The Apostle Paul was fond of using athletic metaphors in his call for distinctly Christian lives. Romans 12:1 is just one example: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” But there is an…
72 Hour Sale – Westminster Books is having a great 72 hour sale (though I believe 24 of those hours have already elapsed). Quite a few new and notable books are deeply discounted. I recommend Sexual Sanity for Men, Delighting in the Trinity, and The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. W.E.B. DuBois Would Not…
I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Or even if I am able to review the book, it’s always good to get a second opinion. So here are…
Hospitality and the Great Commission – “You know what the key to evangelism in the 21st-century will be, don’t you?’ He wasn’t talking Global South, but the Western hemisphere — and America in particular. I’m sure he could see on our faces how eager we were for his answer. Wow, the key, we were thinking.…
Last week, as this site ticked by its tenth anniversary, I reflected a little bit on unintended consequences. This has been a theme in my thinking lately: the unexpected providence of a sovereign God. Today I was looking through my little book Sexual Detox and at the end found a short essay I wrote with…
There is etiquette that surrounds the disposal of a flag. According to VFW, the dignified way to dispose of a tattered or soiled flag is to burn it, but to do so with discretion and to ensure that it has been entirely consumed. The reason flags are treated with respect is that they are symbolic.…
Polls Make No Sense – You can read the whole article if you like, but even just the first few paragraphs highlight the difficulties and the subjectivity in any political poll. “American politics has gone gaga for poll numbers—while polling pros feel less and less certain about the methodology behind the madness. Some days even…
October is here and to ring in the new month I’ve got great new desktop wallpaper for you to download. This month’s wallpaper was designed by Mark Priestap. I asked Mark to introduce himself: My wife Meredith and I have one girl (10) and two boys (8 and 4) and we’ve been married since ’99.…
I began reading Mortality, Christopher Hitchens’ newest book–his final book–on the day it was released. I couldn’t sleep that day, so woke up in the wee hours, downloaded it to the iPad and began reading. It’s not a long work, so did not take more than a couple of hours. Like everything Hitchens wrote, Mortality…
Who Was Samuel Ryder? – Golf fan or not, you may have been hearing about the Ryder Cup. This blog post asks and answers Who Was Samuel Ryder? “Ryder was also a keen Christian and a member of our church – Spicer Street, St Albans. In fact had it not been for a conversation with…
Government is one of the facts of life in this world. All of human history has shown that we need to be governed. Not surprisingly, the Bible speaks to government. Here are five things the Bible teaches us. Every government is put in place by God. Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no authority over…
American Men Don’t Sing – “Alistair Begg recently spoke at Western Seminary. And just before he got into his sermon, he went on a fascinating little digression about the fact that American men don’t sing during worship. It’s not just that we can’t sing, but that we don’t.” Responding to “Fetal Flaw” – “Bob Horning…
Modesty is a legitimate virtue whether you are a Christian or not, but for modesty to be distinctly Christian, it must be rooted in the gospel of grace. Whenever I was asked about this topic and whenever I read about it, I found plenty of law but very little gospel. When it comes to modesty…
This week’s Free Stuff Friday comes to you courtesy of CBD Reformed. As they always do, they are giving away five prize packages, each of which will contain three great books. Five winners will each receive: In addition, CBD Reformed is offering a 4-day sale (September 28 – October 1) on the following three products:…
Unintended Consequences – From a veteran youth minister (via White Horse Inn): “We look at our youth group now and we feel good. But the youth group of today is the church of tomorrow, and study after study suggests that what we are building for the future is … empty churches.” Desiring God Livestream –…
Preach the gospel to yourself! Preach the gospel to yourself every day! I think we are all growing accustomed to being told that Christians need to center their lives upon the gospel and that one of the keys to doing this is to be continually reminded of what is true by preaching the gospel to…
The Psychology of Resentment – Dane Ortlund looks at the psychology of resentment: “Here is what happens: instead of doing something externally to harm them you do something internally to harm them. You harbor bitterness. This is the psychology of resentment. You exercise emotional punishment toward them internally when actual punishment can’t be exercised externally.…
Over the past few years I have had opportunity to attend a lot of Christian conferences, sometimes to sit and learn but more commonly in a kind of official capacity as a speaker or reporter. From either perspective I enjoy them most of the time. I will grant that without some vigilance we can overdo…
Real Life – I enjoyed this mom’s thoughts on real life. She says that “a less than perfect home can be more comfortable than a perfect one. … Our homes should reflect our lives and the people that live in them.” Presumptuous or Optimistic Parenting – David covers an important topic here: the difference between…
It was ten years ago today that I began this web site and I think the occasion must call for some kind of a celebration (click here for some reflections on the past ten years). The way I tend to celebrate around here is with a giveaway. So here goes! There are going to be…