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Explore April 2009

  • Glorifying God in Trials

    Today’s post comes courtesy of my good friend Ryan who offers some reflections on glorifying God through life’s trials. He wrote this article yesterday. I am writing this from the waiting area at the Trillium Hospital in Toronto, while my beautiful wife is undergoing a procedure to help bring closure to the miscarriage we first…

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    A La Carte (4/30)

    T4G and TGCLigon Duncan is taking a couple of blog posts to explain the differences between Together for the Gospel (registration for 2010 opens in a day or two!) and The Gospel Coalition. Twitter Retention“We’re hearing some pretty amazing statistics about Twitter (Twitter reviews) these days: growth from February 2008 to February 2009 was reportedly…

  • A Radical Transformation

    A couple of weeks ago I spoke at a Families & Technology seminar in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time focusing on how technology is changing the world and perhaps even changing the Christian faith. I was surprised during my research to see just how much technology has changed, well,…

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    A La Carte (4/29)

    How Much is Watching TV Costing You?“To put it into perspective, if you watch an average of 31.5 hours of TV each week (which the average person in the US does) and you value your time at minimum wage of $5.85 an hour, you are spending nearly $800 a month ($798.53) to watch TV. That…

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    John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor

    There are not too many men whose five hundredth birthday is a cause for remembrance, not to mention celebration. Yet here we are, five hundred years after the birth of John Calvin, witnessing widespread celebration of his birth. This year we see many conferences dedicated to understanding Calvin’s impact on the church and on society,…

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    A La Carte (4/28)

    Is Pornography the New Tobacco?Several things are trying to lay claim to the “new tobacco.” This author says it is pornography (and I’m inclined to believe). “Imagine a substance that is relatively new in the public square, but by now so ubiquitous in your society that a great many people find its presence unremarkable. Day…

  • The Intentions of Providence

    “As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him’ (John 9:1-3).” And,…

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    A La Carte (4/27)

    The Hobbit NewsHere is some fantastic news about The Hobbit movies. Previously we had been told that the first movie would tell the story of the book while the second would be a new story that would bridge the gap between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. New reports confirm that the movies will…

  • Eternity Without a Mediator

    In his little book Fear Not!, an examination of death and the afterlife from a Christian perspective, Ligon Duncan writes about the horrors of hell. Having done so, he offers a final reflection on the ultimate difference between heaven and hell. And, though I’ve read extensively, I do not recall ever hearing someone express it…

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    Escaping Anonymity

    Several months ago I was asked to submit an article to Tabletalk Magazine. The editors had read an blog entry I had written dealing with the subject of accountability and asked if I’d be willing to write a condensed version and submit it for publication. I was glad to do so and the result appeared…

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    Free Stuff Fridays

    Today is Friday and that means it is time for another Free Stuff Fridays. This week’s sponsor is Seeds Family Worship. “Seeds Family Worship was planted when worship leader, Jason Houser, was asked to write some songs to help kids remember the verses from his church’s summer Bible school. Jason began writing songs and singing…

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    What Is The Gospel Coalition? (Part 2)

    Yesterday I posted the first part of an answer to the question many people have asked me (and the question I’ve, in turn, asked many other people: What Is The Gospel Coalition? In that article I answered a few of the what, where and why questions. Today I want to discuss how you and I…

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    A La Carte (4/24)

    The Bride Was Beautiful“Katie Kirkpatrick, 21, held off cancer to celebrate the happiest day of her life. Katie had chased cancer, once only to have it return-to clog her lungs and grab hold of her heart. Breathing was difficult now, she had to use oxygen. The pain in her back was so intense it broke…

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    What Is The Gospel Coalition?

    As I wrote yesterday, I am in Chicago at The Gospel Coalition Conference and I am here primarily to discover what The Gospel Coalition (TGC) is and why you and I should care about it. It is my impression that most people are quite confused, as I am, about what the organization is and what…

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    A La Carte (4/23)

    Global Warming and Protestant Pastors“Though many people insist global warming is real and man-made, Protestant pastors aren’t entirely convinced, according to a new study from LifeWay Research.” China vs. US: A Visual ComparisonMint.com has put together an interesting infographic comparing various aspects of both the United States and China. No Truth Without Love, No Love…

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    The Gospel Coalition

    Since yesterday morning I’ve been in Chicago at The Gospel Coalition Conference. This is my first time at this particular conference and, as you may have noticed, I am not giving it the usual liveblog treatment. The sessions are going out live over the internet (where, from what I hear, tens of thousands of people…

  • 2000

    A long time ago I added to this web site a little counter. It is way down at the bottom right of each page and it increments by one number each day. It simply tracks the number of days since I made a commitment to blog every day. That was back on October 1, 2003.…

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    A La Carte (4/22)

    Porn and Paper PastorsBeneath this nicely-alliterated title is an excellent article from Dan Phillips. “This post is not about pornography, men, women, nor marriage. It is about people with paper pastors.” How the E-Book Will Change the Way We ReadHere is an article from WSJ about the end of the book and the dawn of…

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    Why Johnny Can’t Preach

    Nineteen sixty-six saw the publication of a book titled Why Johnny Can’t Read. Its author, Rudolf Flesh, explained in it that societal changes were leading to illiteracy; children were increasingly unable to read, at least with the effectiveness of the children of years gone by. By the 1980’s, Linden and Whimbey had followed with Why…

  • The Quiet Time Performance

    Like all Christians, I love my quiet time. I am always thrilled at the prospect of sitting down for a few quiet moments before a busy day to spend some time alone with God–a few moments one-on-one with my Creator. I love to open the Bible and to carefully and systematically read the Word of…