Proof of God’s Love

We Calvinists probably have a heightened awareness of our own depravity. After all, we proclaim it right at the beginning of our favorite acronym, TULIP. What makes our total depravity all the more remarkable is the grace of God that still counts us as valuable. In his work The Mystery of Providence, John Flavel offers 6 proofs that God actually does assign us such value and worth. We know by the fact of his eternal, electing love. When we are …

10 Great Quotes from ‘Chosen by God’

R.C. Sproul’s book Chosen by God is undoubtedly one of the most important books ever written on the subject of God’s sovereignty in salvation. Certainly it is the only one that has sold 200,000 copies! It has been invaluable in helping me, and so many others, navigate a very tricky topic. Here are 10 great quotes drawn from its pages. What predestination means, in its most elementary form, is that our final destination, heaven or hell, is decided by God not …

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Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story

Many years ago my grandmother succumbed to cancer and went to be with Jesus. Among the things she left behind, buried among other personal effects, was a long, handwritten letter from Joni Eareckson Tada. My grandmother had experienced excruciating pain in her life, losing both a daughter and her husband to suicide. As a new Christian she had written to Joni to share her grief, believing that perhaps in Joni there would be someone who might understand and who might …

The Essential: Election

This is the tenth installment in an occasional series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, and pride. Election is the term the Bible uses to refer to God’s act of choosing people to salvation. Paul unpacks this meaning most clearly in Romans 9:10-13, where he sees God announcing and then carrying out his plans in the lives of Jacob and Esau. He writes, When Rebekah had conceived …

A La Carte (3/12)

Steven Curtis Chapman – Andrew Peterson writes about touring with Steven Curtis Chapman: “Everyone I know in Nashville who knows Steven has said to me something like, “I love Steven. He’s a good man.” But from the first week of the tour I discovered that Steven isn’t a good man. He’s as sinful as the rest of us. He wears his weakness on his sleeve. He’s quick to share his pain and his struggle.” There Is Hope! – Be sure …

A La Carte (10/7)

I am down in Dallas, TX for the day. Or Fort Worth. Or Keller or something like that. Frankly I don’t know where I am. But I know why I’m here–to speak at a Psalm 119 conference. Unfortunately I can only be here for the first day of the conference as I’ve got a wedding to attend tomorrow. So if you’re at the conference, be sure to say “hello” today. Marrying Cohabiting Couples – CT asks a range of pastors …

A La Carte (7/6)

Cherish the Book Publishers – The title and subtitle of this op-ed at the Wall Street Journal pretty much say it all: “Cherish the Book Publishers—You’ll Miss Them When They’re Gone.” Call me a snob, but I receive enough self-published books to know that many books are turned down by publishers for a good reason. Having said that, there are a few remarkable self-published works out there. (HT:JT) If Leonardo DiCaprio Got Saved – If Leonardo DiCaprio got saved just …

Top Books of 2010

2010 was a good year for books. For me it was a strange year–a year in which I read less widely than I am accustomed to, but perhaps read more overall. Work on my new book had me reading a whole lot in a single direction and so much of that reading never appeared as reviews on this blog. Nevertheless, I still read many great books and thought it would be beneficial to keep with tradition and put together a …

A La Carte (8/12)

Pray for Your President – Trevin Wax gives you a few good reasons to pray for your President. The Faith of Katy Perry – Denny Burk looks at an article in Rolling Stone about pop singer Katy Perry (who was formerly known as Christian singer Katy Hudson). Randy Alcorn on C.S. Lewis – Randy Alcorn begins to describe how C.S. Lewis has influenced his life and his writing (and also explains how Americans get their bad reputation as tourists!). You …

A La Carte (1/14)

Why Remembering Is Such a Big Deal Z quotes David Powlison on why remembering is such a big deal in the Bible. Last Words Over at 10MillionWords I wrote a review of George Carlin’s autobiography Last Words. “In the end, Carlin did not live long enough to finish his memoirs. Someone had to piece together his notes, fill in the relevant details, and send them out to the publisher. He died in 2008 at the age of 71. He went …