Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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I woke up far too early and feeling far too discouraged. I had spent a restless night trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable through pain. I eventually gave up, slid out of bed, went downstairs, and got my coffee brewing. I knew this would be a day in which my hands would hurt too much to get any significant writing done. I’ve got deadlines looming and words waiting to be typed, but realized I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything much. …
Today’s Kindle deals include lots of good books with the highlight being all kinds of great stuff by J.R.R. Tolkien. There’s lots of good books from Christian Focus on sale at Westminster Books. (Yesterday on the blog: The 2019 Christian Reading Challenge) A Different Kind of Profanity “In contemporary American culture grumbling is often ingrained as a way of life and many treat it as harmless personal therapy. We tend to rename it as something like venting in order to remove …
Do you love to read? Do you want to learn to love to read? Do you enjoy reading books that cross the whole spectrum of topics and genres? Then I’ve got something that may be right up your alley—the 2019 Christian Reading Challenge. Whether you are a light reader or completely obsessed, this 2019 Christian Reading Challenge is designed to help you read more and to broaden the scope of your reading. How It Works The 2019 Christian Reading Challenge is …
I know there are some who are in the habit of praying for me. If that’s you, I’d love prayer as I continue to turn my attention to the book that is coming out of all my travel this year. I am praying for the ability to express myself well and the ability for my hurting hands to stand up to the pounding. I didn’t find much by way of new Kindle deals today, but do check yesterday’s list if …
This week the blog is sponsored by christianaudio.com, and this post is written by Carissa Arend. Suffering is an inevitable part of the Christian life, and we need reminders of gospel hope in everyday difficulties as well as in life-shattering trials. The following audiobooks offer noteworthy and unique perspectives on suffering. Trusting God Jerry Bridges grapples with questions of God’s sovereignty, love, and power in the midst of pain. He gives insight into the nature of trust when hard circumstances …
For the past few years I’ve been enjoying the music of CityAlight both on a personal and congregational level (as we’ve added several of their songs to our worship services). They have just released a new album and, to mark the occasion, I asked them (Richard Thompson and Jonny Robinson) a few questions. I’ve interspersed their new songs throughout the interview so you can give them a listen. The album is available now wherever good music is sold or streamed. …
Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good collection of books from Crossway and other publishers. (Yesterday on the blog: A Pastoral Prayer) Oh, The Sweet Irony of Jordan Peterson’s Fame This comes from a mainstream publication (and includes a bad word or two) but is an interesting look at how Jordan Peterson gained a voice because of all the opposition to him. There’s a warning for all of us: Being too vocal in your opposition can inadvertently give a voice to …
One of the missing elements of modern worship is prayer, and especially prayers that are more than perfunctory. Especially lacking is the traditional pastoral prayer in which a pastor represents the congregation in praying for their needs and concerns. At Grace Fellowship Church we maintain this element and attempt to give it good effort. I’ve often gone looking for examples of pastoral prayers for purposes of inspiration and have found surprisingly few. I thought I might occasionally share one from …
Today’s Kindle deals include some pretty good deals for the weekend. You’ll find books new and old! (Yesterday on the blog: Reading the Bible Fast and Slow in 2019) Porn Stars Bear God’s Image Porn is meant to dehumanize people, but they, too, are made in God’s image and are worthy of dignity. “The change in my thinking, what allowed me to really see the evil of pornography, came from teaching through Genesis. One day in my Old Testament class …
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Tyndale House Publishers who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving 10 copies of Always in God’s Hands: Day by Day in the Company of Jonathan Edwards, by Owen Strachan. Here is how they describe it: This year, get to know the true Jonathan Edwards—and see the hand of God in your own life like never before. Jonathan Edwards is one of the most respected early American theologians. In Always in God’s Hands, Owen …
Today I’m glad to share an article by Paul Carter, a friend who has contributed to my site a couple of times in the past. He is passionate about reading and teaching God’s Word and I’m glad to have him lay down the challenge to read the Bible fast and slow in 2019. ***** One of the most transformative things I ever did was read through the entire Book of Genesis – slowly – with the help of several commentaries …
Today’s Kindle deals offer you a few options you might do well to consider. (Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Books for December) How to Forge a Friendship “Friendships are an amazing discovery in life. But strong friendships don’t just spring from nothing. Friendships require wise effort. They require forging. And in his grace, God has given us wisdom in the book of Proverbs to understand this forging process.” Quite right–friendships require effort! 8 Years and $550 Million: A Pro-Life …
Are you still looking for that elusive perfect Christmas gift? Or maybe you’re just looking for something to read over the holidays. Here are some of the new and notable books that arrived on my doorstep recently. There might just be something here for you or for someone you love. Here’s the complete list: Reformed Preaching by Joel Beeke The Whole Counsel Of God by Richard Gamble Always in God’s Hands by Owen Strachan In the Year of Our Lord …
Every day I look through lists of hundreds of mostly terrible books hoping to find just a few noteworthy Kindle deals. Today, sadly, I came up empty. We’ll try again tomorrow. (Yesterday on the blog: Should We Make a Priority of Diversity in Church Leadership?) Teens and Body Image This is an important one about body image. “As parents, we teach our children not to lie. Perhaps less discussed and more difficult to identify is when your child believes a lie, especially …
Over the past few weeks I’ve encountered a number of articles about diversity in church leadership. Specifically, I’ve seen discussions about whether churches should make diversity in their pastoral leadership a matter of priority or even consideration. Not surprisingly, given the medium of the internet and the current cultural context, many of these discussions have not gone very well. Living and ministering as I do in the most diverse city in the world, this is something I have had to …
Today’s Kindle deals include just a couple of deals, though we shouldn’t complain after the bounty we’ve seen in the past week! (Yesterday on the blog: Desiring the Approval of Others) Don’t Downplay Your Suffering “One of the biggest mistakes believers can make when facing a tragedy is to minimize it. I think so many of us do it because we are lacking a robust theology of suffering. So, our first reaction to a tragedy is to try and explain it …
During a recent trip to China , I was invited to spend some time with some friends who live there. They asked me questions that ranged far and wide, but here they asked me “as a public persona, do you struggle with desiring the approval of others? How do you deal with it?” Here is my answer. Transcript As a public persona, do you struggle with desiring the approval of others? How do you deal with it? No, it’s a …
Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good selection. December has gotten off to a great start! Logos users will want to check out the 12 Deals of Christmas. Be sure to consider the Pillar, NIGTC, and BST commentary sets at those discounts. (Yesterday on the blog: Mind Your Christmas Imperatives) John Chau Aced Missionary Boot Camp. Reality Proved a Harsher Test The evaluations of John Chau continue to pour in, including this long read from the New York Times. (Slate also …
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
