This morning we had Dr. Charles Woodrow preach at Grace Fellowship Church. For over 20 years, Dr. Woodrow has served as a missionary to Mozambique. Our church has been supporting him in this work for the past several years. In his sermon he quoted Jim Elliot–not the Elliot quote we all know (“He is no…
Hipsterification – “On the streets of Franklin and Nashville and almost every town throughout America now, hipsters scuttle by on scooters, zip around in Zipcars or Smart cars, roll by on fixed-gear bikes or walk about in snazzy high-top sneakers and longboard shorts. They snap Instagram photos of each other — in black skinny jeans…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Crossway, a ministry and publisher that is well-known to you, I’m sure. Crossway is offering up a package of some of their new and exciting products. Actually, they are offering up 5 prize packages, each of which will contain the following 3 products: My copy of Lit…
Forgiveness – Russell Moore writes about what forgiveness is and isn’t. “The most difficult math problem in the universe, it turns out, is 70 x 7. Perhaps the hardest thing to do in the Christian life is to forgive someone who has hurt you, often badly. But Jesus says the alternative to forgiving one’s enemies…
Note: This is a sponsored post. Learn about sponsored posts. Next week most people in the USA will celebrate by eating turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and squash, pumpkin pie and cylinders of cranberry goodness. We all have much to be thankful for. Which is why we are announcing a special holiday challenge that will…
Internet Busy-Body – The Resurgence looks at a new kind of busy-body. “Busy-body. That term is power-packed with negative associations. The “town gossip” picture in my head is not the busy-at-home lady, but instead is the woman who knows facts about other’s lives and is stocked with random trivia. Instead of working in her home…
I’ve had it on my heart this week to write about hope and joy. To do that I’ve gone looking for the hope that sustained the Apostle Paul as he endured trial after trial in his ministry. My logic here is simple: If Paul suffered greatly and found joy, those of us who suffer lightly…
7 Misconceptions about Submission – Mary Kassian addresses some of the common misconceptions that arise in the context of submission and biblical womanhood. Cowper’s Letters – “Reading about his descriptions of his depression produced an effect in me which is difficult to describe. I don’t really have a category for what Cowper endured. I found…
Around this time last year I let you know about a new book that provides background and commentary for Handel’s Messiah. And now I want to encourage you to take in a performance of Messiah this Christmas season. And just to get you started, I’ve done some of the work, at least for those of…
Yesterday I mentioned that I had gone looking for the source of the joy that seemed to mark the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Here is a man who suffered greatly in all the years he ministered for the Lord and yet a man who was full of joy, or at least a man who…
iPhone at the Dinner Table – A common problem: “A story ran in the Washington Post about diners dating their iPhone’s. The article explores solo diners who turn digital devices into companions while eating. Several chefs interviewed in the story expressed disdain with the practice, and some, including four-star chef Cathal Armstrong, admitted to indulging…
Paul is not only the greatest theologian of the New Testament, but he is also a man whose life is worthy of emulation. He did not just know theology, but he also practiced it. What amazes me is that though the man endured an amazing amount of abuse and torment, he continued to be full…
I was sitting at church yesterday, enjoying one of the rows that offers a little bit more legroom. I found myself thinking that we could probably charge people a few dollars to sit in those rows. Apparently i’ve spent too much of my life on airplanes lately… The Best and Worst of Humanity – Darryl…
I came across a trio of Edwards quotes this week and each was powerful in its own right. So give these a read, not as quotes that follow one another in any sort of order, but simply as 3 quotes that represent what Edwards taught so well. You all have by you a large treasure…
Who Is Worth It? – Reflections from the mission field. “A boy who proceeded to not cooperate with the program of living. An all night struggle. The parents said they could not afford the treatment (surfactant), about $200, which replaces the lung lining that is not yet developed in this stage. So we tried him…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Rare Document Traders. They offered me a sermon manuscript page from a Charles Spurgeon sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Sunday, September 22, 1889. The page is heavily amended by the Prince of preachers himself before the sermon went to the printers. It comes with the…
Misadventures in Babymaking – I found this episode of the Freakonomics podcast particularly interesting. It discusses the surprising beginnings of China’s ultra-destructive one-baby policy. Protect Our Children – Thom Rainer: “Those who have read my articles or heard me speak probably know at least two things about me: I’m an avid college football fan, and…
Here we are at the very end of another Christian classic. As of today we’ve come to the thirteenth and final chapter of John Stott’s classic work The Cross of Christ. He closes the book with a chapter titled “Suffering and Glory.” Suffering & Glory “The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge…
Too Healthy? – Some reflections on lessons learned from MLJ: “It’s important to learn from the past and to recognize that most problems have a way of coming full circle. This seems to be the case when it comes to the health of the church and of individual believers.” Amazon’s Lending Library – Trouble is…
Once again, don’t run away from this blog post just because it has a Puritan flavor to it. I mentioned last month that I’ve been running through John Owen’s Overcoming Sin and Temptation and trying to distill each chapter to its essence–to a few choice quotes that capture the flavor of what Owen is trying…