In the past couple of weeks, I’ve made some changes to my blog page in an effort to simplify the information on the front page and provide an updated look. So now only the latest post will be posted in full on the front page, and the remaining posts will have “continue reading” links after […]
Read More Blog updatesJohn Piper, Don Carson and Tim Keller talk about succession in their ministries. But underneath their discussion is also wisdom about how to address issues related to aging. This is a good video for pastors to watch — along with anyone who is getting older.
Read More Aging and pastoral successionSome helpful articles from the last week: The Telegraph provide a lengthy obituary of John Stott: “He turned his own church, located just a few yards from the headquarters of the BBC, into a showplace for a renewed form of evangelicalism. Strong lay leadership at All Souls set him free to become the trainer of […]
Read More Grab bagA healthy baby was born in the hospital down the street. Ho-hum. God provided for your basic needs again this week. Yawn. You shared the gospel with someone this week and he trusted Christ. Of course. Your spouse/child/parent/friend loves you. Okay. The extraordinary has become ordinary. It happens in life. And it happens in the […]
Read More Christ’s sacrificeThis Sunday we will observe the ordinance of communion in our worship service. As I have been preparing for that (and my sermon) this week, I have been thinking about the gospel and its implications. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, it is most important — of first importance. John Stott captures some sense of […]
Read More Preparing for communionIt is good to contemplate the glories of heaven. What lies ahead? What will it be like to be in the presence of and see the Savior? What joy might our newly redeemed from sin bodies be like (can you imagine no impulse to sin ever again)? What glories and grace will be revealed to […]
Read More John Stott on gloryThis morning, John R. W. Stott was taken into the presence of the Lord. I have repeatedly used and been helped by his work, The Cross of Christ. I did not always agree with his conclusions (I am puzzled by his belief in annihilationism, for instance), but I repeatedly found him to be an insightful […]
Read More John Stott tributePride is an acceptable sin. It is not acceptable to God, of course, but both in culture and church, pride in its various forms is often not only accepted, but lauded. In another day, one might have written a book and then waited for others to write reviews of it. Today, it apparently has become […]
Read More An acceptable sinSome helpful articles from the last week: Kevin DeYoung gives us something to think about: “I’ve learned over the years that the simplest way to judge gray areas in the Christian life like movies, television, and music is to ask one simple question: can I thank God for this?…” John Piper wrote a teenager about […]
Read More Grab bagThough we regularly face temptation and though we sometimes succumb to temptation does not mean we are not in Christ or that Christ is not working in us. John Piper illustrates: Suppose you are in a car race and your enemy, who doesn’t want you to finish the race, throws mud on your windshield. The […]
Read More Resources for battling temptationAt the conclusion of his book, Tempted and Tried, Russell Moore offers this statement about the “benefits” of temptation: I hope you recognize the satanic offers that come to you for self-directed provision or protection or exaltation. I hope you see how our Lord Jesus can intercede for you, how the Spirit can fight through […]
Read More Moore on temptationSin is evil. And temptation is the tool Satan uses to draw individuals into sin so that they are destroyed by it. He seeks to deceive and delude unbelievers so that they are prevented from seeing the light of the gospel. And he seeks to devour believers as their adversary. There is nothing inherently good […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (7/24/11)More than a decade ago, there was a shooting in a Fort Worth church where a number of people were killed by a gunman. That same week, John MacArthur was speaking at a conference I was attending and when he was asked about the event he responded, “The deeper the world sinks into the abyss […]
Read More Violence, againUntil July 27, Amazon is “The Big Deal” selling over 900 books at significantly reduced prices — $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, and $3.99. Here are a few deals I found yesterday: The list of Christian and “spiritual” books (watch out for that last category) can be found here. And a few more deals: Nancy Pearcey, Saving […]
Read More Kindle book saleAwareness of the knowledge of God is a preventative for sin. But God’s knowledge of us is also a grace to us, as Thomas Watson explains: The infiniteness of God’s knowledge is a comfort, in case the saints have not a clear knowledge of themselves. They find so much corruption, that they judge they have […]
Read More God’s knowledge: a grace for sinners
Words of Grace 