Today I continue posting memoirs (see here for more), little tidbits of my life experience. I can’t believe my parents are making me do this. It is Christmas break and the last thing I want to do is head away from home to spend time with a bunch of people I don’t know. Yet mom…
It’s funny how Saturdays, a day of fun and relaxation when I was young, have turned into days of busyness. Early in the day I had to put on my coach’s hat to lead my son’s team through a baseball practice. No sooner had we returned home from that than Aileen had to run my…
I think we all remember where we were and what we were doing when, on September 11, 2001, we first heard that a plane had slammed into the World Trade Center. It is one of those moments we will undoubtedly always remember, just as so many people have never forgotten where they were when they…
Friday July 18, 2008 Pray for Tom AscolTimmy Brister requests prayer for Tom Ascol who is facing some strange medical problems. Things to Like About $4 GasTIME lists ten benefits that may come about on the back of $4 gas. Black & White TwinsHere’s a story of twins born to an interracial couple. One twin…
This morning we kick off the fourth round of Reading Classics Together, an effort in which we read some of the great Christian classics together and convene here once a week to discuss them. In the past we’ve read J.C. Ryle’s Holiness, John Owen’s Overcoming Sin and Temptation and A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of…
Thursday July 17, 2008 God Wants Me To Be RichPortfolio.com writes about “Joel Osteen preaches the virtues of prosperity–for himself as well as his congregation. A look at the man who may well be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the slumping economy.” It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It!This humorous site offers “A collection of poorly…
We are at a strange and unique stage of human history. The combination of the Internet, electronic storage media, the rapid rate of technological progress and the fast-pace of our society, has given us unparalleled access to unparalleled amounts of information. Never in history have people had access to so much information. Consider just a…
Wednesday July 16, 2008 Proof that Hope is Never LostThere is a lot of buzz surrounding Josh Hamilton, especially after his amazing showing in the Home Run Derby on Monday. Josh is a Christian who shares a powerful testimony of God rescuing him from serious drug addiction. You can read it at ESPN. Doubleday Signs…
There are many books available today that address the needs, the responsibilities and the health of the local church. While The Purpose Driven Church is probably the best-known of these, there are plenty of others as well, many of which were written in the aftermath of that book’s unparalleled success. To this point the books…
Tuesday July 15, 2008 A True Work of the SpiritWith all that is going on in Lakeland, Florida, John MacArthur offers a timely article on how to discern a true work of the Spirit. A Sad StoryAnd speaking of that “revival” in Lakeland, William A. Dembski tells his story. He went to there hoping for…
Monday July 14, 2008 Religious Affections Audio for FreeChristian Audio is offering readers of this site a free download of the audio book of Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections. If you are going to read it together with us, this is a great opportunity. Simply add it to your cart and use coupon code challies08…
There was a period in my life where I spent a good bit of time playing computer games. I developed a fascination with certain games and gained a lot of pleasure from playing them. Truth be told, if I was able to find a way of extending my days from 24 to 48 hours I…
This is just about my favorite time of day. The house is quiet and no one else awake. It allows me a few minutes to myself—time I use every day to read the Bible and pray. I know that in a few minutes the family will begin to stir. Nick and Abby will wake up…
Though it has been thousands of years since it was written, and though countless people have made valiant attempts to decipher it, it seems as though we are no closer than ever to reaching a consensus regarding the Song of Solomon. Should it be read literally, as a poem that deals with love and sex?…
On the last day of the first round of my summer vacation, I want to offer up some links that have been collecting in my Bookmarks folder. NoiseTrade NoiseTrade is a site co-founded by Derek Webb that offers good music for “a few friends or a few bucks.” Their music is free to download if…
Friday July 11, 2008 Introducing Ellie Rebekah RoseCongratulations to [little sister] Susanna and her husband Rick who welcomed Ellie into the world last night. Get Your Pastor on eBayHere’s a pastor with a unique way of seeking a call. Let’s hope this doesn’t catch on… Boats or VotesFrom Boundless: “Were the men on the Titanic…
Last summer we vacationed at a cottage on the shores of Lake Erie, a couple of hours away from home. It was a fun place to be, but by the end of our week there the water had turned bad with huge piles of seaweed and algae plugging the beach. This is apparently quite common…
Thursday July 10, 2008 Back From Mars Nathan Williams, who writes for Pulpit Magazine, recently went to Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids and is writing about his experience. Intellectuals Lie, the Powerless Die This article raises a few interesting points. “The greatest lie intellectuals tell us is that ‘the pen is mightier than…
I’m on vacation this week and today we’re heading across the border into the U.S. of A. to spend some time at the Buffalo Zoo. And, if we have some time left over, we’ll swing by Niagara Falls since we haven’t taken the kids to see that site in some time. Today I just wanted…
As I continue reading through Waltke’s Old Testament Theology I continue to dig up pure gold. Today I’ll share yet another example. In one of the earliest chapters Waltke writes about man’s fall into sin and discusses “the shape of temptation.” Here he shows how Satan’s original act of temptation is an archetype or sorts.…