The new year is (almost) here, and to get the new month and year started right, here are some wallpapers calendars that will dress up your computer, tablet or cell phone. This month’s wallpaper is provided in partnership with Global Missions Media and Church Plant Media. A few notes: Your desktop or laptop may take…
A Year-End Editorial – Read this one! “We should look beyond ourselves at the end of the year. After all, our lives are bound up with the Story of God’s redemptive plan being accomplished in history. So, as Christians, our year-end remembrances are never to be selfish exercises of navel gazing self-condemnation or self-congratulation, but…
I like to be strong. At least I like to appear strong. You do too, I think. Most of us value strength and look down on weakness. We honor those who have their lives together and regard with suspicion those who do not. Strength = good, weakness = bad. That is our functional formula. But…
5 Ways to Bomb a Sermon – There is some very helpful counsel in this article. While it’s directed specifically at those who preach to young people, it’s applicable to anyone who preaches or speaks before others. Centered On One or the Other – “What does it mean for a church to be gospel-centered? That’s…
The new year is fast approaching it. As 2013 wanes and prepares to draw to a close, I find myself pensive, reflecting on the year gone by and a new year ahead. As I’ve considered the year that is almost upon us, I have been helped by this prayer from John MacArthur’s At the Throne…
The Most Courageous Resolution – Jon Bloom on resolutions: “Resolves are intentions with strategies attached to them. You don’t just hope something is going to happen; you are planning to make it happen. To be resolved is to be determined.” He proposes a resolution for you. Duck Dynasty Wins – WORLD: “The gay lobby’s power…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by a new sponsor, but one you may know about. Adam4d.com is one of my favorite web comics. I especially appreciate the comic when he describes those universal Christian experiences (e.g. The Prayer Fairy) or really rotten theology (e.g. Trust Your Heart, Sweetie). Adam4d recently began selling some…
‘Tis the season to discuss Bible-reading plans for the year to come. Justin Taylor offers a long list of options; Ligonier does as well and includes downloadable guides; Peter Krol has some suggestions as well as a list of benefits. CROSS – The CROSS conference kicks off this afternoon (schedule); you can watch it all…
The end of the year brings a million reflections and round-ups to the Web, collections of what was most popular and most important in the year that was. Among the most important and most shocking year-end roundups I read this week concerned pornography. (I read about the report at a major news site but will…
Dude, Where’s Your Gravitas? – “Our culture wants men to be featherweights when it comes to conviction, seriousness, responsibility, discipline, courage, and truth. The Creator of these men does not. He wants gravitas.” Obviously we can overcorrect here, but it’s well worth thinking about this article. Earthrise – Here’s a video about the iconic photo…
It is Christmas morning as I write these words, and this year we are away down south in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are here to spend the holidays with my parents and siblings. All-told I guess there will be twenty-four of us gathered around the tree and the table a bit later on—that’s my parents, my…
Tis the season for year-end round-ups, and it is a good time for such business matters because readership always plunges dramatically during the holiday season. I took some time to look back at my statistics from the year that was, and here are the articles that got the greatest number of readers in 2013: 10.…
The Violence of Christmas – “Do yourself a favor before Christmas. Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth. Then read Genesis 1-3. Then read Revelation 12. Then throw in Romans 16:20 for good measure. That’s the whole Christmas story. It’s not simply the poetic and sweet story of a child’s birth, welcomed by stars and…
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” This was one of Paul’s parting commands to Timothy. Paul had nearly come to the end of his life and wrote Timothy to tell him that he had to think beyond…
Toronto Ice Storm – My family headed south for Christmas Saturday morning; this hit our city Saturday evening. I’m glad we fled when we did! 5 Things Christian Should Stop Saying – Jason Johnson: “We mean well, don’t we? But sometimes our attempts to say something spiritual actually come out unbiblical, or at a minimum,…
Last week I began a new series of articles on the seven ecumenical councils of the early church. These councils commenced with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and concluded with the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. Between these two events were five more, each of which attempted to understand and establish a…
Aren’t There Enough Christian Books Already? – We’ve probably all asked the question at one time or another. Barnabas Piper answers well. “So, are there enough Christian books out there? Yes – of the boring, repetitive, prescriptive variety. Yes – of the all flash, no substance type. Yes – of the boring type. But that’s…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by a new sponsor around these parts: ProChurch. They are giving away 3 prizes this week, and each prize will be a Premier Package for their film, Light in the Darkness, a documentary film featuring real people and stories from the country of India. Shot on location in…
Top-Ten Theology Stories – Collin Hansen says, “before we turn to 2014, it can be encouraging or at least instructive to take stock of the last 12 months. Perspective is a rare gift in our social media age.” To do that, he offers up this top ten theology stories from the past year. I Offended…
Well isn’t this the most self-serving thing you’ll read all day? But I’d like you to hear me out. It was just over two years ago that Zondervan published my book The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion. This was a book that came out of my own explorations on the nature…