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At this very moment, you are running a race. You are running a race even if you are sitting on the bus reading these words on your phone, even if you are reading this to take a break from the drudgery of your work. Everywhere and at all times you are running the race of all races, the Christian life. The question is not if you are running but how. Are you running well or running poorly? Are you out …
We cannot overstate the importance of knowing our purpose. There is no doubt our lives will go awry and even go to waste if we neglect to learn the purpose for our existence and the purpose for our salvation. And central to understanding our purpose is understanding why God placed us on this earth. This is why the old catechism begins with the question of purpose: “What is the chief end of man?” This is the question that has provided …
We all know that the story of Jonah is really the story of Jonah and his whale, right? Every childrens’ Bible majors on that whale and its role in miraculously delivering Jonah from the depths of the sea. The whale is the hero of the story, the knight in shining blubber who comes to the rescue. Except, of course, that he isn’t (and may not be a whale at all since the Bible identifies him only as a “giant fish”). …
Some Christians see God as a kindly but passive observer of our choices. After all, God wouldn’t ever interfere with our free will, would He? Ask Jonah and a wry smile would come over his face.” This is how Colin Smith introduces a fictional anecdote from the life of the prophet Jonah: Would God ever interfere with our free will? Hmmm … let’s see. I had made my choice. I suppressed my conscience, steeled my nerves and, by a free …
We are not God. That seems obvious when we consider it and yet so often we act as if we actually are God, or gods, at least. John Piper talks about this and many of its implications in one of his meditations from Pierced by the Word. Here is what he says: We are not God. So by comparison to ultimate, absolute Reality, we are not much. Our existence is secondary and dependent on the absolute Reality of God. He …
I’ve been thinking a fair bit lately about endorsements (or blurbs, if you prefer)–the little lines and paragraphs you see on the back of a book giving you good reasons why you really ought to read it. I have done this as I’ve gone through a process of defining my ministry, what I will give time to and what I will not give time to. Endorsements, when done right, take a lot of time and often for very limited results. …
Earlier this year John Naish, a British journalist, released a book titled Enough (which does not seem to be widely available in the United States). He subtitled the book, “Breaking free from the world of more.” He uses the book to encourage people to stop when they have enough–enough stuff, enough food, enough work, enough information. There were parts of the book I thought were much better than others; one part I thoroughly enjoyed was his discussion about information and …
Thursday July 19, 2007 Books: The NY Times has an early review of the new Harry Potter. “With each installment, the Potter series has grown increasingly dark, and this volume … is no exception.” “Ms. Rowling has fitted together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of this long undertaking with Dickensian ingenuity and ardor.” Politics: Obama says “sex education for kindergarteners, as long as it is ‘age-appropriate,’ is ‘the right thing to do.’” Humor: Pecadillo shares a strange story and shows that …
Wednesday July 18, 2007 Du Jour: Carolyn McCulley is waiting for a match in what sounds like a great opportunity to serve others. Creation: The Times has an interesting article about an “Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World.” Weird: Plans are underway in Nazareth to build the world’s largest cross. The Nazareth Cross will be 60 meters high and decorated by some 7.2 million mosaic tiles made of Nazareth stone. Books: Stephen Altrogge is offering a series …
Tuesdays are review days at Discerning Reader and this week we’ve added five new ones. Because I am reviewing so many books these days, I will only be posting some of them at my blog. The rest will appear over at Discerning Reader and you can read them there if you’re interested. I’ve written reviews of a couple of popular titles, one coming from a professed Christian and the other from an ardent atheist. Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian …