Reading Jeremiah

It is for good reason that Jeremiah is called “the weeping prophet.” Not only is he the author of the book of Lamentations, but his ministry is also one of continued rejection. And not only did the people reject his warnings from the Lord, but God Himself promised Jeremiah that they would reject these admonitions […]

Read 10 chapters of the Bible every day?

There are many different kinds of Bible reading plans — Old Testament only, New Testament only, a-chapter-a-day, four-chapters-a-day, the whole Bible in a year, chronological readings. But a couple of months ago I came across another unique plan — 10 chapters a day! The design of the plan by English Professor Grant Horner is to […]

Some overlooked Piper quotes

Part of the problem of the technological age in which we live is that some things which should be forgotten and disappear into the vapor of air as soon as they are said, is that they are instead recorded, processed, transcribed, printed and disseminated in a variety of media forms, most notably, the Internet. On […]

What love is…and isn’t

Yesterday I suggested a new definition of love: “Love is a commitment of my love and affections to your needs and best interests regardless of the cost to me and as an expression of my desire to please God.” It is easy to think of this definition (or any other definition) and misunderstand it by […]

A good place to read a book

Justin Taylor pointed out what must be a really wonderful place to read a book: And then, when you are tired of reading, you can move to your desk to do some work:

Love defined

For a long time I have used a slight variation of a definition of love that I read many years ago in Tim Kimmel’s Little House on the Freeway. After the message this morning, I am modifying it again: “Love is a commitment of my love and affections to your needs and best interests regardless […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/26/10)

In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul refers to the security of our love from God the Father as the basis of our love for others. We can love others because we have been loved by Him. That principle then begs the question, “What are the qualities of a loved child, and how will those qualities impact his/her […]

Well-said at the conference

A few things that I thought were particularly well-said at the biblical counselor training conference last weekend (due to limitations in my transcription skills, these may not be exact quotations): Biblical counseling discerns thinking and behavior that God wants to change. [Lance Quinn] There is a two-fold purpose in and for our lives: becoming more […]

Conference update

Last weekend we completed our first of three weekends of training in the Biblical Counselor Training Conference. All the audio for the conference (all ten sessions) is now available online. Lance Quinn also spoke twice on Sunday morning, addressing the topic, “When Affliction Comes” (Ps. 119) during Sunday School, and then providing a 15-point overview […]

Seven times a day I praise You

How much praise of God is “enough?” Will we praise morning, noon, and night? Will we praise in between each of those time slots of worship? The psalmist contemplates the worthiness of God to be praised — His ordinances are righteous — and concludes, “seven times a day I praise you” (119:164). He is not […]

Book Review: Jesus: the Only Way to God

Title: Jesus: the Only Way to God Author: John Piper Publisher: Baker, 2010; 123 pp. $5.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): The gospel is always under attack. Recently I read this statement — from someone who for many years was considered to be in at least the same corridor of conservative evangelicalism, if not in the classroom […]

How suffering is good

Suffering is good. Now there is a statement that is sure to raise a few questions in the minds of most readers and thinkers. Yet the Scriptures affirm that the varied kinds of suffering endured by believers really are for their good and for God’s glory. A few examples: Suffering from sin teaches us the […]

Suffering and worship

This week we finish reading the book of Job. The majority of the book contains the dialogue between Job and his three not-so-wise and not-so-comforting and not-so-biblical friends. They foolishly attempt to answer why a godly man like Job suffers (their faulty answer — “he’s not as godly as he thinks”). But in question after […]

Grab bag

Recently found on the internet: “Do You See the Glory of God in the Sun? Spurgeon’s Battle Against Depression” (see also Randy Alcorn’s series on depression). Justin Taylor has some good thoughts about distinguishing between Christianity and Mormonism. At “Humble Beginnings” (audio) Tim Challies tells the story of pastor Jeff Anderson and a medium-sized church […]

Idolatry possible for Christ-followers

J. C. Ryle offers the following sober warning that idolatry is not something just practiced by unbelievers: It is not necessary for a man formally to deny God and Christ in order to be an idolater. Far from it. Professed reverence for the God of the Bible and actual idolatry are perfectly compatible: they have […]