#ipad

Pleasing Grief and Mournful Joy

John Newton was a slave-trader turned hymn-writer, a man who underwent a miraculous transformation that saw him leave behind a life of immorality and depravity to pursue the calling of a minister of the gospel. The amazing grace that had unexpectedly but permanently “saved a wretch like me” was his joy and meditation for the rest of his days, the topic of a thousand sermons, hymns, prayers and letters. Newton was an insightful pastor who was adept at peering deep …

A La Carte (8/7)

Yesterday I flew out to Prince Edward Island for the Gospel Coalition Atlantic Canada conference, which begins a bit later today. Our gate was moved three times and the flight ended up being well over an hour late, so we didn’t arrive until around 3 AM. Therefore, this is a slightly abbreviated A La Carte! One Race, Every Medalist – This is amazing–a chart that shows the evolution of the men’s 100-meter sprint at the Olympics. And while we’re on …

Become a Patron

A Prayer for Humble Calvinism

In his much-praised book Killing Calvinism, Greg Dutcher writes about the tendency many Calvinists may have to be more enamored by their theology than by God himself. I suppose this may be a temptation for those who adhere to any faith or any system of theology, but it does seem particularly prevalent among Calvinists. At the close of a chapter he offers this helpful prayer: Mighty God, Thank you for giving me eyes, ears, memory, and intellect. You have enabled me to …

A La Carte (6/27)

Problems with Unconditional Forgiveness – “While automatic forgiveness sounds like an antidote to bitterness, this is not the case. Those who try and simply dismiss grave offenses, apart from resting in the justice of God, often encounter emotional and theological problems. Here is an incomplete list of problems that sometimes arise from unconditional forgiveness.” Nourish and Cherish – Rick Thomas takes a look at Ephesians 5 and what it means for a husband to nourish and cherish his wife. Don’t …

Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

In wisdom and love God does not leave his people to live this life alone, but rather calls us into community. One of the sad inevitabilities of living in community is that we will sin against one another. The invitation to Christian community is an invitation to be tested by other people’s sin and weakness. There are many ways to react badly when sinned against by another Christian. Some of us tend to react with sulking and feeling sorry for …

October Baby and the Challenge of Christian Film

Hannah is in college when she receives the shocking news her parents hadn’t ever shared with her—she is adopted. Not only is she adopted, but she is the survivor of a failed abortion. Angry, confused and upset, she turns to her oldest friend Jason to help her through this difficult time. Along with his friends she embarks on a Spring Break road trip that leads her to go looking for her roots. That’s the plot of October Baby, a feature …

Lessons in Forgiveness

I am better at sinning than asking forgiveness. This morning, as if to prove this, I found myself thinking about a situation that came up a couple of years ago. For weeks I had been trying to figure out something with a nearby bank—something that should have been simple. It had been a comedy of errors. Every time I tried to do something (anything!), it seemed that their incompetence or ignorance conspired against me. I would receive a phone call telling …

The Best of February

I’ve been at this blogging thing for quite a long time now—a bit over 9 years. I’ve been at the daily blogging thing for almost as long. This means that I’ve got an extensive backlist of articles from years gone by. I thought it might be fun to pull out some of the articles I wrote in previous Februarys, stretching all the way back to 2004. 2011 Running the Race and Finishing the Race – This is a two-part biographical …

A La Carte (11/18)

Forgiveness – Russell Moore writes about what forgiveness is and isn’t. “The most difficult math problem in the universe, it turns out, is 70 x 7. Perhaps the hardest thing to do in the Christian life is to forgive someone who has hurt you, often badly. But Jesus says the alternative to forgiving one’s enemies is hell.” Wallpaper – National Geographic has an amazing collection of wallpapers suitable for computers and mobile devices.  The iPod Generation – This isn’t good. …

Pieces of a Real Heart: An Interview with Sanctus Real’s Matt Hammitt

A few months ago I bought Pieces of a Real Heart the most recent album from the band Sanctus Real. I have listened to Sanctus Real since their debut album, but felt like there was a whole new depth of honesty and depth of theology in this new record. There were songs about failing as a leader in the home, about the meaning and beauty of forgiveness, about the questions that God seems unwilling to answer. I recently had the …