Today I am kicking off a brand new series of articles I am titling The Defenders. Through brief sketches of Christian leaders, I hope to draw attention to believers known for defending the church against specific theological challenges or false teachings. I will be focusing on modern times and have chosen to begin with James…
The Next Chapter for Christian Publishing – Here’s one person’s take on the future of Christian publishing. Moving In and Moving On – A couple of key highlights from this one: “As cohabitation has grown more common, cohabiting couples have become less likely to transition into marriage.” And “Cohabitation seems to be moving toward being…
We’ve got an Amish community not too far from here. It is the place to go when you need to stock up on produce, farm-grown foods, or heirloom-quality furniture. It is also known as the place to go if you really just need to see some Amish people doing what they do. And a lot…
The Parable of the Lawn Mower – Here’s a helpful little parable to help explain why we must preach the gospel rather than only attempting to display it. The Gospel and the Shower Curtain Liner – Read this one for the great illustration of the shower curtain liner, and the idea of cleaning up ahead…
Life is complicated. Life is full of responsibilities and opportunities, planned duties and serendipitous possibilities. There is so much we could do, but so little we can do. Many of us battle our whole lives to focus on those few, significant items that we should do must do, and yet so few of us ever…
An Open Letter to the Caliph – Tim Keesee has penned an open letter that is worth reading. “You and your Caliphate are destined for failure. Of course, all empires, caliphates, and reigns of terror eventually come to an end, but something else is happening — another kind of failure in your command over the…
I saw it the other day. I saw that thing I want, that thing I am sure I need, that thing that holds the key to my happiness. With it I will be complete. Without it I will always be lacking. And there it was, right before me. I saw it. I longed for it.…
The Loss of Pastoral Credibility in the Age of the Internet – “The Internet has introduced a new level of visibility to areas of our social life, exposing certain uncomfortable realities.” Alistair explains how the credibility of pastors is suffering as a result. Build Character, Not Platform – There is a time for both, I…
Today I have the privilege of preaching, and preaching to many who do not yet know God. These words from Philip Ryken (drawn from his excellent commentary on Luke) have added urgency and motivation. Here he explains Luke 13:22-30, where Jesus explains that many will seek to enter and will not be able. What terrible…
Vacations are [almost] always wonderful, but home is always best. As good as it was to be away for a while, it was even better to get back to my home and my routine and my normal life. I guess I’m kind of a boring person, but I value such things! Anyway, here is some…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Thomas Nelson, and they are giving away some books I think you’re going to like. There will be 5 winners this week, and each of the winners will receive these 3 books: Enter to Win Again, there are 5 prize packages to win. And all you need…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve received boxes of them and, in sorting through the pile, some have risen to the top. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Second Edition) by Donald Whitney. Whitney’s…
Myths and Misreporting with MH17 – Some of the things you’ve heard about the Malaysian Airlines flight shot down last week are not true. Marrying Young – Here are five reasons why getting married young can be a good thing. Why the Last 5 Years Have Disappeared – I’m not sure if I buy this…
A recent headline proclaimed that buying a car ranks among most people’s least favorite activity. Many would rather suffer pain or be deprived of a favorite pleasure than to have to endure the car lot and the car salesman. Recently, inevitably, it was my turn to face the pain. With our old minivan ailing and…
Defending Tony Dungy’s Right to Have an Opinion – Ted Kluck: “As soon as I saw Tony Dungy’s recent quotes about the Michael Sam situation, saying that he wouldn’t have drafted Sam because he ‘wouldn’t want to deal with’ the baggage, I knew he would be publicly castigated. Dungy deviated from our culture’s de facto…
I think we all love the story of the Garasene Demonaic, don’t we? It is the story of a poor, pathetic, hopeless, demon-oppressed man and his life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. And there is something in the story I find particularly fascinating. Though at one time in his life this man had been a normal…
Dispatches from the Front – Westminster Books is offering a great deal on the newest Dispatches from the Front DVD. At $5, it’s pretty much a steal. We watched it with our whole family and loved it. What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Birth Control’ – Karen Swallow Prior: “I suspect one of…
After almost two weeks of vacation, I am back in my own home in my own town. We had a great time and, as usual, some of my favorite times were spent reading. When I go on vacation, I tend to focus on light reading and books a little bit outside my normal reading diet.…
Gavin Peacock’s Moment – CBMW is venturing into longform writing and they get it started well with this article. 9 Things Rich People Do Differently Every Day – Rich versus poor is not the world’s most important distinction, but I did find these 9 differences quite interesting. Was Bonhoeffer Gay? – A recent biography of…
Reading is kind of like repairing a bicycle. Kind of. For too long now my bike has been semi-operational. It has one brake that just doesn’t want to behave and all my attempts to fix it have failed. Why? Well it turns out that I haven’t been using the right tool. To get the bike…