Free People Rest: Do you?
“When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.”

Getting Healthy: Fighting Spiritually
What more can I do to get you to buy and read Note to Self!

Caring is wearing me out
Understanding and responding to ministry stress. And along similar lines, here’s David Sunday on Embracing the Biblical Tension between Family and Church Ministry

5 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Preaching
Eric McKiddie expands one of Erik Raymond’s five points in 3 Reasons to say “You” more often in sermons.

Stop using (some) illustrations
“My heart always sinks when I hear the words ‘I’m not sure whether to use this illustration or not….’ in a sermon. Mrs R tells me that at that point she always wants to stand up and shout, ‘Don’t do it, preacher!’”

Two reasons why finding the root problem may not be a good goal for counselors
Another good reason to subscribe to Phil Monroe’s blog. Though- provoking, thought-changing, and thought-leading.

A Classical Christian School Reading List: 4th to 5th Grades
Many parents and children will benefit from Justin’s compilations.

Jesus loves the little children
$3 introductory book on the subject of infant baptism.

Unashamed Workman Has Moved
Great site for pastors, especially on the subject of preaching.

Obama, Gay Marriage, and the Black Church Vote
“Do not be deceived: Our votes will not come cheaply. Our mutual identity as African Americans is something we celebrate every time you laugh off the ignorance of those who question your American citizenship and when you make those long strides that have come to characterize your trek from Marine One to your home. Yet our confidence in your ability to govern the nation justly and equitably is not based solely on the contrasting ethnicities of your opponent and you. Yes, our ancestors made many sacrifices for us to have the right to vote. However, they also died while trying to stand for righteousness. So we can use the nil option in November, opting not to vote for you or the presumptive Republican nominee.”

How much sleep do you really need?
“Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don’t live quite as long.” And here’s the science of napping.

A Critical Mind vs a Critical Spirit
“I wonder at what point our appreciation for insightful analysis turns into a celebration of critique that leads to an unhealthy elevation of the critic.”

Is learning Greek and Hebrew really worth it?
A rhetorical question, of course.

Some challenges and trends for Seminaries
The Chronicle of Higher Education has some advice for Seminaries (HT: BibleX)

Your ministry is not your identity
“I was a pastor in the process of destroying his life and ministry, and I didn’t know it. I wish I could say that my pastoral experience is unique, but I have come to learn in travels to hundreds of churches around the world that sadly, it is not.”

The new style of writing for the Net
It involves.

Lots of short and choppy.

Sentences and paras!

The Sluggard’s Squeaky Bed
Good one for a Monday morning.

Tweeting Pastor Destroys Wise Reputation
I think (hope) this is a parody. But it’s too close to the truth to be sure.

Preaching from an iPad
Some hints and tips for the uber-cool.

How to improve your kids’ science scores
It’s a walk in the park.

A Christian Classical School Reading List
Super-helpful list of books from Justin Taylor. I’m past that stage, but this almost makes it worth having more children!

Write less, say more
How much of our preaching would be transformed by substituting “preach” for “write” in this article.

Grief – A Forgotten Apologetic
Gritty, realistic, challenging, helpful post on grief from Nathan Bingham.

Ernest Hemmingway: The Art of Fiction
Fascinating article about Hemingway’s writing environment and process. And he used a stand-up desk! (HT: Chris Larson)

Success that exceeds sanctification
TIm Challies’ new prayer: “Do not allow me success that exceeds my sanctification.”

Fully Off
“Increasingly I am finding myself powering the phone down when I get home from work. Not “silent mode.” Not “airplane mode.” Off. Disconnected.”

Proverbs for Christian Blogging
“The central point that can be gathered from Proverbs 7 is that the battle against the seductive woman is not won on the streets but from the window.   Once that foolish guy was walking towards her house he was as good as dead.  If you want to battle inappropriate sex its a war that is waged long before you get into the heat of the moment.”

