Curated content for Christians
Happy August. It’s a holiday up here in Canada, something we call the Civic holiday. It’s one of those weird holidays where most people get the day off, but some don’t. I’m not sure yet which camp I’m in. I need to add up my week and see if I can afford a day away…
It is a long weekend here in Canada and it seems like pretty much the whole population of Toronto has fled north to cottage country. We’ve got no cottage to go to, so instead we are meeting up with a cousin of mine and heading out onto Lake Ontario in his boat. Should be fun.…
The Friends with Benefits Epidemic – Here’s the best couple of lines from this article: “Your desire for sex is proof that God loves you. Your physical draw to another human being is proof that God created you to want to experience unparalleled intimacy in a way that reflects His desire for intimacy with us.…
John Stott’s death has already generated a lot of memorials. Here are a few that I found particularly interesting: Sandy Grant, Mark Meynell, Andy Le Peau and Timmy Brister. Many more will follow in the days to come. When Tumor Markers Rise – This is a powerful article from Mike Pohlman. “My wife Julia impresses…
The New Asceticism – I think Byron Yawn has a good word of warning to offer in this article. He looks at today’s many calls for radical living and points out where, if we are not careful, we could lose sight of the gospel. Remember that it tends to be good things that take our…
One thing I love about John Piper is the passion he brings to, well, pretty much everything he does. A couple of years ago he and I went out for a quick bite to eat after a conference and he asked a bunch of questions about Twitter; he was considering getting an account (or, actually,…
Amazon – Speaking of Kindle, here are some interesting, random facts about Amazon. A Soldier’s Letter – You have probably read this letter before, but it’s definitely worth reading again. “It shows a man highly devoted to his different and sometimes conflicting vocations as husband, father, soldier, citizen, and Christian.” Too Young to Wed –…
Whole Hearts – Matt Hammitt is looking for your help in establishing the Whole Hearts Foundation to support the families of children with congenital heart defects. Pepsi is tallying votes and will make a donation to the organization that gets the most votes. You can visit the link to read more and to cast your…
Banning Weird Names – “In the past two years, the country [New Zealand] has banned 102 names deemed to be too out there. The list includes Baron, Bishop, Duke, General, Judge, Justice, King, Knight and Mr. Those names were banned because they were deemed to be too similar to titles. The name Messiah has also…
Last night I had the privilege of speaking to a big group of teens who traveled up from Tulsa, Oklahoma to do some missions work here in Toronto. What a great encouragement it is to see those teens serving hard and sharing the gospel. (Hi, Emily’s mom!) The Most Dangerous Countries for Women – The…
Father & Son – “Chris Bray and his father, Kenneth, attended the launch of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, on July 8. Thirty years earlier, they saw the launch of STS-1, the very first one. Possessing nearly identical photos of himself and his father at the two launches, Bray uploaded a composite image of…
How to Evaluate Your Sermons – Here’s one for the preachers: “We must regularly evaluate our preaching to know if we are growing as preachers. Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) said to his ministerial students, ‘I give you the motto, ‘Go forward.’ Go forward in personal attainments, forward in gifts and in grace, forward in fitness for…
My apologies to those who were looking for the final post in Reading Classics Together. I was on vacation last week and just plain forgot to write up the Reading Classics article. I’ll catch up this Thursday! Meanwhile, here are some links that may be of interest… 9 Lessons Concerning Sickeness – Here are 9…
We are finishing up a week’s vacation today and heading home from a great little cottage we’ve been parked at for the past week. It’s been a wonderful vacation–the kind that was quiet and relaxing and lasted just long enough (but not too long). Good times. The Most Risky Profession – Writing for CT, Mark…
Outsourcing Memory – “Research suggests that we no longer remember facts, because we know the Web will do it for us. … A study published in today’s Science suggests that the Internet has changed how we remember facts. The study shows that the Web has become a sort of external hard drive for factual information.…
Rest – A Four-Letter Word? – This is worth reflecting on. “Eleven years ago, I wrote about an observed hurry, in which we have lost our bearings, our sense of proportion. ‘Unavailable’ seems a word from the past, going the way of cursive writing. But of course, with the aid of technology, it is more…
When Piper Touched My Chin – I thoroughly enjoyed this article from Clint Archer. “My question was a thinly veiled attempt to tease out some Piper-esque wisdom on this potentially spicy topic. He leaped over my trap with a single bound. His underwhelming answer was decaffeinated of all controversy. No passionate gesticulating, no mention of…
We have planned a day at the beach today which means that it will largely involve a beach chair, a Kindle and a selection of cold beverages. And, of course, I’ll spend some time making sand castles with the kids. Sounds like the makings of a good day… The Lure of the LED – This…
Bell’s Hell – This is rather an interesting blog post from the editor of Rob Bell’s book Love Wins. It’s another case of someone marveling that Christians were quick and vocal in defending a core doctrine of the faith. How is that surprising? A Testimony – I enjoyed reading Phil Johnson’s testimony of how the…
Mahaney’s Leave of Absence – An interesting update from C.J. Mahaney: “With a few potential exceptions, I will be taking a break from updating this blog for a while, and I want to share with you the reasons why and entreat you for your prayers while I am on leave.” Dave Harvey explains further. Urban…