Yesterday I shared a strange quote from John Eldredge’s new book Beautiful Outlaw. Today I’m sharing another one. I almost feel guilty doing so since to share a quote like this is pretty much to mock the book. But as I said yesterday, Eldredge really has put himself beyond parody. Here’s another example: I was…
Some things go pretty far beyond parody. I’d have to put John Eldredge’s new book Beautiful Outlaw in that category. Here’s a sample quote (and yes, this is actually taken verbatim from the book). To get the full effect you should probably read it out loud. I have had similar encounters with Jesus in healing…
Here is a noteworthy quote from author James Spiegel. It is drawn from his book Gum, Geckos and God. The other day I was sitting in a faculty meeting, trying not to doze off during some committee reports. As I looked around, I mused over how much each of my colleagues understands about his or…
I’ve always found the word unction to be a bit of a strange one. I see it as a part of the Christian lexicon since, in my experience, we are pretty much the only ones who use it. We typically use it in prayer, asking that God would give unction to a man who is…
This topic has been much on my mind lately–possessions, stuff and contentment. Not too long ago I found a prayer by Scotty Smith that did a great job of asking God for contentment admist all the stuff we do have and amidst all the stuff we could have. He looks to these two Scripture passages:…
In reading In Light of Eternity, a biography of Leonard Ravenhill, I came across the name Samuel Chadwick. Chadwick was a Wesleyan minister who did the bulk of his ministry in the early 20th century. He was a mentor to Ravenhill and had a deep impact on his life. I found a couple of his…
Yesterday I came across a quote by Richard Ganz that really jumped out to me. He is dealing with the frustration we often feel when we read the gospels. We read of Jesus’ disciples and see how time after time they just completely failed to understand who Jesus was and what he was up to.…
A few nights ago a friend shared a powerful little piece of writing that deals with the incarnation of Jesus. A bit of research shows that it comes from the end of a song by the rapper Json; this song closes with an extended quote from John Piper. For now, here it is. It seemed…
How can I know that I’m a Christian? This is a question most of us have faced at one time or another, and even if we have not asked it ourselves, it’s likely that someone has asked for our help in wrestling through it. I recently came across an article from Michael McKinley that provides…
Here is something worth meditating on for those who are in pastoral ministry. In his contribution to the book Reforming Pastoral Ministry, Art Azurdia shares some of the temptations that are particularly strong in the ministry of the gospel. To be sure, the minister of the Gospel is vulnerable to trials and temptations distinct to…
There are many different reasons to use Twitter; there are many different good reasons to use Twitter. Some use it for pure entertainment value; some use it to share news and information; some use it to relate to other people. These are all equally valid. There are a precious few people who use Twitter to…
Yesterday I came across the name Polly Carey–the sister of the missionary William Carey. I read only a couple of sentences about her and her dedication to prayer. I had to know more. It didn’t take long to find an broadcast from Joni Eareckson Tada in which she discusses Polly. Here is an excerpt of…
This morning Joshua, our lead worshipper, introduced a new song to the congregation. An adaptation of an old Wesley hymn, it has been modernized and has been recently recorded by Matthew Smith. It is titled “Calmer Of My Troubled Heart (Hallelujah).” You can find it on his Road Sessions Collection CD. The lyrics are simple.…
This is quite a powerful little quote from a book titled Men of The Word which is edited by Nathan Busenitz and which includes contributions from a long list of writers. This excerpt is from a chapter titled “Real Men Flee Temptation” and is written by Andrew Gutierrez. In the first century AD, crowns were…
Here is a wise word from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, from his work Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. It will help to know that the biblical context for what he is writing here is Psalm 42. The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self…
Have you ever asked the Lord that he would teach you to grow in faith and love and grace? Have you ever asked the Lord that you might know more of him, or that he might give you the desire to more earnestly seek his face? John Newton asked this of the Lord and later…
The exquisite star Sirius is the premier gem of our sparkling winter skies [that’s it at the top-right of the photo]. Its name means “the Sparkling or Scorching One,” although it is commonly called the Dog Star because of its location in the constellation of Canis Major, the Big Dog. Sirius is the brightest star…
I am a lover of quotes and, though I’ve never gotten too organized in managing them, I do like to collect and ponder them. Here are a few from Charles Spurgeon on a variety of topics. To begin, a word on introspection (perhaps a good one for bloggers): I do not believe in keeping a…
This is an interesting little excerpt from Iain Murray’s recent biography of John MacArthur. In his Introduction Murray seeks to show what makes a man a leader among evangelicals. He offers a five-point answer: In brief, an evangelical is a person who believes the ‘three rs’: ruin by the Fall, redemption through Jesus Christ, and…
This is something that seemed appropriate to share for Father’s Day. This is an excerpt from John Paton’s autobiography, an excerpt in which Paton describes leaving his home in Torthorwald to attend missionary school in Glasgow (just to get to the train he had to walk some forty miles). His godly father accompanied him for…