I was sitting at church yesterday, enjoying one of the rows that offers a little bit more legroom. I found myself thinking that we could probably charge people a few dollars to sit in those rows. Apparently i’ve spent too much of my life on airplanes lately… The Best and Worst of Humanity – Darryl…
I came across a trio of Edwards quotes this week and each was powerful in its own right. So give these a read, not as quotes that follow one another in any sort of order, but simply as 3 quotes that represent what Edwards taught so well. You all have by you a large treasure…
Who Is Worth It? – Reflections from the mission field. “A boy who proceeded to not cooperate with the program of living. An all night struggle. The parents said they could not afford the treatment (surfactant), about $200, which replaces the lung lining that is not yet developed in this stage. So we tried him…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Rare Document Traders. They offered me a sermon manuscript page from a Charles Spurgeon sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Sunday, September 22, 1889. The page is heavily amended by the Prince of preachers himself before the sermon went to the printers. It comes with the…
Misadventures in Babymaking – I found this episode of the Freakonomics podcast particularly interesting. It discusses the surprising beginnings of China’s ultra-destructive one-baby policy. Protect Our Children – Thom Rainer: “Those who have read my articles or heard me speak probably know at least two things about me: I’m an avid college football fan, and…
Here we are at the very end of another Christian classic. As of today we’ve come to the thirteenth and final chapter of John Stott’s classic work The Cross of Christ. He closes the book with a chapter titled “Suffering and Glory.” Suffering & Glory “The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge…
Too Healthy? – Some reflections on lessons learned from MLJ: “It’s important to learn from the past and to recognize that most problems have a way of coming full circle. This seems to be the case when it comes to the health of the church and of individual believers.” Amazon’s Lending Library – Trouble is…
Once again, don’t run away from this blog post just because it has a Puritan flavor to it. I mentioned last month that I’ve been running through John Owen’s Overcoming Sin and Temptation and trying to distill each chapter to its essence–to a few choice quotes that capture the flavor of what Owen is trying…
The fourth chapter of Ephesians deals primarily with unity within the body of Christ. Through the first three chapters of the book Paul has been laying the theological framework for the life of good works that he describes in the final three chapters. The first topic he discusses in this regard is unity. He encourages…
Into the Light – “A few years ago, a friend of mine was keeping a very serious temptation in the dark. His friends and his pastor often asked questions about things that didn’t line up, but instead of seeing those questions as evidence of God’s mercy at work in his life, my friend continued to…
Apple’s iOS continues to mature as a platform. It has now spawned hundreds of thousands of apps, many of which are very useful to Christians. Along with my friend Travis Carden, I’ve gathered a pretty good list of some of the best of the best. Unless otherwise noted, all of these apps are free.
Unemployment – The Guardian has an interesting (and revealing) article about the true picture of U.S. unemployment. “US unemployment data is set to show the jobless rate steady at 9.1% – but a broader analysis puts the true rate at 16.5%.” The Passion of Gaga – “Lady Gaga is not just a stage name; it’s…
As far back as six centuries before Christ, soldiers have been taught a simple strategy: know your enemy. It was the famed Chinese general and strategist Sun Tzu who coined the phrase, and it reveals an important truth. If forced to do battle, an army gains a distinct advantage by knowing everything about who it…
Supply-Chain Secrets – I found this article just fascinating. It deals with Apple’s ability to completely control the supply chain and, with it, to gain huge advantages as a company. For/Against Calvinism – Monergism Books is offering a great discount on the For and Against Calvinism 2-pack (one book by Roger Olsen, one by Michael…
R.C. Sproul’s book Now, That’s a Good Question has always been a favorite of mine. When I’ve got a basic question about the Christian life, it’s often the book I turn to first. Here is his answer to this question: How can I prevent my personal Christian growth from becoming stagnant? There’s only one absolute…
The Lost Art of Meeting a Spouse – “When it comes to finding your soul mate, lots has changed in the last several years. With the rise of online dating, over 30 million people are now looking for love online. In fact, online dating sites have now passed up every other way married couples meet,…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed. And not surprisingly, they have put together a pretty good package. As always, there are 5 prizes to win and each prize will contain 3 books. They are: Here is the description for Keller’s latest book: Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York…
I am on my way to Sacramento, California this morning (with a ridiculous wake-up time of 3:55 in order to make it to the airport for 5:00 in order to make it to my flight at 7:00 in order to make my Chicago connection at 10:00 in order to get to Sacramento by 12:30 in…
Today we come to our second-to-last reading in John Stott’s classic work The Cross of Christ. We are in a section that discusses some of the implications of the cross, or, as Stott phrases it, “living under the cross.” He wants us to know that the cross directs our conduct in relation to other people…
Idealized Domesticity – I really enjoyed this article, largely because of the way it cuts to the heart of a matter. “In trying to help women feel better about doing laundry instead of office work, though, these authors have set up an unbiblical alternate ideal. Their musings about sacramentalism, euphoric experiences during mundane chores, or…