Hungry?

In his book Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey recounts the story of some early Spanish sailors who reached the continent of South America after an arduous voyage. “The caravel sailed into the headwaters of the Amazon, an expanse of water so wide the sailors presumed it to be a continuation of the Atlantic […]

Should you fast?

In recent years, there have been numerous books written on the Biblical practice of fasting. I have read at least one of those books. I have also read numerous chapters, articles, and blog posts about the practice. And I have heard many conversations about the practice of fasting. And it seems to me that too […]

Spiritual disciplines for a lifetime of spiritual growth

When a counselee graduates from the discipleship counseling process, I encourage him to continue in the spiritual disciplines and patterns he has developed in the counseling process. Sometimes it is easy to forget the things that most help us walk with God, so I have put together a brief list of essentials for the spiritual […]

Why pray?

This morning’s Old Testament reading recounts the story of Assyria’s threat against Judah. It seemed that Judah was hopeless. But Hezekiah, having received the threat from the king of Assyria through the words of his servant Rabshakeh, went to pray. The content of his prayer was direct: You are the God, you alone (Is. 37:16) […]

Benefits of daily time in Scripture

From Jon Bloom: Private devotions aren’t magic. We know that (for the most part). But still, we can be tempted to think that if we just figure out the secret formula — the right mixture of Bible meditation and prayer — we will experience euphoric moments of rapturous communion with the Lord. And if that […]

Praying for others

Have you ever been unsure about how to pray for others? Perhaps someone’s name comes to mind and you feel compelled to pray, but you are uncertain what to pray. Or maybe someone has asked you to pray and you know you should even pray at that moment, but no words come to mind. Your […]

Needed: Bible Intake

It’s one thing to be unfamiliar with Scripture when you don’t own a Bible; it’s another thing when you have a bookshelf full. No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and […]

Diligence and the Christian life

Some time ago I was having a problem with my e-mail. Try as I might, I could not send e-mail. My computer just didn’t want to talk to the server. Yet it was retrieving e-mail just fine. Grrrr. This has been a problem that had recurred periodically but would then go away. Not on that […]

The discipline of discipline

“…discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7b). Discipline. The word pictures a gymnasium filled with exercise equipment designed to conform the body to fitness. Physical wellness is the result of regular, continual exercise. The same is true of the soul. Spiritual wellness is the result of regular, continual spiritual exercise. But since […]

Why Read the Bible?

Don Carson answers the question, “Why read the Bible?” by first noting why we shouldn’t read the Bible: HT: Desiring God.

Grab bag

Some helpful articles from around the internet: Justin Taylor offers “Eight Reasons Why My Anxiety is Pointless and Foolish.” In “Pray the Scriptures,” Scotty Smith confesses, I am a recovering self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who spent many of my first years in Christ thinking of God more as a sugar daddy than the […]

Open my eyes

A couple of months ago, I printed and inserted a copy of John Piper’s brief I.O.U.S. prayer and inserted it into the Bible that I use for my morning Bible reading. It is a daily reminder that I need the Lord to move my heart towards Him and I need the Lord to give me […]

I need time in God’s Word

From Lou Priolo, “The Spirit and the Word:” “I’ve met an astounding number of Christians who believe they can grow in grace apart from regular and continuous time in the Word (i.e., Bible reading, study, memorization, meditation, and active listening to Bible preaching and teaching). At the risk of overstating my argument, let me say […]

Preaching to yourself

I recently picked up and began reading Joe Thorn’s book, Note to Self. The book is about the discipline of meditation and especially the art of meditating on the gospel so that the gospel increasingly guides our thinking and actions. Justin Taylor did an interview with Joe Thorn in which they discussed the purpose and […]

Grab Bag

A few resources I’ve found recently that have been helpful: “Devotions Aren’t Magic” — among other things, regular time with Christ cultivates delight in Him. Biblical Training recently updated its web page — and all the same very helpful resources are still there at no cost — including seminary level training. A great resource. Some […]