Title: The Trellis and the Vine Authors: Colin Marshall and Tony Payne Publisher: Matthias Media, 2009; 196 pp. $19.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): Several years ago a friend of mine told me about his “rule of three” regarding the purchase of books. No matter how much someone would praise and affirm the qualities of a given […]
Read More Book Review: The Trellis and the VineToday we begin reading the book of Galatians. This is the first of Paul’s letters, and it is key to understanding the relationship between gospel and law, grace and legalism. The purpose of the letter is clearly stated in the introductory section of the book (1:1-10): Judaizers had infiltrated the Galatian church and had attempted […]
Read More Reading GalatiansWhat I’ve lately been reading and listening to in books and blogs that is noteworthy: Desiring God, “The Difference Between Christianity and Buddhism” Al Mohler, “Permanence Before Experience — The Wisdom of Marriage” Al Mohler, “‘This is Life We’re Talking About’ — Abortion and the Health Care Bill” John Piper talks about “My 2010 Writing […]
Read More Grab BagWhile there is a new brand of atheism that seems to be gaining a measure of cultural acceptance, there is another kind of atheism that has always existed — a practical atheism that affirms the existence of God with words and denies His existence with actions. Thomas Watson noted the existence of these unbelievers this […]
Read More Transgression speaksEach month, Christian audio makes one book download available for free — this is a great way to read some of the classics of the faith, if you have long commutes, or have other significant amounts of time when you can listen to audio material (like on a treadmill or behind a mower). This month, […]
Read More More audio book dealsTitle: 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, […]
Read More Book Review: Heaven Taken by StormWe 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 […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (3/14/10)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 […]
Read More Every man is a missionaryThe 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 […]
Read More Sin and the new manTitle: 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 […]
Read More Book Review: Be Still, My SoulThe 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. […]
Read More Shepherds’ Conference audioFrequently 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 […]
Read More What does it mean when the Bible repeats itself?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 […]
Read More Shepherds’ Conference recapNote: 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 […]
Read More Shepherds’ Conference Session 9 – John MacArthurNote: 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 […]
Read More Shepherds’ Conference Session 8 – Steve Lawson
Words of Grace 