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May 7, 2013 • By David Murray • 2 CommentsA Biblical Basis for the Multi-ethnic Gospel
Multiple verses from the Psalms and prophets could be added.
The new legalism
How the push to be ‘radical’ and ‘missional’ discourages ordinary people in ordinary places from doing ordinary things to the glory of God. Along similar lines is The Radical Nature of a Quiet Life.
When can mother relax?
Kim Shay: “This is the reality of parenting; it’s a life long vocation. And we can be thankful for it, because it causes us to draw closer to God, and it gives us opportunity to grow.”
How should we teach our children about the Trinity
Here’s something I wrote on the same challenge: How can I explain the Trinity to a child?
21 skills of great preachers
“For most of my life, when sitting under a great preacher, I’ve taken dual sets of notes, including content on one list, and a separate set of notes on their communication skills. What have I discovered in these 40 years worth of notes? Here’s my summary.”
Want to talk to non-Christians?
Here are six tips from an atheist!
Top 60 Online Resources for Battling Porn
May 6, 2013 • By David Murray • 2 CommentsPrevious posts in this series: Top 200 Online Preaching Resources, Top 200 Online Leadership Resources, and Top 300 Online Counseling Resources. Now, here’s the Top 60 Online Resources for battling Porn.
Usual disclaimer: Link does not imply full agreement or endorsement.
Raising a Pure Son In a Sex-Crazed World — We are THAT Family
The Bible and the Brain: Scripture strengthens neurological pathways
F.L.E.E.—A Strategy for Pursuing Sexual Purity – The Gospel Coalition Blog
A Warped Worldview: Another Moral Effect of Pornography | Al Mohler
Raising Kids in a Pornified Culture | Take Your Vitamin Z
The Science of Porn Addiction | Take your Vitamin Z
“What Do I Do If My Child Is Looking at Pornography?” | Biblical Counseling Coalition Blogs
Porn and the contemplative life | Joel Miller
Book Reviews: Sexual Sanity For Men | The Gospel Coalition
Why is Porn Addictive? | Covenant Eyes
I Get By With A Little Help From My Readers…-Housewife Theologian
Porn-Free Church: Sex, God, and the Gospel – The Gospel Coalition Blog
The Urban Gospel Mission – THE PORN GATEWAYS
Sex in the Media – The Price Our Kids Pay | Covenant Eyes
Pornopoly – The Gospel Coalition Blog
Counseling Single Men (and Men in General) Toward Lasting Freedom from Pornography | Covenant Eyes
Is bad sex killing the great commission? Between The Times
The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part One | Al Mohler
Fake Love, Fake War: Why So Many Men Are Addicted to Internet Porn and Video Games – Desiring God
D.A. Carson on Overcoming Porn Temptation | Take your Vitamin Z
Overcoming Sexual Sin (Video 1 of 9) | Brad Hambrick
Porn-Free Church | Free E-book for Pastors | Covenant Eyes
Raquel Welch Says Pornography “Annihilates” Men | Denny Burk
Take Your Vitamin Z: Teens and Porn: 10 Stats You Need To Know
Free E-book: Your Brain On Porn | Covenant Eyes | Covenant Eyes
Escaping pornography | The Briefing
Backward Porn Addiction: when women draw attention to themselves | Rick Thomas
When Does Viewing Porn Disqualify a Church Leader for Ministry? | Covenant Eyes
Closing the Window | Challies Dot Com
Confessing Lust to Your Wife: How Detailed Should You Be? | Covenant Eyes
ANTHEM: Strategies for Fighting Lust – Desiring God
Piper, Keller & Carson on How the Gospel Helps Us Overcome Pornography – From Age to Age
Spiritual Healing in the Midst of a Husband’s Addiction to Pornography | Challies Dot Com
For Pastors Who Struggle with Pornography | Covenant Eyes
This Is Your Brain on Porn – Justin Taylor
Pornography and Gypsy Moths – Pure Church by Thabiti Anyabwile
The Weight of smut | First Things
Counting the costs | Warren Cole Smith
Girls Snared by Porn and Cybersex
Breaking Pornography Addiction – Part 1 | CCEFIt’s Not Just a ‘Guy Problem’
Break Pornography Addiction – Part Two | CCEF
Forgiving Your Spouse After Adultery
Confessing Lust to Your Wife: How Detailed Should You Be?
Hijacking the Brain — How Pornography Works
Breaking Pornography Addiction – Part 1
Discussing and Dealing with Pornography
Sexual Integrity Resources for Teens
Sex Before Marriage: How Far Is Too Far?
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May 6, 2013 • By David Murray • 2 CommentsDoes your church inadvertently hurt people with mental illness?
Amy Simpson with some challenging questions for churches. Here are another couple of important contributions to this discussion: Mind, Body, and Medications and The role of language in the stigma of mental illness.
We are family: What African Americans bring to reformed theology
Jemar Tisby: “While it’s true that the African American community can benefit from Reformed theology as it stands, Blacks have much to offer from their own theological and cultural heritage as well.”
How older members brighten the future of the church
Thabiti: “I wonder if others observe a phenomenon I think I see in many churches: people clustering with others in their generation? The 20-somethings spend their time with other 20-somethings talking about 20-something concerns….”
Dear Mr President
A heartbroken mother tells the president how she tried to explain abortion to her disbelieving young children.
Why was Christ veiled in the Law?
Nick Batzig gathers some wonderful quotes from John Owen and Geerhardus Vos.