3 reasons to pursue life-giving rest
“How are you?” “Busy.” I find myself hearing this and saying this far too often. Busy is a badge of honour in our culture and many of us wear it to display significance, importance and to appear needed. (HT: Aaron Armstrong)

Gentle Answers
Got a question? You might like the new feature at Gentle Reformation.

An update on Reformation Bible College
RC Sproul: “I would have given anything to have been able to go to a college like this after I graduated from high school.”

Animal Lessons
“The Lord not only designed the animals for naturalistic functions such as pollinating plants or providing you with food and clothing, but to be an intentional, constant reflection to you of spiritual lessons?”

Literal, Historical, Poetical?
Justin links to some important definitions.

18 tips for “little things” to boost your happiness at the office
Need to work on # 9, 10, 16.

How to preach like Phil Ryken and Duane Liftin without sounding like them
Especially liked Ryken’s #2 and Liftin’s #1.

The Excluded Male
J C Penney are starting down a dangerous path.

Is “the culture” really the Church’s problem?
Ken Myers says, “No, it’s the culture in the church that’s the problem as many believers live not fully transformed by the Gospel.

15% Discount at Ligonier
If you are buying anything from the Ligonier store, enter HHH15 and you’ll get a 15% discount.

PRTS Graduation Ceremony
Come along and hear Sinclair Ferguson deliver the Commencement address or else watch online. And while we’re on the subject of the Seminary, here’s a mission in Gambia (pages 8&9 of the pdf) that’s using PRTS distance learning courses to advance theological education there.

Why you should start a company in Grand Rapids
UX designer Joe Johnston and VC fund founder Rick DeVos share the top five reasons for coming up to Grand Rapids and getting down to business.

Forgive us our student debts
Collin admits he doesn’t have all the answers, but he’s helping us to ask the right questions.

Why family time is a pastor’s job description
“No, I can’t see you about the family issues you have because of your misplaced priorities, because it’s my day off and I spend it with my family.”

The path of seduction
How you ended up like a gutted dear in a tree.

25 ways to provoke our children to anger

Confessions, Generations, and the Future of the CRC
“Hey, baby boomers, I want to let you in on a little secret: you don’t own the denomination, though I know you’ve acted like you do for the past 20 years…Some of us Gen Xers and rising millennials are not interested in your “updated” faith: we’re looking for the thick, rich particularity of historic Reformed faith, understood as an expression of catholic Christianity.”

Sinclair Ferguson to give PRTS Commencement address
Join us this Friday 7.30 at Heritage Reformed Church (540 Crescent St, Grand Rapids), for Sinclair’s address on “Grace Marks in Young Gospel Ministers.”

Top 5 things introverts hate about Church
Written so that extroverts can understand.

When the anchor holds
Why I no longer say, “God didn’t cause this birth defect in my child.”

The Scriptural witness to the historicity of Adam
Could it be put more simply or persuasively?

Biblical Counseling Center: Impacting the Next Generation

Liberating Black Theology
Jared Oliphint begins a series  on Anthony Bradley’s important book.

The pastor’s “to-do” and “not-to-do” list
“Somehow between the first cup of coffee and the whistle at the end of the day we have wandered into the marshy soil of distraction. A good to-do list will help populate the not to-do list.”

Jesus is what the Old Testament Promised Him to be
If this doesn’t get your devotional juices flowing, nothing will.

15 tips on blogging from John Newton
Just read it…you’ll be amazed.

When the enemy asks questions about disability
Greg’s right, the parents of disabled children are specially targeted by the evil one. Thankfully God has special help for them too.

A wife’s submission is not…
Paul Tautges summarizes the booklet “Help, I can’t submit to my husband.”

A mother’s “call to worship”
Gloria Furman is an expert at finding the Gospel in the mundane

Confessions of a recovering perfectionist
“One of the other pastors at our church showed up one morning last week at the kitchen door as I was doing dishes in my red moose pajama pants and previous day’s makeup.” (Thought that might make you read it).

8 reasons why my anxiety is pointless and foolish
Can’t imagine the ever-mellow Justin Taylor being anxious, but he’s served the rest of us here.

