Why it matters when we rub our bellies and say “So long as it’s healthy”
I won’t be saying that again, for sure.

The Difficulty and Glory of Adoption
Owen Strachan reflects on a recent NYT piece on adoption: “Parenting in general can be summed up in two words: self-sacrifice. That’s what being a father and a mother is at base. Every day, every single day, calls a father and mother to die to themselves in order that their children might flourish. Parents who adopt children from terrible circumstances will face this reality even more than “normal” parents do. They will also, however, experience unspeakable joy as they honor their adoptive heavenly father by caring for those whom the world did not want.”

Untameable God
Stephen Altrogge launches his new book today. Launch price 99c!

Scholarly Review of The Law is Not of Faith
Dr Cornel Venema’s important and lengthy review.

A Christo-Yearning Hermeneutic
This is quite similar to Dr Bryan Chapell’s Fallen Condition Focus. Here are another couple of helpful reminder/refresher articles on expositional preaching. 7 Qualities of Expositional Preaching and Text Driven Preaching and Pragmatic Analysis.

Confessions of an Obese Pastor
A admire Thom Rainer even more after this: “I am a Christian. Some may say I am a Christian leader. Some people look to me as an example. Frankly, I have been a poor example, a poor witness. I have had a lifestyle of sin of gluttony and slothfulness. I have no right to be a leader, if I am one, with the awful model that I am and have been.”

5 Ways Physical Training Helps with Spiritual Training
Ron Edmondson: “Let me close with this challenge. Test my claim. Spend some time addressing the physical needs in your life for a period of time long enough to make a difference. Try it for at least thirty days. Then you decide if it is worth your attention. I am confident you will find it well worth the time and effort you put into it.”

Healing Patients as Whole People
Looking forward to the rest of this TGC series on how Christians integrate their faith and work in various callings.

  • http://www.gracenevada.com Brian Borgman

    From my first year in seminary I started gaining weight. During the first 7-8 years of church planting I still gained weight. By the time I was 34 I weighed 235 pounds. I listened to Al Martin talk about obese pastors and was deeply convicted. But at age 34 I realized, like Thom did with his grandkids, that I would not be able to play basketball with sons or rigorously hunt with them in the mountains of Nevada. I started exercising and eating right. Thanks to God’s grace, I lost 50 pounds and now 12 years later it is still off. But I still struggle with keeping it off. My heart broke as I read Thom’s “Confessions.” Overweight people know they are overweight. Most of them hate it. If they are pastors, they know they are a bad example. I am going to pray for Thom and I trust if your pastor struggles with his weight that you will pray and encourage him. This is a besetting sin which all can see. May we be loving, encouraging and supportive of those who struggle.