decision we made as carefully and thoughtfully as we knew how to at the time (which was way back in the early 2000s). We decided we would take the approach of “a child at a time, a year at a time, a school at a time.” But even as we kept options open, we never felt the need to …
The Lord be with you and bless you today. Today’s Kindle deals include another good-sized list of books. Westminster Books has ESVs on sale this week. You’ll also find a discount on a book meant to provide daily liturgies. (Yesterday on the blog: Seasons of Sorrow: A Special Pre-Order Offer) A Crucial Court Case Exposes the Darkness of America’s Worst Industry This is difficult to read, but important at the same time. Let’s not allow ourselves to be fooled about …
I recently announced my forthcoming book Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God. In the weeks and months that followed the death of my son Nick, I wrote a series of meditations, some of which I shared through this blog, but many of which I did not. As that first year drew to a close and I came to the first anniversary, I wrote one final meditation, then sent it all to my publisher in …
Logos users will want to take a look at this month’s free and nearly free books. Meanwhile, there’s an extensive collection Kindle deals to sort through today. (Yesterday on the blog: Cast Your Burden Upon the Lord) It can’t be both depending on how we feel Stephen points out one of the massive contradictions among those who are pro-choice. New Resolve After 55 Years in My Wheelchair Joni Eareckson Tada reflects on the anniversary of the Disabilities Act and tells how great …
So much of what we experience in this life is so very heavy. So many of the burdens God calls us to carry are so tremendously weighty that they threaten to crush us to the dust. We bear the weight of our own sin and depravity, the shame of doing evil and the pain of failing to do good. We bear the weight of other people’s sin and depravity as they hurt and harm us, sometimes intentionally and sometimes purely …
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
