This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by our friends at CBD Reformed. As they always do, they are offering five prize packages, each of which will contain several great items: In addition, CBD Reformed is offering a 4-day sale (April 19 – 22) on the following three products: Those deals are available to anyone,…
You have probably already seen Dove’s viral video campaign called “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.” Released to YouTube on April 14, it has already been viewed more than 10 million times (between the three-minute and six-minute versions). The video includes a simple description: “Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the…
Dispatches from the Front – Dispatches from the Front is a series of DVDs that I absolutely love. They have just shared the trailer for the newest episode which will be out next week. They sent me a preview DVD and I’ve already watched it twice! Luther’s Desperation – Steve Fuller finds a lesson in…
Please order my book and film Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History.
Screen Preaching – Christopher Ash writes about why he objects to preachers who speak to their congregations by way of a screen. “There are bad reasons for not liking video preaching, and thus it cannot be absolutely wrong. … But I think there are two kinds of reasons why remoteness ought to be regarded as…
If you know anything at all about the new Pope, Pope Francis, you must know this: he is the humble Pope. From the day of his election he has been widely praised for his humility. A recent article from The Washington Post is representative, lauding him for his humble deeds. Over the past two weeks,…
Clues Explosions Leave Behind – “In the aftermath of yesterday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon, investigators are working a 12-block crime scene to determine what kind of bomb was used and what kind of bomber—domestic or international—planned the attack. What sort of forensic evidence do explosions leave behind?” This article at Slate answers the question.…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy. Rhythms of…
Poor Eutychus. He had an opportunity and privilege we’ve all wished for at one time or another: an evening with the world’s foremost theologian. But it didn’t go exactly the way he had imagined (or, to be fair, how the theologian had imagined). Eutychus perched himself in the coolest part of the room–right up there…
The Problem With “Mental Illness” – David identifies a concern with the term “mental illness.” “I wish there was a word or phrase to cover the mental and emotional disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) that result from both personal sin (for which we are responsible), and personal suffering (for which we are not – or…
If you hold to a traditional marriage, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, wants you to know that he is not interested in your business. On the other side of America pastor Tim Keller says, no problem, you can be a Christian and believe that gay marriage is perfectly acceptable. These are two things you may…
Myths & Misperceptions About Suicide – Paul Tautges shares a guest blog post, saying “There are many myths and misperceptions about suicide that hinder us from dealing effectively with suicidal persons. Here are some of them, with brief comments…” Kim Jong Un – We’re all trying to figure out Kim Jong Un. This profile from…
Some Christians see God as a kindly but passive observer of our choices. After all, God wouldn’t ever interfere with our free will, would He? Ask Jonah and a wry smile would come over his face.” This is how Colin Smith introduces a fictional anecdote from the life of the prophet Jonah: Would God ever…
7 Billion People – The earth recently reached a population of 7 billion and on this page you can see every one of us. Be sure to see the explanation page as well. Consider that each one of those 7 billion people is a person created in God’s image. And consider how many have not…
The Good Book Company is again sponsoring Free Stuff Friday. This week they are giving away 5 Sample Packs of both the Soul & CY Courses. There will be 5 winners and each of the winners will receive one of these packs, a $55 value. Soul is designed for Sr. High and College age/ young…
Now that the 2013 Gospel Coalition Conference has come and gone, a lot of publishers have released some amazing deals on Kindle books related to the event. I’ve rounded them up, added a bunch of other great deals, and made it all into one really big list. I’ve even tried to categorize the books for…
Repentance vs Defensiveness – “Our default mode – in and out of the church – seems to be defensiveness. I know mine is. Nothing is more natural when we feel threatened by a criticism than to divert, distract, and downplay. Its as instinctive as flinching when a punch is coming. In my experience, a heart…
Many years ago my grandmother succumbed to cancer and went to be with Jesus. Among the things she left behind, buried among other personal effects, was a long, handwritten letter from Joni Eareckson Tada. My grandmother had experienced excruciating pain in her life, losing both a daughter and her husband to suicide. As a new…
Snap Judgments – There is some real wisdom in this article: “The danger of using photos as markers is that images appeal to our vanity. We become quickly obsessed with accumulating experiences, capturing them in photos, and publicly displaying our photos as trophies. If we aren’t careful, our Facebook pages and blogs can become trophy…