Everybody is thinking about retirement wrong
The first part of this Forbes article is rather technical, but there are some thought-provoking points towards the end where he argues that “retirement as a cultural concept needs to go away.”
Children’s Bible Reading Plan
May 4, 2013 • By David Murray • 0 CommentsThis week’s morning and evening reading plan in Word and pdf.
This week’s single reading plan for morning or evening in Word and pdf.
If you want to start at the beginning, this is the first year of the children’s Morning and Evening Bible reading plan in Word and pdf.
Jason Henry, a missionary in Mongolia, has very kindly collated and produced the second year of morning and evening readings in Word and pdf.
And here’s the first 12 months of the Morning or Evening Bible reading plan in Word and pdf.
Here’s an explanation of the plan.
And here are the daily Bible Studies gathered into individual Bible books. Further explanation of that here.
Old Testament
New Testament
May God bless you and your children as you study the Word of life.
How Technology Made me a Better Christian
May 3, 2013 • By David Murray • 16 CommentsThere’s way too much Christian negativity surrounding technology. All we seem to think and read about are the dangers and difficulties of the digital revolution.
But how about some balance? How about recognizing and appreciating the amazing technological gifts that God has blessed our generation with?
I recently linked to How Technology Made me a Better Mom, and I thought, “Why don’t Christians write pieces like this?” Then, “Why don’t I write a piece like this?” So here goes with “How technology made me a better Christian.”
Affordable resources
I would not have half the books I have without the advent of Logos, Ages Software, eBooks, Kindle Daily Deals, etc. How impoverished my life and ministry would be without these resources! Then add all the blogs, websites, online sermons and videos, podcasts, and it’s almost too much of a good thing. Where do you start? Enter reliable online curators like Tim Challies and Justin Taylor to help us find the best treasure.
Searchable books
When I began my ministry in the mid-nineties, I started an elaborate and time-intensive index card reference system for everything I read in books, magazines, journals, etc. Yet even that often failed me as I stood in front of my tiny library and wondered, “Where did I read that quote? Which book deals with this verse or doctrine?” Now I can search Logos, my Kindle, Evernote, Dropbox, etc. and find them with a few clicks. This has not only saved me oodles of time, but has enriched my life and ministry immeasurably.
Economy and clarity of words
I got through Glasgow University and my first year of Seminary without a computer. I wasn’t a Luddite. It’s just that personal computers were still quite rare (and expensive). My first computer was a Packard Bell and it had a 200mb hard-drive! Yet even that made a huge different to the sermons I was beginning to preach. I still have the ten or so handwritten sermon notes of my first efforts. I remember there were times when I wanted to cut, edit, or re-arrange a section and yet just didn’t have the time to write everything else out again. My PC’s cut-and-paste made me a better preacher by helping me compress, clarify, and simplify my language. I so much wish John Owen had lived in our day.
Current comment
Until the advent of the Internet, if there was some moral crisis or worrying spiritual development in the church or nation, it would take a month or two for Christian periodicals to cover it and publish on it with comment and guidance. By then, the issue was often long gone and the debate had passed. Now we have the best minds and writers in Christendom able to comment and guide us through extremely treacherous moral and spiritual times and trends, and to do so virtually in real time!
Christian fellowship
Yes, I believe Christian fellowship has increased rather than decreased with the advent of the Internet. Through blogs and websites, “ordinary” Christians are sharing their faith and their spiritual experiences in ways that bless and encourage hundreds and sometimes thousands of other Christians – and non-Christians too. So much that would have been kept private and untold is now public and shared. Isolated Christians, Christian seniors, Christians with special needs, Christian homemakers, etc., have access to other Christians in unprecedented ways. And it’s not all digital. Most of my online friendships have developed into face-to-face friendships. Christians find it easier to open up and share in their local churches too because they’ve been “practicing” online.
Christian diversity
One of the richest aspects of online life is learning about other Christians from other backgrounds and cultures. Pre-Internet I might have seen them from a distance, and judged adversely on the basis of outward appearance. But as I read their blogs, listen to their sermons, and interact with them on Twitter and Facebook, etc., I hear and see their hearts for Christ and I’m better able to see past outward differences, love them, and be immeasurably enriched by them and their witness.
Outreach and Mission
It’s incredible how easy and inexpensive it now is to produce ministry resources and send them around the world at the click of a mouse. Churches and seminaries in third world countries are better equipped and educated than they’ve ever been. Classes and lectures are beamed into deserts, slums, and jungles. Missionaries connect with their families and churches at home via Skype. The Christian message is reaching countries and places no Christian can.
Usability of biblical languages
Logos, Bibleworks, NET Bible, etc., have helped me to continue, maintain, and improve my biblical languages. Like most pastors, when I came out of Seminary, my Greek and Hebrew began to slip and fade. However, when I discovered Logos in the late nineties, with easy-to-use parsing guides, word study tools, lexicons, etc., my biblical languages began to resume an important place in my sermon preparation. Without the time-saving digital tools, I know I wouldn’t have had the time to incorporate them into my weekly study.
Digital sanctification
This list is getting way too long already, and it could go on even longer, but let me wrap up by emphasizing that all these things and many more have made you and me better Christians. The digital revolution has increased our theological knowledge, our cultural engagement, our ministry reach and effectiveness, our evangelism and apologetics, our love for one another, and our holiness.
And who cannot worship God more when they sit down every day with an Apple!
In what ways has technology made you a better Christian?
