I have said it often and said it recently, that prayer has always been a struggle for me. It’s not that I don’t pray—I do!—but that I find it a battle to put my theology into action day-by-day and to live out my deepest convictions about prayer by actually praying. I experience little of the…
Time for a Tat? – While this (long) article begins with tattoos, it quickly moves to the nature of midlife crises. It’s quite an interesting read. When Harsh Words Are Kind – “Missionary to India, William Carey, once exhorted a Baptist gathering in England by saying, ‘Expect great things from God; attempt great things for…
W.W. Jay-Z? – Writing for Christianity Today, Russell Moore suggests “how Christian hip-hop could call the American church back to the gospel–and hip-hop back to its roots.” A Week of Groceries – I always enjoy photo collections like this one. Here is a week of groceries from different families around the world. How Introverted Pastors…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsored by Truth for Life. Truth for Life is, of course, the Bible-teaching ministry of Alistair Begg. They are offering a great prize package. There will be 5 winners this week, and each of the winners will receive all of these items: Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As…
Not every idea becomes a book. Not even every good idea becomes a book. Between the author and the bookstore stand agents, editors and publication committees tasked with deciding on the few books worthy of time, effort, advances and marketing dollars. I have had far more ideas rejected than accepted. Books on simplicity, the environment,…
What Separates Us From the Bible? – Tony Payne follows up a previous article: “I was suggesting last week that the Bible is not written from an alien, different world, but addresses the world we live in. But there is something that stands as a divide between us and the Bible; something that prevents us…
Please order my book and film Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History.
The Struggle To Trust – Every parent can identify with the struggle to trust the Lord with your childrens’ salvation. “The way I hope my kids will come to salvation is quite narrow. I want them to soak in God’s word and truth by osmosis until one pretty spring day while we’re sitting under a…
As I survey the contemporary church, one of my gravest concerns is the power and prevalence of mysticism. It appears in pulpits, books, and conversation. It is at the heart of Sarah Young’s bestselling Jesus Calling, it is in all the much-loved books by John Eldredge, it fills the pages of so many books on…
More Than Half of Humanity – This map shows something incredible: that more than half of the people on earth live in a very, very small area. Do We Have to Mention Jesus? – I like John Koessler’s answer to the question, Do we have to mention Jesus in every sermon? You Won’t Remember This…
As is the case with so many Christians I speak to, my theology of prayer is much stronger than my practice of prayer. I know so much of what the Bible says about the privilege, priority and practice of prayer, yet struggle mightily to pray fervently and consistently. Putting that theology into practice remains a…
Discipleship as Network – Yancey Arrington has a very helpful look at discipleship. “Let me very clear, I think one-on-one discipleship is a legitimate, beneficial avenue of discipleship. I’ve done it and will do it in some fashion in the future. However, I would argue that more than merely one-on-one ratios, most discipleship is found…
Paul Miller got paid to stay off the Internet. For a whole year he drew a salary to remain offline and to record the experience of living disconnected. For a whole year he abandoned email and Twitter, blogs and Google Maps, Skype and Facebook, and all the other digital destinations that have become so much…
The Stigma of Mental Illness – Brad Hambrick has written an important article for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. He looks at the role of language in our discussions of mental illness. “Consider the breadth of meaning that can be contained within the simple sentence, ‘I’m depressed.’ That’s what we say after a bad math test,…
Have you ever seen one of those videos on YouTube that shows you how something you’ve been doing for your whole life has actually been all wrong? How you’re better off eating an apple from the bottom up instead of wrapping around the sides or how those little ketchup cups are meant to fan out…
Proud vs. Broken People – “Most of the Christian books, sermons and theological material that my father gave me as a boy failed to catch my attention; but, for some reason, I’ve never forgotten Nancy Demoss’ chart contrasting proud/broken people. I need this more today as a husband, father, pastor and friend than when I…
I am too young to remember much about Margaret Thatcher and to know a lot about her role in world history. I will definitely read a biography of her at some point in the future and learn more about her life and times. (Writer’s note: I am trying to establish that I’m not interested in…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsored by Moody Publishers. They have packaged up a collection of brand new books for you. There will be five winners this week and each of the winners will receive these four books: If you’d like to take a shot at winning them, all you need to do is fill…
Why You Should Not Listen to Me – Thabiti Anyabwile: “Influence. It’s a funny thing. It’s inescapable–someone will always be perceived to have it or not have it, to either use or misuse it. We complain about it, but we also want to be influenced.” Be sure to read why you shouldn’t listen to him.…