What I would tell a 27-year-old church planter
I think I’d say much the same to 55-year-old settled pastors as well!

The value of sermon introductions
“How to stop giving your congregation theological whiplash.”

Getting healthy: What I was doing wrong
“Though it felt like it, things didn’t suddenly go wrong in 2011. What I experienced that year was the consequence of what I had been doing for the previous 4 years. In short, I was doing too much for too long without resting.”

How to Keep the Seminary Christian
Timothy Raymond’s answer is:

1. A conservative evangelical theology with the Bible as the primary textbook
2. A converted student body with fairly high spiritual and moral standards
3. Godly professors who were experienced pastors or missionaries
4. A commitment to train primarily pastors and missionaries, as opposed to scholars respected by the secular academy
5. Tight accountability to and involvement with local churches
6. Regular chapels which included sermons from pastors and missionaries on the frontlines

And he explains it in a three part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Leadership Core: Talents
Chad Hall explains this equation: Talent + Training + Tenacity = Ability

Avoiding Burnout
Part 3 of an excellent series

Five mistakes I continue to make in my marriage
And more positively, here are Ten lessons from ten years of marriage by Kevin DeYoung.

Three minute Theology: The Eschatology of the Old Testament

The fragrance of heaven arising from the stench of death
Moving video and powerful illustration.

A Theology of Reading
In the space of 11 minutes, Tony Reinke, author of Lit!,  discusses the role of reading in the Christian life, including some practical tips to become a better reader.

Stop working more than 40 hours a week
“There’s a century of research establishing the undeniable fact that working more than 40 hours per week actually decreases productivity.”

Head, Heart, and Hands
Wish I’d thought of this. “Thinkers need feelers. Feelers need doers. Doers need thinkers.”

The pastor’s wife is simply a wife
And here’s a series by Pastor Al Martin on the same subject.

Successful Ministry
“The person that reflects most of Christ, and shines most with His love and grace, is best equipped to attract the attention of a careless, giddy world, and win restless souls from the fascinations of creature-love and creature-beauty. A ministry of power must be the fruit of a holy, peaceful, loving intimacy with the Lord.”

Proverbs for Christian Blogging
Mike Leake provides 10 principles to consider when deciding when to “contend for the faith” on the Internet.

A Call and Agenda for Pastor Theologians
Douglas Sweeney (constructively) shakes up the relationship between Seminary Professors and local Pastors and churches.

15 Ways to Improve Clarity in Preaching
Especially want to underline #2, 3, 4, 9, 15.

Get your towel dirty
“So my challenge to you is twofold: 1. Accept that you can’t repay the mentors in your life, whoever they are. 2. Let your gratitude overflow to people who can benefit from your help. Or, phrased differently, get your towel dirty. There are a lot of dirty feet out there.”

A video game designed to treat depression worked better than counseling
Not good news for Counselors!

Make that digital elephant disappear
Seems to be quite a few elephants around these days. Nathan Bingham with some tips on how to make one of them extinct.

Avoiding Burnout (Part 2)

Ligonier Connect (Unlimited Access Plan)
How would you like to go to Seminary for $9 a month?

Should I feel sheepish for writing a Jeremy Lin eBook?
OK, I’m breaking my self-imposed Tebow/Lin omertà, but I think it’s worth it for Ted Kluck’s brutally honest post.

Stop your cheatin’ ways
“I have a theory that I’ve made into an aphorism: you can borrow time, but you can’t steal it.” Kevin DeYoung beats my drum.

The Lament of a Black Neo-Reformed Woman
“It was God’s idea to create male and female and it was God’s idea to create the black female. The unique and specific needs of the black female have been unintentionally overlooked. It is clear to me, more than ever, that these needs are important and should be addressed.”

My husband looks at porn. What do I do now?

Leadership Core: Personality
“The more you understand about your own personality, the more you see what are your default, habitual choices…If you don’t see your default setting for what it is, it’s easy to be a slave to the way your personality determines your choices.”

The more you sit the sooner you will die
That made you sit up, didn’t it…hopefully makes you stand up too.

