Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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Here’s a prayer from Scotty Smith, one that really helped me this morning. In it Scotty looks at Psalm 42, where a deer pants for water, and asks God to help us long for him the way David did. As he says, “Thirst will not be denied. We’ll do almost anything to satisfy our thirst.” As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. …
I apologize for skipping out on A La Carte yesterday. I came down with an ugly variation of the 24-hour flu and pretty much spent all day in bed. I probably could have wrestled together a post, but I was having an odd problem with my eyes–I was seeing double for a few hours. That was a new one to me. It made reading and writing pretty much impossible. Intercourse with God? – Everyday Mommy writes about Ann Voskamp’s new …
A couple of years ago I was asked to submit an article to Compassion International’s magazine. The article was to answer a single question: What is the greatest hindrance to the gospel today? I stumbled across that article today and thought I would share it with you. You know the oft-told story, I am sure. G.K. Chesterton, along with other prominent authors of his day, was asked by The Times to answer this question: “What’s Wrong with the World?” His …
Because of all I’ve written about pornography over the past few years, I was interested to see a recent prayer that Scotty Smith posted at his blog. He titled it “A Prayer for Friends Struggling with Pornography.” Here it is: Jesus, my heart goes out today for friends and their spouses whose lives are being assaulted by the ravaging and enslaving grip of pornography. I know of no other power sufficient for the task but the gospel. This is why …
Once again I am going to post a prayer today and once more it is drawn from Scotty Smith’s blog. But this prayer was just what I needed to pray today. “It’s always been easier for me to do ‘productive’ things for you, rather than spend undistracted, unrushed time with you. I confess this as sin.” I know far too much about this, about doing in place of knowing. “An informed mind is not the same thing as an enflamed …
I always feel like a bit of a poser when I say this, but I absolutely love Handel’s Messiah. Though I appreciate small amounts of classical music (to use the term in a broad sense) I am largely a rock ‘n’ roll type. Yet there is something about Messiah that grips me. I find myself listening to it throughout the year, again and again, year after year. I’ve listened to recordings hundreds of times and make it a habit to …
As you read this, I’m on my way to Grand Rapids. These short trips can be tough ones. Because I want to be gone for only the day, I need an early flight–7 AM. That means I need to be at the airport at 5 AM (which you’d understand if you’ve ever flown out of Toronto early in the morning). That in turn means I need to catch a cab at 4:30 which means I need to be up at …
Living in a Fallen World is a new series of booklets published by Day One Publications. I have been looking forward to seeing this series and was glad to have the first 8 show up in the mail today. The publisher says they are “small booklets that provide biblical help and practical guidance to people who find themselves in difficulties because of living in a fallen world.” And that about sums it up. Each one is printed in a small …
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is Moody Publishers. That is a name well-known around these parts as they regularly sponsor these giveaways. This week they are offering a prize package that contains four new books. Five winners will each be sent these four titles: Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church — Soong-Chan Rah’s book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people …
This morning I came across a prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith, one he wrote just recently that focuses on his life in light of the words of Psalm 27. “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). Here is what he prays on …