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Why We Neglect Our Bibles – “Many Christians find it difficult to get into a daily habit of Bible reading. So this week John Piper addressed four common causes of Bible neglect in the Christian life, like: ‘I don’t read my Bible because…’” The 6 Ingredients of Jesus’ Bitter Cup – “When Jesus looked into…

Thanks to NavPress for sponsoring the blog this week. Sponsorships are an important part of covering the costs associated with this site. Be sure to check out Growing in Christ. Here’s an article about The Stalkers, people who venture into the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. Denny Burk shares a story about a…

When Someone Reaches Out – Christine Hoover touches on something important here: “The people who tend to struggle to connect are those who take a long while to reach out for the hands that are extended to them.” She offers good advice for joining into the life of a church. Derek Jeter Isn’t the Greatest…

Just a Piece of Paper? – Is marriage just a piece of paper? R.C. Sproul answers. A Pastor’s Reflection on Shyness – I appreciate this reflection on shyness. Are You Intellectually Humble? – “Here are 13 tough questions from Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso to help you get honest about your intellectual character. We hope it offers you…

Are You Leeching the Local Church? – “I continue to grow in my love for the local church. One of the ways God has grown my love for the church is by teaching me that worship is more than showing up.” Wise Decisions about Psychotropic Medications – Here are 6 steps to making wise decisions…

Thanks to Zondervan and Jonathan Dodson for sponsoring the blog this week. Check out Jonathan’s new book The Unbelievable Gospel. Kevin DeYoung has a list of things Jesus Didn’t Say. Halee Gray Scott is concerned when Christians slam one another in the Spirit. Eric McKiddie comments on The Blessings and Curses of Being an Introverted…

The Church Needs Men and Women To Be Friends – Just because there are horror stories, it doesn’t mean we can’t have successful and meaningful friendships between men and women. Mentoring – There are lots of good takeaways in this article on mentoring. How ISIS Works – Here’s an overview of ISIS. 6 Reasons Women…

The Ordinary Church – John MacArthur writes about ordinary life and ordinary church. “God works through ordinary means, ordinary people in ordinary churches, doing very ordinary things.” Friendless Millennials in a Digital Age – This is a worthwhile reflection on Millennials. You Can’t Catch Sin Like A Cold – Barnabas Piper writes about those who…

Gospel Affection – Joe Thorn offers 10 practical ways to show love to one another in the church. “Consider what follows a simple encouragement to press into a life of love in practical ways. A life God has called us to, saved us for, and modeled for us.” The Death of Thomas Cramner – Do…

I have found that for short stretches of time I can convince myself that I am being faithful to God if I define faithfulness in terms of only one behavior.” That is an insight from Nate Larkin, author of Samson and the Pirate Monks, and I think he is on to something. We all have…

What’s All this Gospel-Centered Talk About? – Dane Ortlund: “As far as I can tell the phrase is used in two basic ways. One way is to view all of life in light of the gospel. We’ll call this a gospel-centered worldview. The other is to view Christian progress as dependent on the gospel. We’ll…

I’ll Be Fine – I’ll Be Fine is a short documentary about a family, their home, and the trials of living with a nineteen-year-old son who has autism. It’s very well done. Look and Live – This is an excellent article from Matt Papa. Theological Impatience – “Theological impatience is one of the most troubling…

Thanks to Books at a Glance for sponsoring the blog this week; their sponsorship keeps the virtual lights on for another week! Jeremy Walker writes about Gospel Ripples and the importance of preaching and hearing the gospel again and again. Denny Burk looks at what the Bible says about spanking. Is it a legitimate form…

Why Not Sin? – I like this answer: “Paul could have talked about the misery that sin brings, the pain that it inflicts upon others, the consequences which flow from it, or the penalty that Christ had to pay for it. But that is not where he first turns. He wants Christians to understand that…

Genetic Testing – Here’s one cost of a new technology: “With genetic testing, I gave my parents the gift of divorce.” Tribute to My Pastor – I enjoyed this tribute to a pastor. “Before I preached in the chapel service at Southern Seminary, Dr. Mohler recognized [him] as the pastor who had raised up more…

ESV Women’s Devotional Bible – Westminster Books is giving away 12 copies of the ESV Women’s Devotional Bible (and selling it for 50% off). Three Questions to Help Diagnose Possible Football Idolatry – Kevin DeYoung offers questions to help you diagnose possible football idolatry. Reading the Bible in Public – Here are 3 big ideas…

9 Questions to Help You Steward All of Life for God’s Glory – Brad Hambrick has some questions you should ponder. The Edge of the Earth – If you’re a Switchfoot fan, you’ll be glad to know they unexpectedly released a 7-song EP as a follow-up to Fading West (Amazon, iTunes). While we’re on the…