Book Review: A Fight to the Death

Title: A Fight to the Death: Taking Aim at Sin Within Author: Wayne A. Mack with Joshua Mack Publisher: P & R Publishing, 2006; 176 pp. $10.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): Do you mortify, do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from the work; […]

The top 10 events of 2009

A couple days ago, Al Mohler compiled a list of the “Ten Most Newsworthy Events of 2009.” His list is as follows: The Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States The Uprising in Iran The Travail of the Global Economy The Death of Michael Jackson and the Nation’s Addiction to Celebrity The […]

Is Christ before all in my life?

Jonathan Edwards makes a statement that begs the question, “Is Christ before all things in my life?” Which is simply another way of asking, “Do I live for God’s glory?” Or, “Do I worship God above all else, or is there some form of idolatry that is usurping the right position of God in my […]

Book Review: Pages from Church History

Title: Pages from Church History: A Guided Tour of Christian Classics Author: Stephen J. Nichols Publisher: Crossway, 2006; 329 pp. $15.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): What is the best book you have read in the past year? What is the most important book you have ever read? What is the most important book written in the […]

A couple more thoughts about New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day is a time when I commonly reflect on what God might do in my life in the coming year. Here are some posts from the past couple of years to help you (and me) plan for this coming year. Additionally, here are a couple more reflections from around the Internet: John Piper, […]

On reading your Bible this year

Here is an encouragement to not only read the Bible this year, but also a motivation for reading the Bible — because it is worth knowing more than any other book or truth — For some years now I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a […]

One sure thing for this year

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand” (Ps. 37:23-24; NASB). Today is New Year’s Day — a day to watch football bowl games, eat black-eyed peas and […]

Looking back to look forward

Is there a benefit to looking backwards — to evaluating the past in anticipation of setting goals for the future? Thinking not of individuals, but of the church, Stephen Nichols offers this insightful thought — The study of church history may be best viewed as a second-order discipline. It is subservient to our study of […]

Questions to start the new year

As Don Whitney notes, “The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.” What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? What’s the most humanly […]

Saved from what?

The word “salvation” means “rescue.” And in this rescue the believer is rescued from two different objects. He is rescued from the wrath of God — in a very real sense, salvation is not just to God, but also from God — from His wrath. But the believer is also rescued from the ongoing effect […]

A prescription for contentment

Nina Fry, in an insightful article about raising girls to be godly women, notes a set of principles for cultivating contentment. These principles came from the diary of a woman who served as a missionary in the African bush for 52 years — in the most primitive of conditions and in extreme heat. How would […]

Book Review: Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ

Title: Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton Author: John Piper Publisher: Crossway, 2009; 126 pp. $17.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): In college and seminary I had very little affinity for history or biography. Now I naturally […]

Book Review: Bitesize Theology

Title: Bitesize Theology: the ABC of the Christian Faith Author: Peter Jeffery Publisher: Evangelical Press, 2000; 110 pp. $5.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): When I was in seminary, one of my Hebrew professors, who not only had a doctorate in Semitic languages from a prestigious university, but whose wife also had a doctorate in biology […]

Experiencing a post-Christmas let-down?

Each year Christmas night finds members of my family feeling some melancholy. After weeks of anticipation, the Christmas celebrations have flashed by us and are suddenly gone. And we’re left standing, watching the Christmas taillights and music fade into the night. But it’s possible that this moment of melancholy may be the best teaching moment […]

It’s Christmas day…

It’s Christmas day — a time to remember the advent of Christ. A time to remember both the fact that He came and the reason that He came. The circumstances of His arrival were quite remarkable. His birth was singularly unique because of the virgin birth, of course, but Joe Stowell reminds us even more […]