In the past months the server that hosts this site has been dragging a little bit. It has gone down a few times and has begin consuming too many resources. And so I’ve decided to move to a new server with a host that is dedicated to supporting Movabletype, the software that runs behind the…
I don’t know what the Catalyst Conference is and I don’t know how they know who I am. A few days ago I went to my post office box and found there are a rather large package. I do not receive a lot of large boxes at the post office–it is usually either books or…
“This book deals with a question that no twenty-first-century Christian can afford to ignore: does God-given prophecy continue in today’s church, or doesn’t it? And, if it does, can those who announce such prophecies sometimes get things wrong?” So says Stuart Olyott in his Foreword to Prophecy Today. In this brief book, Jim Thompson lays…
Friday August 29, 2008 Defend the OrphanWSJ has an article about the evangelical emphasis on adoption. “One thing that distinguished early Christians from their pagan neighbors was their treatment of unwanted children. And adoption is also the literal manifestation of a metaphor that Christians use to describe themselves all the time.” The PCA and DeaconessesRon…
This morning brings us to our seventh reading in Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections. This week we looked to the second sign of authentic affections. Summary We continue to progress through the twelve signs of truly gracious and holy affections. So far we’ve seen: Discussion After being maybe a little bit confused or disappointed with…
Thursday August 28, 2008 The Grace to Help OthersCarolyn McCulley shares the interesting testimony of Elaini Garfield. “A few weeks ago, I met a remarkable young woman who lives with multiple health challenges, and yet with a glowing smile told me all about how God had used her to encourage two other ill girls her…
As I read my way through the works of David McCullough, I have come to Brave Companions, a book that offers “Portraits in History”—brief glimpses of people and incidents that helped make America what she is today. One of the chapters deals with “The American Adventure of Louis Agassiz.” Agassiz was a French zoologist and…
Wednesday August 27, 2008 From the DNCFor a unique spin on the DNC, be sure to read Dave Barry’s columns. The first one is at the link above and the others can be accessed from the left column of the Miami Herald’s site. Go Outside and PlayThis columnist laments the end of “Go outside and…
Jake Colsen is the author of So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore. Jake Colsen does not exist. Rather, he is a pseudonym for the combined work of Dave Coleman and Wayne Jacobsen. You may recognize Wayne Jacobsen as one of the founders of Windblown Media, the company that published a little book…
Tuesday August 26, 2008 Amazon Prime Free Trial Sign up for a free Amazon Prime trial and you’ll get 30 days of two-day shipping (or $3.00 next-day shipping). After that you can cancel or pay a yearly fee to continue. It’s a program I’d join in a heartbeat if it was offered in Canada! New…
We, as human beings, love underdog stories. Yesterday I watched a couple of episodes of Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided, a six-part series that aired as part of the “American Experience” program. As with any bio of Lincoln, it contrasts his early years with those of his wife. Where Mary Todd was raised…
Monday August 25, 2008 Warren on PoliticsWSJ has an article on “What Saddleback’s Pastor Really Thinks About Politics.” America Refuses to Accept DefeatThis article from the Times says that China was the clear winner of these Olympic games and I’m inclined to agree. CCW BlogChristian Communicators Worldwide (think Jim Elliff) now has a blog that…
I had a bit of a rough week–or at least a rough end to the week. I was struggling with a strange infection through the week and by Friday and Saturday was pretty well laid out, unable even to stand up a lot of the time (since the pain was far worse standing than lying…
Have you ever noticed that when someone says, “Don’t look at that!” you immediately look at it? I remember as a kid I used to delight in finding something gross and rotten and disgusting and showing it off to my friends, seeing who would flinch first as we dug around with sticks inside some rotten…
I still remember buying my first Third Day album. It was their self-titled debut album and I purchased a cassette copy of the original 9-song version released by Gray Dot Records. It was a bit rougher and, in my mind, a little bit better than the subsequent major-label re-release a year later. I loved the…
Friday August 22, 2008 MacArthur on Christians as DouloiShepherd’s Fellowship is offering a free Mp3 download of MacArthur’s 2008 conference talk on the New Testament’s use of the word doulos, or slave, to refer to Christians. Barak Obama: the MessiahThis fascinating site collects praise for Obama. An example from Halle Berry: “I’ll do whatever he…
This morning brings us to our sixth reading in Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections. This week we had a rather long reading of the first sign of authentic affections—the first chapter where we really get to the heart of the book. Summary This week’s reading dealt with the first authentic affection. Here is what Edwards…
Thursday August 21, 2008 Brian McLaren Endorses ObamaIn this commercial religious leaders Brian McLaren, Pastors Kirbyjon and Suzette Caldwell and Catholic theologian Lisa Cahill discuss Senator’s Obama’s faith and commitment to families. Meanwhile…Meanwhile, this video exposes the dark side of a piece of legislation Obama endorsed. It’s worth watching with the caveats Denny provides. You…
I made my children cry. A short time ago my son and daughter came to me and Abby, representing both of them, I suppose, asked the kind of question little girls ask. It was a question they must have been thinking, or perhaps arguing, about. “Daddy, who do you love more, Mommy or us?” I…
Wednesday August 20, 2008 7 Reasons to Say ‘God Willing’Julian offers seven good reasons Christians should be intentional and deliberate to refer to future plans with the caveat, ‘God willing’ (or ‘if the Lord wills,’ or something variant). An ObituaryThis obituary was apparently printed in the Times Herald. What a horrifying way to be remembered!…