It is a long weekend here in Canada as we pause for Victoria Day on Monday. This holiday marks the unofficial start of cottage season for those who have been so blessed. The rest of us just enjoy an extra day off and, hopefully, some time with friends and family. How to Shepherd Every Member…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Made to Flourish which also sponsored the blog this week. There will be 5 winners this week and each of them will receive a fantastic package of books (and a DVD) related to work, to vocation. Here are the titles: Enter Here Giveaway Rules: You may enter…
I believe that blogs have been a blessing to the church in the twenty-first century. Maybe I have to believe this since I have blogged nearly every day of the century. Still, with every bit of objectivity I can muster, I say it and believe it: For all their problems and all their shortcomings, blogs…
Don’t Be Embarrassed by Your Ordinary Church By definition most churches are ordinary churches, right? Hong Kong This video of Hong Kong is beautifully done. (Isn’t it sad to see the empty, superstitious worship…) Is Your Pastor Happy To See You? I think you’ll appreciate this one from Jared Wilson. (I feel the need to…
Today I embark on the first part of my promised series “Why I Am Not.” This series was provoked by the question of how I came by my religious beliefs. Why do I believe so strongly in the existence of a God instead of doubting or denying it? Why am I Protestant instead of Roman…
I did not track down any Kindle deals today. However, if you are an Olive Tree user, you may be interested in picking up Visual Theology which they’ve just added to their catalog. Why Believers Must Avoid Immoral Joking I quite agree. “I write these very words because I, too, could easily fall into the…
I’ve heard it said that there are three kinds of culture in the world, each defined by its predominant worldview. There are cultures of shame, cultures of fear, and cultures of guilt, and each of them has their own way of pressuring people to behave or to conform to society. In a shame culture your…
Arguments For and Against Anxiety Justin Taylor: “An important lesson of the Christian life is that the heart of the battle is a fight not between abstract commands (do this! don’t do that!) but rather arguments. Unbelief does not just offer dictates; it offers reasons why we don’t need to trust the Lord. And to…
Parents, do not provoke your children to anger lest they become discouraged, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” This single sentence combines the New Testament’s two most prominent passages on parenting and, as I said yesterday (see Fathers (and Mothers), Do Not Provoke Your Children!), offers a significant warning…
Persistent Prayer to a Loving Father “Persistent prayer proves hard for many Christians. We may labor on our knees for years as we pray for our unbelieving child, an empty womb, our spouse to be converted, the friend battling cancer, depression to no longer have a hold, a sin to lose its grip, or the…
This sponsored post was prepared by Made to Flourish, which is a pastors’ network for the common good. When we stop to think about it, it is significant that the majority of church members spend most of their time not at church activities, but at work. Yet churches often have a hard time knowing how…
It’s a word, it’s an idea, that I have wanted to explore for some time. Within the New Testament there are two clear instructions to parents and this word features prominently in both of them. It is the word provoke. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up…
Are You a Closet Annihilationist? Denny Burk comments on an article that discusses changing Christian views on hell. The Power of Conformity Rod Dreher shares a letter from one of his readers that explains some of the radical change we see around us (and why it should concern us). The Tender Heart of a Woman…
Today I’m handing the reins to A.W. Tozer. In his book That Incredible Christian he has an extended look at the futility of regret. I read and re-read it this week and found it too sweet not to share. The essence of legalism is self-atonement. The seeker tries to make himself acceptable to God by…
I am glad to be preparing this A La Carte in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I am here to speak at a conference through the afternoon, then will fly home this evening so I can worship with Grace Fellowship Church tomorrow. It should be a good weekend. As always, your prayers are appreciated. Regulating Screen Time…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Biblical Eldership Resources which also sponsored the blog this week. They are offering 5 prize packages this week, which means there will be 5 winners, each of whom will receive the following three products: I consider Biblical Eldership a must-have resource for pastors and church leaders, so…
We don’t accomplish much in life apart from self-discipline. Discipline plays an especially important role in life’s difficult or full-out unpleasant tasks, in those things we know we ought to do but struggle to accomplish. We discipline ourselves to get exercise and lose weight. We discipline ourselves to update the family budget on a regular…
The Moral Revolutionaries Present Their Demands Al Mohler says, “The terms of moral surrender have been delivered to us, and they are absolute and unconditional. Just ask Japan and Germany what that means.” The Family Idols There is an important challenge in this article from Nick Batzig. He shows that even something as good as…
I am a person who has deep religious beliefs—beliefs that give shape to my convictions which in turn give shape to my life. My faith takes the place of utter centrality so that I am who I am and I live how I live because of it. You cannot understand me, I cannot understand myself,…
Troubleshooting the Celebrity Pastor Problem I appreciate Jared Wilson’s thoughts on the celebrity pastor problem in today’s church. Goose Finds Cop Can this actually be real? “On Monday, Givens was sitting in his patrol car in a parking lot when he was accosted by one very unexpected visitor who seemed dead set on getting his…