Help Lord–The Devil Wants Me Fat!

Last year I posted a few pictures from the old 70’s classic Soul Winning Made Easy by C.S. Lovett. Recently I came across another of his books, one titled Help Lord–The Devil Wants Me Fat! The book teaches how the devil is able to influence your eating, how to deal with your appetite and how to deprogram yourself from bad eating habits. It is an odd mixture of good and bad, useful information and outright legalism (not to mention poor …

The Good News We Almost Forgot

When I was a teenager, growing up within Canada’s Dutch Reformed tradition (despite not being Dutch–long story), Tuesday nights were Catechism nights. My parents would drive me to the church where the pastor, or occasionally one of the elders, would teach us the Heidelberg Catechism. Every class would begin the same way–with reciting the questions and answers we had been told to memorize the week before. I would always sit my friend Brian so we could whisper hints to one …

Become a Patron

Without the Gospel

What difference does the gospel make? What difference does it make in your life? These are good questions to ask, I think, and good answers to ponder. How does your belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ impact your life? In what way is your life, even your Christian life, distinctly different because of the gospel? Here is a quote I found somewhere or another, that addresses these questions head-on. It comes from the pen of John Calvin. Without the …

Reading the Classics – Real Christianity (VII)

So this is it. As of today we’ve read the final chapter of William Wilberforce’s Real Christianity. This marks the seventh classic we’ve read together. I am going to offer a few closing remarks and then open it for discussion in case you’d like to reflect on the book. And then I guess we’ll have to start thinking about what comes next. Discussion In the book’s final chapter, Wilberforce offers “Practical Hints for Real Christianity.” To be honest, I was …

April Book Giveaway Winners

A week ago I announced a giveaway of some great books. Today I want to wrap that up and announce the winners. This month’s sponsor was Reformation Heritage Books. RHB publishes and distributes Puritan and Reformed books. Soli Deo Gloria Publications, which you know as a publisher that has done more than just about any other organization to bring Puritan writings back into print is now under the direction of Reformation Heritage. The Prizes 3rd prize: the Profiles in Reformed …

April Book Giveaway

The Sponsor This month’s sponsor is Reformation Heritage Books. RHB publishes and distributes Puritan and Reformed books. Soli Deo Gloria Publications, which you know as a publisher that has done more than just about any other organization to bring Puritan writings back into print is now under the direction of Reformation Heritage. The Prizes 3rd prize: the Profiles in Reformed Spirituality series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality is a series of books designed to introduce the spirituality and piety of the …

Chuck Colson Blog Tour

Chuck Colson has begun a blog tour to support his new book, The Faith (and interestingly, this blog tour is actually modeled on the one I put together with the publicity team at Crossway after the release of my book). I was asked to participate in this tour and agreed to do so because I wanted to ask a question that would really get to the heart of this book. And while I had Colson’s ear, I wanted to ask …

Friday Miscellania

It’s a snow day today. We woke up to a pretty good blanket of the stuff on the ground and it’s supposed to keep up all day. It’s an absolute mess on the roads which makes me doubly glad that I am able to work from home. It’s a good day to stay in. The kids saw their schools canceled today, so I expect they’ll be heading outdoors soon to have some fun. It’s a good day for that, at …

A La Carte (10/30)

Tuesday October 30, 2007 Joel Osteen & Mac & Cheese Prodigal Jon has a good article about Joel Osteen. After reading that, I read through more of Jon’s site and really enjoyed it. So take a look and be sure to read “This is what $3 gets you.” Reformation Day Symposium Here’s a final reminder about tomorrow’s Reformation Day Symposium. Reformation Art Poster Reformation Art has put together a small brochure about their latest print. They’ve invested a lot in …

The Most Perfect Human Compendium of Christian Truth

Yesterday I finished Iain Murray’s biography of theologian John Murray (there is no relation between the two Murrays) and was struck by John Murray’s insistence on the importance of memorizing the catechisms. I was raised on a steady diet of the Heidelberg Catechism at church and the Shorter Catechism at home and can attest to their value. Murray, being a product of Scottish Presbyterianism, was an ardent supporter of the Shorter Catechism and once said this to a group of …