Book Review: Heaven Taken by Storm

Title: Heaven Taken by Storm Author: Thomas Watson Publisher: Soli Deo Gloria Books, 1992; 129 pp. $17.00 Recommendation (4-star scale): One of my favorite Peanuts cartoons shows a series of panels in which Charlie Brown is seen alternately writing something and then crumpling it up and tossing it into a pile. In the last panel, […]

Sunday Leftovers (3/14/10)

We live in an entertainment culture. We go to the gym to exercise, step onto a treadmill and have a TV screen facing us to watch. But most don’t watch – they have their own private entertainment in their own headphones. Or perhaps you prefer an aerobics class — so you exercise there to the […]

Every man is a missionary

Thinking about the spiritual gift of evangelism as I was preparing for Sunday’s sermon on Eph. 4:11-12, I came across this statement from Thomas Chalmers, who reminds us that spiritual gift or not, obedience to testify to the gospel of Christ or not, every individual is still a missionary: Every man is a missionary, now […]

Sin and the new man

The life of the believer is unique in many ways. One is the manner in which he must consider his sin. The follower of Christ is a new man — a new creature possessing a new life in Christ. And yet he still battles the flesh and sin on a daily basis — his only […]

Book Review: Be Still, My Soul

Title: Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God’s Purpose and Provision in Suffering Editor: Nancy Guthrie Publisher: Crossway, 2010; 175 pp. $12.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): There are many tests in the Christian life. How will the believer respond to temptation to sin? Will he remain faithful to Christ to the end? Will he wisely and generously […]

Shepherds’ Conference audio

The audio from almost all the sessions of last week’s Shepherds’ Conference has now been posted (only three of the 38 sessions have not been posted). You can download all the audio for free here. The notes from the workshops are typically posted within a few weeks; you will be able to find them here. […]

What does it mean when the Bible repeats itself?

Frequently the Biblical writers will use repetition of words and phrases as a means of emphasis. For instance, the word “believe” appears in John’s gospel 100 times — an obvious means of reinforcing not only the importance of belief in Christ, but also of the key verse in the book — “but these have been […]

Shepherds’ Conference recap

The Shepherds’ Conference is always a highlight for me, and one of the things I look forward to is reflecting over what I heard over those days — of assimilating a few ideas that will stimulate me spiritually to greater godliness and provided direction for ministry decisions in coming days. To that end, here are […]

Shepherds’ Conference Session 9 – John MacArthur

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. What contributes to a lasting ministry? Separation, sincerity, and sympathy. They need to know that you care. You can tell them that God is sovereign, but you had better be there […]

Shepherds’ Conference Session 8 – Steve Lawson

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. Also, I missed the first few minutes of this seminar. This war is an invisible war — unseen conflict between God and Satan, heaven and hell, good and evil and there […]

Shepherds’ Conference Seminar 4 – Carey Hardy

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. Also, I missed the first few minutes of this seminar. A balanced Christian life is completely avoiding both liberty and legalism. There is a third way — the gospel. Not just […]

Shepherds’ Conference Session 7 – Phil Johnson

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. In the past 10 years alone every fundamental doctrine has been placed on the table for debate — and it has even become shocking when someone stands up for truth. The […]

Reading Numbers

The book of Numbers, while often regarded among the less “interesting” books in Scripture to read, is an important book for it is the book of testing for the nation of Israel. And through the testing, the nation discovers that God is faithful to His promises and His people. In addition, the holiness of God […]

Shepherds’ Conference Session 6 – Al Mohler

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. The disappearance of the pulpit is the hallmark of the age. Have you noticed the sermons of the age? They’re small. Not short. But small. Preaching needs to be big. Not […]

Seminar 3 – Paton, Turning Spectators into Servants?

Note: All these notes are rough and are not exact transcriptions. There will be errors (typos) and things that are missed from the messages. In a culture where entertainment and being a consumer and spectator is considered the norm for every area of life, how do you turn people into servants? In a simple word […]