Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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Even late in the year, we continue to see some excellent new books come our way. And, one way or another, most of them make their way to boxes on my front doorstep. I sort through all those books and try to distill them down to some of the most notable. Here are the ones that stood out to me this time around. Systematic Theology by Robert Letham. “This comprehensive systematic theology by a respected theologian covers the whole field …
A couple of Sundays ago, Paul Martin prayed a pastoral prayer at Grace Fellowship Church that I think stands as a textbook example of how a pastor can pray for his people when they gather to worship. If the pastoral prayer is the time for the pastor to intercede before God on behalf of his church, I believe he did so in an especially powerful and effective way that Sunday. Please read and benefit from it. ***** God of Adam, …
While there are many places you can go today to find deals on electronics and other big-ticket items, I like to provide a place for Christian retailers to make their deals known to Christians who are trying to kick-start their Christmas shopping. I will update this list regularly throughout the weekend, so check back often. Be sure to check back on Monday for Cyber Monday deals. Amazon Amazon has lots of deals, of course. They have lots of general market …
From time to time I like to share an example of a Pastoral prayer that was prayed during a Sunday morning service at Grace Fellowship Church. This one comes from pastor Paul Martin and is based loosely on Psalm 27. *** Promise-keeping, ultra-reliable, fully-engaged God, You are our salvation. You provide nothing but Truth to us. Who are we supposed to be afraid of if you are ours? We admit we have many enemies. Satan is here. We are not sure how he will …
From time to time I like to share one of our worship services from Grace Fellowship Church. In that vein, here is how we worshiped on one November Sunday morning. This week’s cast of characters included Steve as service leader, Paul as preacher, and Allie as music leader. The band was composed of guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar with one male and two female vocalists. Welcome and Call to Worship (Steve) “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? …
November has only just begun, but books have been pouring in at a ridiculous pace over the past few weeks. I thought there would be value in turning the giant pile that’s been accumulating in my office into a much smaller pile of the few that look most notable. ESV Expository Commentary. The ESV Expository Commentary has added two new volumes. Volume III covers 1 Samuel through 2 Chronicles while Volume IX covers John and Acts. “Designed to strengthen the …
As you know by now, I like to keep an eye on new Christian books as they are released. And once a month or so I like to make you aware of some of the ones I consider particularly notable for whatever reason. So to that end, here are eight new and notable books for October 2019. Giving Is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy by Randy Alcorn. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could do …
As you know, I like to share occasional examples of pastoral prayers. I do this hoping they may provide inspiration for others as they prepare their prayers week by week. This particular prayer was prayed by Steve, an associate pastor at Grace Fellowship Church. *** Heavenly Father, We’re so grateful that you incline your ear to hear our prayers. We don’t deserve your attention, yet in your grace, you hear us, and you answer us according to your perfect character. As …
From time to time I like to share one of our worship services from Grace Fellowship Church. In that vein, here is how we worshiped on one September Sunday morning. This week’s cast of characters included Steve as service leader, Paul as preacher, and Josh as lead worshiper. The band was composed of guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar with one male and two female vocalists. Because the text on this Sunday focused on prayer, we had each of the …
As I’m sure you know, I like to keep on top of new Christian book releases. Most of them show up in my mailbox at one time or another, and I always try to take the big pile and sort it down to a much smaller pile. What remains are my new and notable books. Here’s a collection for September, 2019. Friend-ish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion by Kelly Needham. “Bible teacher Kelly Needham debunks our world’s …