Few people have had a deeper impact on my way of thinking than John Stott. In his little book Your Mind Matters, he writes about the importance of being Christians who use our minds. But knowledge is not an end in and of itself. Rather, all that knowledge is meant to lead somewhere. Knowledge should…
Last week GLH Publishing released a new Kindle edition of Thoughts on Religious Experience by Archibald Alexander. I barely got a page or two into the book before I came across such a helpful section that describes the connection between knowledge and piety–between what we know and how we practice our Christian faith. Here is…
You have heard the distinction as often as I have—the distinction between head knowledge and heart knowledge. We learn facts about God, about his character, about his Word, but it is not until those facts reach the heart that they become spiritually beneficial. They say the journey from the head to the heart is the…
I mentioned a short time ago that my parents are committed readers of biography (which makes Christmas and birthday shopping really easy). A couple of years ago I bought them a copy of David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning life of Harry Truman. My mother was particularly taken with the biography and its subject and I’ve since…
Airport Security – “At the Bangkok airport they took my scissors. This was the second time they took my scissors in Bangkok. I should have learned my lesson. They were safety scissors, the kind you’d give to a child, about two-and-a-half inches long with rounded tips.” There’s a lesson in there about airport security. Pride…
This is the most normal of weeks in Canada, yet it’s one of the most special weeks in the United States. I think Canadians are always a little bit surprised at the fuss Americans make about Thanksgiving. For us it’s quite a minor holiday; for Americans it’s one of the biggest days on the calendar.…
Earlier today I was looking through some notes I took on David McCullough’s great biography of John Adams. I found there a few quotes from Adams about his love of reading. He was an avid reader who had a very substantial library–far more the exception than the rule in his day. Here is how he…
5 Books to get Mom for Mother’s Day – Here are five books you may like to consider getting mom (or wife) for Mother’s Day: One (if she likes being challenged–see the other titles in this series as well), two (if she’s a note-taker), three (if she likes biographies), four (if she’s into self-examination) and…
An Interview with Michael HortonOver at the Ligonier blog Burk Parsons is interviewing Michael Horton (who declares that he does not read any blogs–maybe that is the secret to his productivity). Part two of the interview reveals that Horton was only a teenager when he wrote the first version of Putting Amazing Back Into Grace,…
Al Gore’s Earth Hour“President of the Tennessee Center For Policy Research Drew Johnson takes a Saturday drive by Al Gore’s during the time most environmentalists went dark. … The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion.” Shaun Groves on Life in the…
The name Ryan Ferguson may be familiar to some of the readers of this site. Ryan has appeared at a couple of conferences where he has recited long passages of Scripture. I first saw him at WorshipGod ’06 where he dramatically recited all of Hebrews 9 and 10 (though he had memorized the entire book).…
I am a little bit late to the party with this book. Released in hardcover in 2001 and paperback in 2002, John Adams is regarded as one of David McCullough’s greatest achievements. This is no little praise for a man who had previously won a Pulitzer prize (for his biography of Harry Truman)—a reward he…
For a long time now I’ve been reading David McCullough’s biography of John Adams. Because the book has collided a little bit with vacation and with some “necessary” reading, it has taken me a long time to get through it, even though it is a very enjoyable read. Within the book I’ve found a couple…
Friday October 12, 2007 Ig Nobel Prize WinnersNever might the Nobel Prizes. Ray Fowler points to the far more interesting (and honestly won) Ig Nobel Prizes. Become a Famous BloggerThis cartoon shows you how to become a famous blogger. A Religion Pro-ChoicerStand to Reason blog talks about Hillary Clinton’s absolute commitment to a woman’s right…
Mark Steyn is a brave guy. It takes a certain kind of bravado to write a book criticizing Islam. Just a few days ago I heard an author mention a book he has written dealing with Islam, but suggested that it will only be released posthumously. Other books on the subject have been released anonymously.…
I tend to agree with those who believe that liberalism is a mental disorder. I can think of no other explanation for those who hold steadfast to a system of beliefs that are self-contradictory, contrary to reason, and entirely Godless. Nor does Ann Coulter. In her latest book, Godless, she attempts to “throw open the…
As I mentioned in my write-up for session three, George W. Bush took some time out of his busy schedule to drop in to the conference and introduce Keith and Kristyn Getty. As much as I hate having my photograph taken, a photo op with the President was forced upon me. So here it is:…
Now that it is official, I can offer my congratulations to George W. Bush for winning his second mandate. It was a long, hard, nasty battle but in the end I believe America chose the right person. I guess the importance of this election is shown in the fact that I stayed up into the…
This is the fortieth and final chapter of The Purpose Driven Life. As I expected, it wraps up with a review of the five sections and encouragement to develop a personal purpose statement. Rick Warren begins the chapter with a discussion about the importance of a personal “Life Purpose Statement.” Such a statement will keep…
God has given me a life message to share. From the moment I became a Christian I became a messenger of God. I have a life message that I am to share with unbelievers and this message contains four parts. Of the five purposes Rick Warren has outlined in this book, this last purpose, being…