Knowing Christ alone in ministry

John Flavel: “I determined to know nothing,” that is, to study nothing myself, to teach nothing to you, but “Jesus Christ.” Christ shall be the center to which all the lines of my ministry shall be drawn. I have spoken and written of many other subjects in my sermons and epistles, but it is all […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles from the last couple of weeks: A long time ago I began recognizing a changing trend in counseling. Women were battling with lust and pornography too, as Carolyn McCulley affirms in her recent post, “Lust: Not for men only.” She writes: “We have a message of hope and redemption in the morass […]

The Old Guys

Many years ago, another pastor challenged me to find a mentor: “You need someone ten or fifteen years older — someone who has been through the next phase of life — to build into you.” Sometimes it’s hard to find a man like that. That’s when “old guys” can step in. Those are men who […]

Book of the Month — a Rare Jewel

The book of the month in our church bookstore is Jeremiah Burroughs’ work, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. I first read this book several years ago over the period of several months in my devotional time. It was a blessing and challenge to be exhorted towards contentment every morning for those 10-12 weeks. As […]

Grab bag

A few things spotted recently around the web: John Piper’s 8-month leave of absence ended at the end of December. Last Sunday he resumed preaching with the sermon, “Our Deepest Prayer: Hallowed Be Your Name.” He also wrote an article entitled, “Why I Am Full of Hope About Bethlehem’s Future,” and while it is written […]

Some good Puritan reading

It was after I finished seminary that I was introduced to the Puritans. A friend gave me a book by Thomas Watson, I thanked him, and put it on my shelf where it sat for several years. One day I was browsing through my shelves looking for something; I saw the book, picked it up, […]

Grab Bag

An assortment of miscellaneous articles and thoughts from around the web: Al Mohler, “Looking Back: TIME asks: ‘Is God Dead John Piper, “10 Reasons Why Believing in the Sovereignty of God Matters” A couple books that look interesting (I have not read these books and know nothing about them other than what you will read […]

Today’s Quote – Fellowship (Packer)

John Piper, Contending For Our All: Packer says that Puritans differ from evangelicals today because with them “Communion with God was a great thing, to evangelicals today it is a comparatively small thing. The Puritans were concerned about communion with God in a way that we are not. The measure of our unconcern is the […]

Nine reasons to read the Puritans

At the recent Ligonier Conference, in a brief exhortation, Joel Beeke offered nine reasons to read the Puritans: The Puritans will help shape your life according to the Bible. Puritan writings will show you how to integrate Biblical doctrine into daily life by: addressing your mind, confronting your conscience by exposing specific sins and asking […]

Thomas Boston on Scripture

“Consider the excellency of the scriptures. There is a transcendent glory in them, which whoso discern cannot miss to hug and embrace them. To commend the bible to you, I shall say these eight things of it. [Here is the first only.] 1. It is the best of books. They may know much, ye think, […]