Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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Christians have an interesting relationship with culture. Culture is a word we love to use, but one we rarely pause to define. We speak of culture’s dangerous encroachment on the church, of our need to avoid it, engage it, or redeem it. But what is this culture thing anyway? It happens to be the subject of an excellent new book by John Stonestreet and Brent Kunkle. A Practical Guide to Culture is meant to help those who are helping the …
Today’s Kindle deals include a few titles you might want to add to your collection. A Brief History of the Altar Call “By the mid-20th century, altar calls had become a staple of evangelical and Baptist life in America, especially in the South.” But where did that thing come from in the first place? Progressivism’s Peak Lunacy This is, indeed, lunacy. But I fear we’ve got a ways to go before it hits its peak. But the point Matthew Hosier …
I first met Tyler Sykora when he was part of a discipleship group at Midwestern Seminary I was co-leading with one of our profs. A thoughtful but soft-spoken guy, I was impressed by his easy-going nature and disarmed by his bookish demeanor. I was not surprised to learn that he was assisting Christian George as a Research Assistant in our Spurgeon Library. I now attend the same church as Tyler and his wife Samantha (and their due-any-minute daughter Adeline Rose), and he is one of the residents in the Pastoral Training Center I’m directing there. But one evening during a conversation in my home, I was surprised to learn something new and almost-as-cool-as-the-Spurgeon-Library about Tyler.
This whole series titled “Run to Win“ had its genesis in a number of real-world conversations. In one, a woman told of her struggles with her husband. She considered herself a caring and attentive wife who over many years had done her best to respond to her husband’s frequent requests for sex. Yet even when she responded positively, she found his desire was rarely quenched, and within hours he would be after her again, grumbling and dissatisfied if she declined. …
I’m back! I enjoyed a much-needed relaxing week with my family in Newfoundland. We went straight from there to Muskoka Bible Centre where I am teaching for the week. But as of today it’s business as normal at the blog, which means the return of A La Carte. Here we go… Today’s Kindle deals include several excellent picks from Crossway. A High View of Marriage Includes Divorce This really needed to be said, and I’m thankful to Rebecca VanDoodewaard for …
Letters to the editor continue to roll in. My gratitude goes to each reader who takes the time to write in. Here are a few of the most noteworthy I’ve received recently. Letters on Logos New Testament Commentary Collection I recently purchased your NT commentary recommended bundle on Logos, and my, what a deal! I hope you and Logos can partner together on an OT commentary set in the near future. Thanks! —Matthew D, Arlington, VA Tim: Yes, it is …
I want to have 10 percent body fat. I set that goal a while ago and even managed to get really close to reaching it. But eventually I found out that I want to have 10 percent body fat just a bit less than I want to have 13 percent. There’s a key difference between the two: While 13 percent requires moderate effort to gain and retain, 10 percent requires strict discipline. I soon learned I just didn’t want the …
Sometimes it happens to even the best of us. We aren’t watching for it, we aren’t expecting it, but suddenly it overwhelms us like a tsunami. In a moment we’re plunged into the depths of sorrow and despair. Now we find ourselves grappling with negative thoughts, we realize we’ve lost confidence in our abilities, we have let go of all sense of self-worth. This is the plague of low self-esteem and none of us is immune. What can we do …
As a young man, I often heard older people talking about their declining bodies and failing health. I grew weary of hearing them tell how their strength had diminished and how their aches and pains had increased. They insisted that they used to be able to eat anything they wanted without ill effect, but now practically every food gave them indigestion. Whereas they once had the ability to sleep soundly under any conditions, now any unusual circumstance would keep them …
We tend to associate the highest godliness with the humblest service. Jesus proved his holiness when he stooped to wash the filthy feet of his disciples. He proved his submission to God when he willingly faced the unjust suffering of the cross. In both cases, it is what Jesus did that displayed his godly character. This is the heart of what Christians refer to as servant-leadership, of displaying the highest kind of leadership through the lowest acts of service. Successful …
I am an avid reader of books related to the Second World War. In my estimation, no conflict in history has been more interesting than this one. It has generated a wealth of fascinating stories and riveting accounts of unbelievable heroism. And even though countless thousands of books have already been written, new ones pour off the presses every day. Not nearly all the good stories have yet been told. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of these stories have recounted …
I have a love-hate relationship with money. I love the good things money can accomplish. I love how it can be used to provide for my needs and the needs of my wife and children. I love how it can be used to support God’s work in the world. I love being the contributor and the recipient of financial generosity—there is much joy in cheerful giving and grateful receiving. Yet I hate the way money can hold me captive, the …
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
This is going to be the sole A La Carte this week. I am on vacation for the next seven days and, as part of that, will not be doing all the daily reading and linking that’s part of A La Carte. They will resume, as normal, a week from today. However, I’ve got brand new articles queued up all through the week and hope you’ll enjoy those. I’ll be back online in a week! Today’s Kindle deals include a …
Parents love to buy their children good books. Christian parents love to buy their children good Christian books. Thankfully, we are well-served with excellent titles geared to children. Many of them come from the pen of Marty Machowski. I recently asked him about writing great books for kids (and reading great books to kids). I hear often from people who dream of writing a book for kids. Yet I know from speaking to publishers that it’s one of the toughest …
Once again, I’m going to attempt answers to a selection of the questions I have received through my Ask Me Anything feature. This week’s questions involve sleepovers, miracles, reading the Bible in church, and the clarity of the Bible. But I am going to begin with an answer to what is probably the most common question I receive. How do blogs make money? How do you make money? Is it actually possible for a blogger to earn a living? I …
Despite an early start and a thorough search, I was unable to track down any new Kindle deals today. So you’ll have to content yourself with reading articles like these ones: Why I Like to Sit by Young Children One of the most memorable flights I’ve ever had I was seated next to a little girl. We played games for three hours. At the end of it all, I found out her father (who was also there) was a friend of …
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries. As you know, Ligonier also sponsored the blog this week. Request your free copy of Tabletalk magazine’s special issue, The Heart of the Gospel, featuring contributions from Kevin DeYoung, Sinclair Ferguson, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Joe Thorn, and many other trusted teachers and Christian leaders. 5 winners will also receive a free 12-month subscription to Tabletalk magazine. To request your free copy of Tabletalk, click here. To enter to win …
Growth in Christlikeness is a lifelong, active progression. We are holier on the day we die than we were on the day we came to Christ. We are holier on the day we die than we are on the day before we die. Yet this long progression is peppered with seasonal lulls, drudgery, and complacency. We know we are never as Christlike as we ought to be or even as we want to be. Yet while our lack of holiness …
This print shows that as we preach to ourselves, evan-gelize to others, worship in community, and celebrate the ordinances the use and function of the gospel in our lives must and does increase. buy
The Trinity is a simple yet infinitely complex mystery. The Three in One shirt displays that theological concept in a minimalist simple design that is sure to spark some questions. buy
