On a recent trip to Rome, Italy, I participated in an Ask Me Anything event that was focused on matters of productivity. One of the questions I was asked was related to success at sharing the gospel, and if we are judged based on our faithfulness in doing so. Here is my answer. (I also…
Good morning from ice-cold Canada. I have lived through a lot of Canadian winters, but I don’t ever remember one quite like this, with temperatures nearing -30 Celsius and just stubbornly staying there. But we’re staying warm, mostly by staying home! It is, again, a pretty sparse day for Kindle deals but we may turn…
It’s good to go to a conference or a concert and to sing with hundreds or even thousands of strangers. There is something majestic and soul-stirring about gathering with other believers and using the common language of song to join together in worship. But I believe it’s far better still to go to a local…
You may enjoy watching the new trailer for the forthcoming Puritan documentary. Also, Westminster Books has launched a nice new site and, to mark the occasion, has put some books on sale. (Yesterday on the blog: The Perils of Social Media) Mary: The Influencer of God? Here are some thoughts on a recent statement by…
I’ve got one last Q&A to share from my time in the Philippines (where, over the course of the event, I spent a couple of hours answering questions). In this clip I was asked to comment on the ways Christians conduct themselves online. Here is what I had to say. Transcript How should Christians engage…
I spent a few minutes hunting down some Kindle deals and did manage to find a handful of books and Bibles that may be of interest, including the Spurgeon Study Bible edited by Alistair Begg. Nitoy Gonzales has created a Freebie Round-up you might like to poke through. (Yesterday on the blog: How Evangelism Is…
Simon, his brother, and their business partners were fishermen whom Jesus called to a very different kind of fishing. “Follow me,” he told them. “From now on you will be catching men.” They were caught by Jesus so they could catch others. And in much the same way, we have been caught by Jesus so…
You just can’t go wrong with any of today’s Kindle deals. At Westminster Books you’ll find some solid reading material meant for teens and young adults. Reminder: I’ve got a near-daily audio blog (i.e. podcast). Today’s episode is titled Jesus Wins. (Yesterday on the blog: Think of Not Having Christ!) Be Aware of Human Trafficking…
Few authors alive or dead speak to me the way J.R. Miller does. In his book Self-Control, now long out of print, he has his readers imagine life without Christ. It’s a passage worth reading and worth reflecting on. The relation between Christ and his friends is closer than any human relation. No one can…
There are a couple of classics in today’s list of Kindle deals. (Yesterday on the blog: What Are People Saying About Christian Blogging?) Hearing His Voice: A Short Film Please watch this short film. It will bless you. Brothers, We Are Not Talking Heads Pastors need to read this one from Erik Raymond. “Dear brother…
This week the blog has been sponsored by Ligonier and Reformation Trust. How did we get the five points of Calvinism? In his soon-to-be-released book, Saving the Reformation, W. Robert Godfrey takes us back four hundred years to the Synod of Dort, which countered five theological errors with these God-glorifying truths. Ten Free Stuff Fridays…
Over the past few weeks I’ve been putting out the call for new bloggers to get started and for given-up bloggers to give it a new try (as in here and here). I’ve been calling for bloggers who have turned all their attention to writing for ministry blogs to also consider writing for their own…
Today’s Kindle deals include an excellent one from Alexander Strauch, a fascinating look at Christopher Hitchens, and more. (Yesterday on the blog: A Protestant Look at Catholic Rome) Bright, Dark Lights I hope more and more people come to the conclusion that Hollywood is rotten to the core and that, to some degree, we’re complicit…
It should be no great surprise that Rome is the most Catholic city in the world. (It is, after all, Roman Catholicism.) But that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of history here that’s of particular interest to Protestants. In this video I take a Protestant look at Catholic Rome. This video is sponsored by Michael…
There are a small number of Kindle deals to consider today, though overall it’s been a slow week so far. (Yesterday on the blog: We Don’t Sing for Fun) The #10YearChallenge: The Unseen, Inner-Self Version If I had written about the 10YearChallenge, I think it would have come out something like what Jen Oshman wrote…
One of the trends that has swept our society through the past decades is the “funification” of pretty much everything. We have been told and become convinced that everything ought to be fun. I can’t think of a better example than in schools where the rote memorization that was once considered essential to learning was…
There are a few minor Kindle deals today. We’ll hope for better things tomorrow. Meanwhile, you may want to check out this week’s deals from Westminster Books. (Yesterday on the blog: How Can I Leave My Church Well?) Let’s Make Wisdom Great Again “Fake news. Social media outrage. Political polarization. Ideological bullying. These are just…
This is a question that I get from time to time (in different variations): “I have come to differ theologically with my church in some significant ways, so should I leave, and if so, how?” This was asked at an Ask Me Anything event in the Philippines, and here’s my stab at an answer. (Context:…
I’ve got two reminders for you today. The first is that my blog is regularly translated into Spanish. The second is that much of it is recorded in a daily podcast format. (Yesterday on the blog: Fascinating Facts about Aimee Semple McPherson) Joining a Mob Here’s World magazine on the young man who become the…
History is packed full of fascinating figures. Some of these are men and women who were raised to lay claim to great positions—Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II. Some of these are men and women who come from nowhere and nothing but still rose to great prominence. Among these we find Aimee Semple…