The more I read of this book the more comfortable I am declaring it one of the best books I’ve ever read. I hope that is no small praise as I’ve read an awful lot of books. But this, at least through the first half (or nearly half) is speaking to me in a way…
A Tech Bill of Rights“Where is the line when it comes to appropriate cell phone behavior? Is it ok to talk in a crowded restaurant? An elevator? How about interrupting an actual, you know, face-to-face conversation to answer a call? Then there’s non-voice communications: Is it acceptable to walk while emailing, bumping into people on…
I’ve always loved Calvin & Hobbes. My friend Brian first introduced me to the comic strip back when I was a young teen and I immediately fell in love with it. (Here is a must-have for any true fan: The Complete Calvin & Hobbes). The strip works on at least two levels. There is the…
Why Bus Stops?My buddy PMac, summer evangelist at our church, explains why he likes to find people and talk with them as they wait at bus stops (as opposed to going door-to-door through the neighborhood). The Day Facebook ChangedHere is a change to look out for and one with very far-reaching effects. In just a…
I am no authority on eschatology, on the theology of the end times. In fact, I need all the help I can get in understanding it and in separating one view from the next. It is an area where seemingly small distinctions can make profound differences and where tensions often run high. It was with…
Why Are Americans So Fat?The New Yorker takes on this question. “In just ten years, they showed, Americans had collectively gained more than a billion pounds. ‘If this was about tuberculosis, it would be called an epidemic,’ another researcher wrote in an editorial accompanying the report.” Wade through the Darwinian stuff and there is some…
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…
America’s Hidden TreasuresSaturday Evening Post has a photo essay of some of America’s lesser-known scenic locations. Some of the photos are stunning. The American Patriot’s BibleA Canadian paper writes about The American Patriot’s Bible. It is “designed for the decent, hardworking core of America, the ordinary man or woman who loves this nation and believes…
While our church focuses its teaching on verse-by-verse exposition, through the summer we often break for short topical series. This summer Julian (the associate pastor (is that his job title? Something like that) at our church) is preaching a series on spiritual friendship, looking at friendship in the light of the church’s core values. At…
I often share Puritan prayers on Sundays. This week, though, it seemed appropriate to post a prayer for the Lord’s Day Eve–Saturday night. I often find myself telling young people that, if they wish to make Sunday a meaningful day of worship and fellowship, they need to plan ahead and not stay up until 3…
I got busy today and forgot all about this week’s Free Stuff Fridays. Thankfully I remembered with enough time to launch it before day’s end. This week’s sponsor is Ligonier Ministries and they are offering a prize fitting for this, the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth. Five winners will each receive a Reformation Trust…
On September 28, 2008, I was shocked to read these words on the blog of Terry Stauffer, a man I had met at a couple of conferences and who has long been a reader and commenter at my blog: “Last night at about 4:45 our precious 14 year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as…
For That Special GradHere is a t-shirt for that special grad in your life. A John Calvin Birthday SpecialJim Elliff offers a tongue-in-cheek special for John Calvin’s birthday. “In celebration of John Calvin’s 500th birthday (July 10), CCW is offering a copy of our book on baptism FREE (Going Under: Discussions on Baptism by Jim…
Today, in our effort to read together some of the Christian classics, we come to chapter four of Jeremiah Burroughs’ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This is the third and final chapter that has dealt with “The Mystery of Contentment.” Discussion I am not a very good reader. Though I read a lot, I…
Calvin Downloads In honor of Calvin’s 500th birthday, Christian Audio is offering great deals on a list of Calvin-related audio books. Prime Minister Harper and Transubstantiation“At a recent funeral for a Canadian dignitary, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was televised at the altar of a Roman Catholic church about to take the Eucharist. Instead of ingesting…
A little while ago my friend Ian loaned me the PBS DVD series The Story of India This six-part series, which runs about six hours, simply tells the story of India from ancient times until roughly the time of Indian Independence. It is a good documentary, even if the host’s excessive exuberance toward all things…
MJ’s Religion ThrillerBoston.com tries to unravel Michael Jackson’s religious beliefs. “In those days since the King of Pop died, I’ve now seen so many items about his faith that my head is starting to spin. He was a Jehovah’s Witness. A Muslim. He accepted Jesus before he died. The Vatican loved him, but was that…
Church is out, spirituality is in. This is true outside Christians circles but, shockingly, it is true within as well. Recent years have seen a long succession of books talking of the revolution to come (or the revolution underway) which will see Christians abandon the institutional church in favor of expressions of the faith that…
How to Overspiritualize EverythingA comic. Calvin 500Calvin500 is underway and you can read updates about what’s going on there at the Calvin500 blog. Mike Dewalt is also blogging from Geneva. Historic Bible Pages OnlineAbout 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have been recovered and put on the internet. Visitors to the website www.codexsinaiticus.org…
The more I grow in my knowledge of the Lord (through my knowledge of his Word) the more I see the utter centrality of the church, the local church, in his plan for his people. The more I learn of him, the more I see what a jewel the church is–what a blessing, what an…