For quite some time now, Malcolm Gladwell has been one of my favorite authors. He is a skilled wordsmith to be certain, but what compels me even more is the way he draws connections between facts and statistics that otherwise seem to have nothing in common. His great strength is finding significance and even fascination…
Is God an Egotistical Maniac? – “There is a popular notion among Evangelicals that I think has become part of our folklore. Indeed, it is the shibboleth (secret pass code) of my fellow Calvinists. When I call this ‘folklore’ I don’t necessarily mean ‘not true’ (as we will see), I simply mean that it is…
It began harmlessly enough—just a little bit of numbness in three toes. At first it was no more than an annoyance, but then the numbness spread to her foot and began to creep upward. Soon it was accompanied by fatigue, nausea, headaches. She visited a doctor and then a neurologist who promptly arranged a battery…
Visual Theology – If you’ve ever thought of buying one of my Visual Theology posters, well, this is the time. If you use coupon BUSTER50 you’ll get 50% off your order. Sex and the Church – “For too long the church has allowed culture to own the discussion of sex. God created sex and declared…
Arthur Guinness (1724 or 1725 – 1803) was the visionary, entrepreneur, and Christian philanthropist who founded the Guinness brewery business. Born into an Irish Protestant family, Guinness received £100 from his godfather Arthur Price, the Archbishop of Cashel, in the Church of Ireland. When he was about 30 years old, Guinness invested this money in…
The Hunger Games – Christianity Today has a long review of the new Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire. It’s probably worth reading since that seems like it’s the movie event of the year (or of the holiday season, at least). Commerical Pilots and Manual Flying – My inner geek, the part that loves flying just…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Missional Wear. Missional Wear provides unique apparel (and other stuff) that is inspired by reformed theology and missional living. Keep an eye out for new shirt designs that are releasing soon–just in time for the holidays! They are giving away 5 prizes. One person will win a…
Greatness awaits. Two men don their armor and swing their weapons, a giant battle axe against two short swords. The axe falls and the battle is over. Two men race their sports cars through the countryside, mountains rising up on both sides as they jockey for position. One car aggressively bumps the other so it…
A Plea to Prospective University Students – Parents and students need to read this one! “Why is it that year after year, professing Christians students (and their parents) plan their intellectual, academic, professional or social development (or invest in the development of their offspring), and only subsequently ask whether or not their souls will receive…
About a year ago, or maybe a little more, Paul Martin (the Senior Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church) went away for a couple of weeks and left me to preach. Because I prepare my sermons digitally, I was finding it increasingly silly to convert them into the older medium of paper. They say that “while…
Ananias & Sapphira – J.D. Greear: “The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 lets us know that despite the explosion of growth in the early church, they had moments of weakness, even gross sin. I believe that their deaths serve as a warning to the Church today, and that God has a lot…
Every year Oxford Dictionaries announces a Word of the Year. This is a word, or expression, that has attracted a great deal of interest that year. Throughout the year the Dictionary staff track words using all kinds of interesting means and in November they narrow in on a few for special consideration. A final selection…
A Prayer for Battling Sin – Here is a prayer based on John Owen’s work “that should help us mortify our sin and live in joyful obedience to Christ…” All These Pentecostals and Charismatics – “Where in the world did all these Pentecostals and charismatics come from? In the explosive growth and geographical extension of…
We will leave it to future church historians to determine the reach and impact of the recent renewal of Reformed theology. While we do not know if, when or how it will fade out, we do know that John Piper has been one of the men at the forefront of the movement. His books, his…
5 Things To Do Before Leaving Your Church – Thabiti offers helpful tips on how to leave a church well. “Leaving a local congregation should be one of the most difficult decision we face. It should be filled with the recollection of our love for the saints, their love for us, our service together in…
There are some subjects in the Christian world we probably talk about too much and some we may talk about too little. Over time, I think we swing back and forth, often overcorrecting. In my experience money has been one of those subjects we sometimes over-emphasize and at other times almost forget altogether. I have…
The Schedule Makers – “Major league baseball’s schedule affects the lives of millions of Americans. For 25 years, the masterminds behind the massive undertaking were The Stephensons. A husband and wife duo working with a computer, a pencil and a great deal of cooperation.” You Can’t Catch Sin – “Sometimes, in our zeal to maintain…
Henry Parsons Crowell (1855–1943) was a Christian philanthropist who founded Quaker Oats Company. Born into a wealthy family (and having inherited a large sum after his father’s death at age 36), Crowell worked hard and honestly even though he probably could have lived very well from what he had inherited. He saw all that he…
The Economics of Infomercials – “Nothing good is on TV between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., and for good reason. Nobody’s trying.” So what about all of those informercials that clog the air in those times? Noah – Here is the trailer for the Noah movie that will be released next year. I don’t remember…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by a new sponsor that I think may be of interest to you. OFF-SET Fundraising is a group of designers and artists making beautiful things well and offering them as a resource for Christian ministries. View the full product catalogue and sign up for your no cost fundraiser…