The Friends of the Blog program is well underway. Already many of you have chosen to join and to take advantage of the deals. Friends of the Blog is a subscription program that allows readers to help offset the costs associated with this site while gaining some great benefits. Among the items available through the…
Today we begin reading a new Christian classic together–David McIntyre’s The Hidden Life of Prayer. If you would like to read along with us, consult this post where you’ll find instructions on downloading the free audio book or the $0.99 Kindle book and find some places where you can purchase the printed book. As is…
Challies, Voskamp, and All Us Girls – There have been a lot of reactions to my review of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gift, ranging from the outrageous to the encouraging. I found this one from The Christian Pundit particularly helpful. 7 Evils of a Grumbling Spirit – BJ Stockman goes to Jeremiah Burroughs and The…
I know, I know–there’s a certain level of irony when you provide “bullet points” on death. Nevertheless, here are five important things that the Bible tells us about death. 1. Death is the result of sin Genesis 2:17 — “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for…
When Abby Johnson quit her job in 2009, it became national news. Johnson was director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas and did not merely quit her job, but also changed sides in the abortion battle. Formerly an employee of the organization that performs more abortions than any other, she had come to believe…
Indelible Grace – “Indelible Grace is making a new CD this summer! We are going into the studio this summer to make Indelible Grace VI, a new collection of old hymn texts set to new music.” They have a kickstarter campaign underway to fund the album Planned Parenthood – “A hidden camera disclosed a PP…
In a couple of weeks I am going to have an opportunity to interview R.C. Sproul. This isn’t something that comes along every day! I thought it would be interesting to have an open mic, so to speak, allowing those of you who read this site to suggest questions I may like to ask him.…
As Christians we make a big deal of the death of Jesus and rightly so because it is only through his death that we can be saved from our sin. But if all Jesus needed to accomplish before God was his death on the cross, he could have come to earth as an adult on…
Why We Lie – This is a thoroughly secular, but still interesting take on why it is that human beings lie. “We like to believe that a few bad apples spoil the virtuous bunch. But research shows that everyone cheats a little—right up to the point where they lose their sense of integrity.” Colosse –…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I’ve received in the past week or two. Lifted by…
Ann Voskamp sent me an email the other day. She invited me to bring my family to the Voskamp farm for a meal—they live just a couple of hours from us—to put people to the pixels, so to speak. It was a kind invitation and well-received. I am hoping that my family and hers can…
I trust that my American readers will enjoy their Memorial Day today (and presumably most of them will enjoy the day by not spending a lot of time online). For the rest of us, here are some links worth checking out: Six Ways of Minimizing Sin – “I found these six ways of minimizing sin…
Have you ever noticed that when Jesus told his disciples that he would be leaving them, they reacted with sorrow, but then, when it actually happened, they reacted with joy? (Compare John 16:16-20 with Luke 24:50-53) What can account for this change? In his book The Work of Christ, R.C. Sproul provides a simple answer:…
As Good As It Gets – Phillip Jensen: “‘This is as good as it gets’ the man assured me. I was initially shocked, but then deeply saddened by his statement. It was an astonishing statement—but there was no doubting the sincerity with which he was speaking.” This is a great article. The Man Who Took…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed and, as always, they’ve got some great prize packages for you. There will be five winners this week, and each of them will receive the following three books: The Gospel Story Bible is a great new product for kids. Here’s what the publisher says about…
Gospel-centeredness is all the rage today. We want the gospel at the center of our lives, our churches, our families. I love it. Gospel-centeredness is simply a new phrase that expresses the age-old practice of recounting the gospel and living all of life in light of what Christ has done. The fact is that the…
Costly Faithfulness – “It was the Anglican congregation’s firm stance on the authority of God’s word and the moral wrong of homosexuality that cost the 4,000-member church nearly everything they owned. Six years ago when the mainline Episcopal Church ordained an openly practicing homosexual bishop, 90 percent of The Falls Church congregation voted to break…
While most of what finds its way into my mailbox is books, I also receive a surprising amount of music. This works out well since I happen to love listening to music while going about my daily work. Here are a few of my favorite recent albums. Jesus in My Place by The Summit Church.…
Read on and you will be able to download a free audiobook. That’s a teaser, of sorts. Before we get there, I want to remind you of the new Reading Classics Together project that will begin next week. John Piper once said, “God brings books at their appointed times. The Hidden Life of Prayer arrived…
Dancing on the Edge of Finished – Seth Godin has an important word to say here: “Before, when your shift was done, you were finished. When the inbox was empty, when the forms were processed, you could stop. Now, of course, there’s always one more tweet to make, post to write, words with friends move…