In the past weeks I have spent some time wrestling with issues related to the environment and creation care. I have been seeking distinctly Christian wisdom on this issue, seeking to learn how we, as Christians, are to understand this world and our role in its care and protection. Last week I turned to Francis…
Tuesday August 19, 2008 Backtrack to SaddlebackDr. Mohler: “With the press pushing the event as a “new face” for American evangelicals, I was not overly hopeful. Given the hype, I was positively unhopeful. But … the event turned to be quite worthwhile after all.” Evangelical GullibilityEd Stetzer comments on the Lakeland Revival and Todd Bentley.…
The Westminister Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” Many of us know the answer. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” While this is not a phrase drawn directly from Scripture, the wisdom behind it surely is. The Bible tells us with great clarity…
Monday August 18, 2008 Apres LewisDavid Skeel, in an editorial at WSJ, wonders why, even after 55 years, there is still no successor to C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. On Discarded ThingsAn interesting little article from a med student whose blog I read. “After my first patient died, I remember getting this sick feeling in the…
Every now and again I bring news of a few of the albums that have crossed by desk (or my copy of iTunes) in the past few weeks. Today I bring news of three notable albums. Evangel Rapper Evangel has just released a new album titled Expository Journey. At the web site for Lamp Mode…
Recently I’ve been reading Media Unlimited, a book I stumbled upon while searching Amazon one day. It is written by Todd Gitlin, a professor of sociology and journalism at Columbia University. The book deals with the sticky subject of “how the torrent of images and sounds overwhelms our lives.” Through a couple of [long!] chapters,…
On Wednesday evening I was coaching first base when, from behind me, I overheard a chat between two of the parents from other team. “That first baseman was so nice. He would tell our guys, ‘Nice hit!’ even though he is on the other team. What a nice boy!” With just a bit of pride…
Friday August 15, 2008 A Tale of Two Little GirlsKirk Wellum reminds us that our society is hardly immune to the kind of thoughts that replaced a less attractive little Chinese girl with a more attractive one. 16 Days of AtrocityFrom The Point: “To keep the excitement over Phelps and company on the U.S. Olympic…
This morning brings us to our fifth reading in Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections. This week’s reading was a very short one—just a few pages. I know that several of you took the opportunity to catch up with last week’s lengthy reading. So hopefully by now we are all on the same page! Summary In…
Thursday August 14, 2008 The Works of Jonathan EdwardsThe Bookstore at WSC has the works of Edwards on sale for a mere $25. You’re not likely to beat that price! Red Mountain ChurchT-Wax has an interview with Red Mountain Church, a group based in Birmingham, Alabama that takes old hymn texts and puts them to…
Last Saturday Aileen and I watched as some friends of ours were married. First was a beautiful ceremony at a historic Baptist church in the heart of the city and this was followed by a lengthy, enjoyable reception at a nearby reception hall. We enjoyed ourselves a lot and rejoice with our friends, praying for…
Wednesday August 13, 2008 God’s Gift of AdoptionGod used our son Daniel’s untreatable illness and untimely death at three years old to send our family on two wonderful adoption journeys. Ten months before Daniel died the Lord brought Isaiah Owen into our family through adoption. A year after Daniel’s death God gave us Noah Daniel…
Though I’ve gone on record as a skeptic of global warming and of the catastrophic man-made climate change that is so much in the news today, this certainly does not indicate that I care nothing for the environment. If anything, the reading I’ve done on the subject of global warming, while failing to convince me…
Tuesday August 12, 2008 Rick Warren on TIMERick Warren is on the cover of TIME Magazine. “If Warren is not quite today’s [Billy] Graham, who presided as ‘America’s pastor’ back when the U.S. affected a kind of Protestant civil religion, he is unquestionably the U.S.’s most influential and highest-profile churchman. He is a natural leader,…
A few years ago I went to Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, a Desiring God National Conference, and subsequently read the book drawn from those conference messages. I can’t deny that the speech given by Joni Eareckson Tada was not my favorite, at least in the live setting. Maybe it was her style of…
Monday August 11, 2008 Juno and JenneferAt Paradox Uganda is an interesting post contrasting the movie Juno with a real-life case of teenage pregnancy. The Religious Olympics OpeningA short, good post from John Mark Reynolds about the opening ceremonies. Olympic ScheduleSpeaking of the Olympics, here is a easy-to-use schedule that will tell you what’s going…
As you know, I often post favorite Puritan prayers on Sundays. Here is one entitled “The Family.” It is drawn from The Valley of Vision. I think any Christian family member can pray this prayer with sincerity! O Sovereign Lord,Thou art the Creator-Father of all men, for thou hast made and dost support them;Thou art…
Yesterday Aileen and I celebrated our tenth anniversary; today we have the privilege of enjoying the wedding of some good friends. We are thrilled for them and are looking forward to spending the day with them and with their friends and family. I thought about weddings this morning and was reminded of my cousin’s wedding…
This seemed a good day to post another brief memoir. Today, 08/08/08, marks the tenth anniversary of the day this happened. It is going to be a scorcher. It is barely 10 in the morning and already the sun is hot. And this church, with no air conditioning, was never our “Plan A.” We had…
Friday August 8, 2008 Book SpecialsDesiring God is offering a handful of books at deep discounts. You may want to check it out! I am, Therefore I PolluteHere’s an interesting editorial by Stanley Fish dealing with his seeming inability to give his all to protecting the environment. An Inspiring 8-Year OldThis boy, a family friend,…