It may be the most common feature of the bestselling Christian books. “We all want to be great for God and do things that would be impossible without his presence and help. So live a life that’s Greater.” “You are living a life of comfort, ease and complacency, so step out and do something Radical.”…
Faith in Crisis – You’ll have to be sure to read all the way to the end of this article from Iain Campbell. He begins by reflecting on how depressing the news has been lately, and then searches for hope. It will start your week in just the right way. No Better Critics – “I’m…
This is the 21st installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, pride, election, revelation, atonement, adoption, sanctification, incarnation, idolatry, the church, holiness, and salvation. Meditate much upon the day of judgment. Feathers swim upon the water, but gold sinks…
The Real Cessationist – C. Michael Patton’s articles are always a little bit on the long side, but they’re also quite helpful. In this one he looks at the difference between charismatics and cessationists. Without Adam the Good News Turns Bad – This is what Michael Reeves argues over at the Desiring God blog, that…
This week’s edition of Free Stuff Fridays is brought to you by Banner of Truth. They have 5 prize packages to give away this week. Each one of them will win a prize package that includes: The idea with these pocket sized confessions is that you can take them with you wherever you go. They…
It was a week or two ago that I came across a band called The Gray Havens. I listened to a few clips and decided to pre-order their first album, an EP that releases today. It turns out that they are readers of this site. I thought it would be fun to do an interview…
Jesus, the Propitiation of God’s Wrath – “God propitiates his own wrath. Know anybody else like that? Will China pay off the US debt? Will any of the victims of Bernie Madoff personally pay his financial debts? When does the offended personally provide the means to take away his own offense? Only God. This is…
It is a question every pastor faces on a regular basis. It is a question every conference speaker faces in panel discussions or Q&A sessions: How much of my money do I give to the church? How much should I give to the church? My answer is short: Enough that it matters. Let me explain…
Stand for Life – This interview is well worth watching. John Ensor and Scott Klusendorf interview John Piper and discuss the still and always-urgent topic of abortion. Triumphs of Grace on the Mission Field – Conrad Mbewe shares some encouragement from some of the pastors he meets with. “Today, eight of the men shared how…
What Is Family Integrated Church? At the most basic level, the family integrated church is one intentionally designed to eliminate unnecessary age-segregated structures from the church’s ministry. Children typically attend all of the corporate worship gatherings with their parents rather than attending a separate children’s ministry or, in some cases, even a nursery. Intergenerational discipleship…
This review of Kyle Idleman’s Not a Fan comes a little bit late. The book released almost two years ago and has sold over a half million copies. I have been meaning to read it for some time, but something else always seemed more urgent. However, with Idleman’s follow-up releasing in the next month–a book…
Pastoral Confidentiality – There have been various articles about pastoral confidentiality. I really appreciate what Tom Ascol says; he seems to strike a healthy balance between the extremes. Boycotting Companies – R.C. Sproul Jr. answers this question: “Do Christians have a moral obligation to boycott companies that support unbiblical causes?” D.A. Carson on Complementarianism –…
Pornography has traditionally been an industry that caters almost entirely to men. There have always been exceptions, of course, but it was predominantly men who bought the magazines and videos in a pre-digital age and it has been men who have made pornography a multi-billion dollar industry in the Internet age. If the industry has…
Don’t Be Engulfed – This is a brilliant quote on both the allure and danger of so many of our new technologies. It begins this way: “I would suggest that modern technology and entertainment have done great damage to young people’s sense of vision and purpose–especially among young men. I’m not anti-technology. But never before…
A few months ago I shared a few lessons I’ve learned along the way–a few things I’ve learned about preaching since I rather unexpectedly found myself regularly standing in the pulpit. I learned that preaching can be discouraging, that preachers are fragile, that success in preaching is difficult to measure, and that preaching is a…
A Weapon of Mass Destruction – Aaron Armstrong shares a couple of powerful quotes on abortion from John Ensor. He calls abortion “the greatest weapon of mass destruction ever unleashed” and warns, “Our capacity to simply ignore the influence of abortion is crippling the effectiveness of the gospel.” 9 Things About MLK – Here are…
This is the 20th installment in a series on common theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, pride, election, revelation, atonement, adoption, sanctification, incarnation, idolatry, the church, and holiness. In the 9th sermon of John Piper’s epic series on the book of Romans he…
Is Anxiety Really Sin? – Julian begins an article on anxiety in this way: “‘Stress’ is not a biblical word. ‘Worry’ and ‘anxiety’ are. And they are sins. That’s the thought that started a conversation the other day. Can we actually say that something like anxiety is sin? What makes it a sin? Isn’t it…
This week’s edition of Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Bethany House Publishers. They are giving away some pretty good prize packages that include an autographed copy of Al Mohler’s new book The Conviction to Lead, easily one of my favorite books of 2012. There will be five winners this week, and each of them…
There are too many Christians who doubt that the Lord still does miracles today. He does. I’ve seen them. I’ve seen more miracles than I can count. God still does the unimaginable and the unexpected, and just as in days of old, he does it all to testify to his own glory. I found myself…