why me?

These are questions we tend to ask when things aren’t going the way we would desire for them to go.  Why me?  Why this? Why now? Justin Taylor posts an answer tree from David Powlison, “God’s Grace and Your Sufferings,”  in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God (pp. 172-173).. here is a paragraph from the middle, [...]

Fuel for the Christian Life

Tullian Tchividjian explains that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation as well as fuel for living the Christian life. HT to Timmy Brister

Brian McLaren’s new book

Kevin DeYoung thoroughly (pdf 12 pages long) reviews all ten premises of Brian McClaren’s new book A New Kind of Christianity here. Kevin’s describes his approach at the outset: I want to be fair with McLaren. I want to understand his ideas and evaluate them based on their merits. If I misunderstand a point or [...]

interview

here is an interview with a man that will likely not be alive at the end of this year. fascinating difference in perspective even though any of the rest of could die this year too. There is a tendency that’s especially strong in Calvinist circles to read Romans 8:28, “All things work together for the [...]

handling criticism

Tim Keller has some useful insights into handling criticism. First, you should look to see if there is a kernel of truth in even the most exaggerated and unfair broadsides. There is usually such a kernel when the criticism comes from friends, and there is often such truth when the disapproval comes from people who [...]

personal election

here is a beautiful essay by Tim Challies about Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus and what it means for Jesus to have called us to life by name. As I read these words, I think of the way Jesus called me and the way he has called countless numbers of men and women [...]

more reviews of The Shack

some big guns have turned their attention to Wm P. Young’s book, The Shack. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian has read it and Dr. Al Mohler is concerned about the discernment ability of modern evangelicals in light of the fact that this book is so popular among them. If you remember my main concern with [...]

couple of good ones

I have had a couple of windows open the last couple of days in order to post about them. one political and one theological. here we go. first the political: I believe it is crucial to understand that it doesn’t matter if the people engineering a collectivist state have sinister motives or not. In fact, [...]

Glory of God

here is a message from John Piper about why he finds the Glory of God to be the central point of the Bible and all creation. fascinating stuff.  the intro: How does the Bible orient us around the glory of God? I’m just overwhelmed, and have been for 40 years, with the centrality in the [...]

difficult stuff

I saw this and resisted posting it because it is so difficult. from @johnpiper last night: Three minutes on how I would counsel those seeking divorce or remarriage. http://ow.ly/UG7B follow the link and this is how he starts: Well, let’s lay the foundations for just a moment. This is just so huge and so painful and [...]

egomaniacal God

John Piper’s message to Passion 2010 is excellent. (BTW, one of the photographers at Passion 2010 this year was my Austin Stone peep and fellow photographer, Scott A. Wade. He is so talented. love his work. I won a family picture session from him in a drawing that I need to collect at some point.) [...]

How to change your mind

Joe Carter has a foolproof prescription for changing your mind and worldview in 2010. Dare you to try it. Dare you. here is a hint of background: One day I ventured to ask him how he had become possessed of the experience, when he replied, “By reading the epistle to the Ephesians.” I was surprised, [...]

do something risky with your life

here is John Piper talking about the stoning of Stephen and its application for us. Hat tip to m cubed

Les Lanphere

I found Les Lanphere’s blog through Twitter (@llanphere). He has been doing a series showing God’s sovereignty in everything and especially in salvation in each non-Pauline epistle of the New Testament in order to show that this doctrine is not something that only Paul writes about. Interesting stuff. I would also recommend three posts of [...]

life

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” or as Kansas says: Now, don’t hang on nothing last forever but the earth and sky it slips away And all your money won’t another minute buy Dust [...]

trade it all?

A friend of mine put this question up on Facebook last night: Michael Irvin “would trade it all for 19-0″ and wonders: What would you trade it all for? a question like that crawls up into my brain and rolls around for a little while. first of all the lawyer in me wants to explore [...]

helpful reminder

here is a helpful reminder of our role in the scheme of things from Jeremiah Burroughs courtesy of Kevin DeYoung. I beseech you to consider that God does not deal by you as you deal with him. Should God make the worst interpretation of all your ways towards him, as you do of his towards you, [...]

Lessons from Tiger Woods

C.J. Mahaney has some thoughts about what we can all learn from Tiger Woods and his troubles this last week.  Excellent stuff. Go read it all. Hunted by Sin But Tiger is being hunted by something more menacing than journalists. Tiger’s real enemy is his sin, and that’s an enemy much more difficult to discern [...]

Delight yourself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 says that we should delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our heart. Verse 5 follows that up by telling us to commit our ways to him, trust in him and he will act. Psalm 103 is a great one extolling the goodness of God to us. [...]

Marriage is like Christ and the Church

this is the important responsibility that married people have. To demonstrate the relationship of Christ and the church. Here is John Piper on why this reminder is important. It lifts marriage out of sordid sitcom images and gives it the magnificent meaning God meant it to have. It gives marriage a solid basis in grace, [...]

Brain food

for the day after Thanksgiving here is some brain food from John Piper and G.K. Chesterton. G. K. Chesterton helps explain why. It’s not merely true that a creed unites men. Nay a difference of creed unites men—so long as it is a clear difference . . . So a Tory can walk up to the [...]

a great Thanksgiving story

here is a great story for Thanksgiving. Check it out. Davis said he was sad to leave Yonan behind and worried about the interpreter’s safety. “I told him, ‘If you come to the Austin-Round Rock area, I will do everything I can to help you live the American dream. … I will not let you [...]

D.A. Carson on God’s existence

How do I know God exists? HT to Ramblin’ Pastor Man

Genesis

At our church, the Austin Stone Community Church, we are going through Genesis. So far the messages have been convicting and edifying. Today Matt preached on the bigness of God and the closeness of God. God is both the sovereign almighty God who created the universe and everything in it and the friend that sticks [...]

Glory to God in suffering

Here is a video from John Jordan’s facebook page explaining further how God can be glorified in the midst of suffering. further information on this topic in II Corinthians 4:7-5:15 and Hebrews 10:32-39.