Sometimes I read a book and can later point to a page or a chapter and a specific idea I drew from it. When I later write a review of these books I can usually point to that idea and say, “Here is what I learned; here is what the author taught me.” I love…
The Incredible Disappearing Evangelist – Smithsonian magazine tells an interesting story from days gone by. “Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist, faith-healer, founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church and builder of the Angelus Temple, was believed to have disappeared during a swim on May 18, 1926. In the hours that followed, rescuers were sparing no effort to…
There is much debate and much concern today about redefining marriage. Where it hasn’t happened already, it seems very nearly inevitable that the definition will soon be expanded to include homosexual unions. And once marriage has been redefined away from the union of one man to one woman, it seems almost impossible not to see…
The Power of Stories – I enjoyed this interview with Mark Gilbert. He wrote a book titled Stepping out in Faith which is a compilation of stories from people who have left the Roman Catholic church as they’ve sought to follow Jesus. An Exceptional Dad – This is a good one: “I don’t want to…
One of Satan’s favorite devices in deceiving people and leading them astray is to camouflage sins as virtues and to convince us that our sins are actually very small. Thomas Brooks provides a powerful response in Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. Don’t tune it out just because it’s from a Puritan author. Read it and…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Revive Our Hearts, which is, of course, the teaching ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. They’ve put together five prize packages, each of which consists of a whole stack of excellent books. Each of this week’s five winners will receive: Of all of these, The Quiet Place may…
7 Ways Fathers Provoke Their Children – “The Bible tells fathers to do two things: bring children up in the ways of the Lord and do not provoke them. How can a father avoid provoking his child?” Here are 7 ways dads may provoke their children. F-35 – Here’s an interesting article on the long-awaited,…
Please order my book and film Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History.
Satan wants to help you–to help you sin. He is hell bent on taking you to hell with him. Thomas Books, in his book Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, drew up a list of the devices Satan uses to draw you–yes you!–to sin. Here are six of them: He presents the bait and hides the…
A Guide to Metadata – The NSA scandal has often involved the word “metadata.” This article at the Guardian shows you what kind of information can be stored every time you send an email, snap a photo, and so on. A Story Already Told – “I listened to that friend describe utter heartbreak and, in…
Every analogy breaks down at some point which is why it is unwise to push an illustration too far. In the past I have written about the data each of us creates on a daily basis and have illustrated with airplanes and bloodhounds. We create data all the time and just as airplanes leave contrails…
Three Buzzwords – “When writing and speaking about Christian themes, it can be easy to adopt the popular language associated with an idea without realizing the implications of the words we use to describe, teach, or communicate these concepts. It’s important for us to think through the way we talk and grasp the influence that…
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. Pocket Dictionary…
A few weeks ago a reporter from Macleans magazine got in touch to ask if I would be willing to talk about a whole new genre of books—books that claim the author has journeyed to heaven. He had been assigned the story and was baffled by their popularity. I am baffled too. He saw as…
Filled with Frogs – Mark Altrogge: “If Pittsburgh were overrun by frogs, and even the Steelers had frogs in their bedrooms, I don’t think I’d forget that. But God knows our tendency to forget, so he warned Israel about forgetting his mighty deliverance. And you know what? They forgot.” The Sufficiency of Scripture – The…
Getting things done has always been difficult. Whether it is more difficult today than in days past is a matter of speculation and hardly worth the effort. What is clear, though, is that we have many things, some good and some bad, competing for our time and attention. I believe a key to productivity today…
Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Seminary – “When I started seminary in 2009, I didn’t know anybody who had done it before and was too thick-skulled to ask for advice. So while I think the following advice is worthwhile for anyone considering or already in seminary, I was slower to learn most…
The Newest Evangelizer – I found this an interesting article: “Is Jim Gaffigan technically employed by the Catholic Church? The thought occurred to me in a week during which I saw the awesome Catholic comic speak in person and did some reporting about the church’s major new outreach effort it calls ‘the new evangelization’.” The…