Be ambitious AND humble
Matt Perman highlights some fascinating research on high-impact employees from IBM. “Turns out that ambition alone is mediocre; ambition plus intellectual humility is the winning combination.” All of which adds a new word to our vocabulary: HUMBITIOUS!

Ebooks v Real Books
I’ve become a fan of the Kindle and have been buying most of my books on it for the past while. But this article really made me think, especially the point about leaving a physical heritage of books to pass on to the next generation.

Former CIA Agent says Espionage is easy compared to Postpartum Depression
Plame Wison says her experience with postpartum depression after giving birth to twins in 2000 tested her in ways that espionage never did.

I am an African man
This will make you smile…and cringe…and confess.

The legacy of Charles Colson
Probably most of you have read this, but Tim Challies provides a less effusive analysis of some aspects of Charles Colson’s life and witness.

I’m thankful for Christian funerals
Mike Lee gives 5 reasons why. (HT: Trevin Wax)

Questions about contextualization
This is a long one from Thabiti, but worth a study if you have 5-10 minutes.

The Old Testament is a story of Providence
Another long post, this time from Kevin DeYoung, but  also worth your time.

Twinterview: Louisville Pastors
Jeremy Walker with fascinating interview of Brian Croft and Jim Savastio.

Avoiding Burnout
First of two part series by Brad Hambrick.

Don’t Tweet that Sermon
Tried this once at a conference. Decided, on reflection, that it would be best to take notes, and perhaps Tweet a few quotables afterwards.

Gospel-centered Spiritual Formation
Tim Brister bridges the gap between the spiritual disciplines and Gospel centrality.

Microconference on Soul Care
Zac Allen tells a story I’ve heard repeated too many times to count. Maybe it’s your story too.

What the pastor-scholar has in common with the NBA star
Another headline I never imagined writing.

New Calvinists and Christian Education
Can you Anthony Bradley with his research into the question why New Calvinists and Missional Calvinists don’t value the Reformed Tradition’s emphasis on Christian education? And while we’re on the subject of Christian education, ever wondered why home-schooled kids are so annoying?

The one sentence most public speakers get wrong

T4G De-brief: Where were all the African Americans?
Thabiti Anyabwile with a helpful response to my question. Worth reading some of the comments on Thabiti’s post too.

God’s Attributes: Rest for life’s struggles
Keep your eye open for this. Looks good.

The Trayvon Martin Case: A moment for Evangelical Reflection
Marlena Graves says: “The tragedy underscores how far white churches have come on race relations—and how much farther we have to go.”

American Girls, Dangers and Delights
Really liked this idea. Emily Whitten interviews her young daughter about the American Girls series.

God in our midst
Danny Hyde’s new book on the Tabernacle is well worth a read. You can read some sample chapters at Ligonier’s website.

5 reasons why I will not see the Hunger Games
Not many reviews like this around.

Getting healthy: My hardest year
Joe Thorn begins to bare his soul, for the benefit of many.

3 Ways to Control your Inner Control Freak
“Hi. My name is Nathan and I’m a ‘control freak.’ I haven’t tried to assume autonomous control of every aspect of my life for at least the past 30 minutes.”

The State of the Bible 2012
“There are probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes. Americans buy the Bibles, they debate the Bible, they love the Bible… they just don’t read the Bible.”

Do Seminary Grads burn out quickly?
I always suspected these statistics were off.

Phone data shows “romance driven by women”
This headline is almost in “The Pope is a catholic” territory. But the article should start a few “discussions.” A para for the women: “Men call their spouse most often for the first seven years of their relationship. They then shift their focus to other friends.” And one for the men: “Romantic relationships are driven by women…it’s they who make the decision and once they have made their mind up, they just go for the poor bloke until he keels over and gives in!”

The Gospel under the Northern Lights
Bill Boekestein reviews Wes Bradenhof’s missionary memoir of his time spent as a missionary to the First Nation community at Fort Babine in central British Columbia. You’ll love the book trailer that Bill’s kids put together.