Blogs

Crush Your Exegesis Paper: 3 Secrets Every Student Should Know
I have written seminary-level exegesis papers, and I have graded them—dozens of them. And I’m going to tell you a few secrets I don’t think your teachers will mind me telling their students.

Striking the Right Balance with the Biblical Languages
“Contemporary students and pastors in Biblical studies need to strike the balance between using Bible software and digital resources well so that: (a) they do not become so dependent upon them that they lack sufficient personal knowledge of the languages or (b) use electronic tools to isolate grammatical phenomena and words at the expense of how these are framed by their literary context.”

Let’s Get Serious about the Sacred Mystery of Sleep
“While we may not fully understand our need for it, we can’t dismiss sleep. Instead we should view it differently. It’s a faithful act in a rhythmic life, honoring to our Creator, and part of what we were put on this planet to do. Sleep matters because, done well, it’s part of a whole life devoted to the one who never sleeps.”

The State of the Church 2016
Not the full story of course, and the usual caveats about Barna, but this analysis looks at affiliation, attendance and practice to determine the overall health of Christ’s Body in America.

Five Categorical Lies about Pastors
Thom Rainer takes on five lies about pastors. And here’s a related article about pastoral workaholism, The Guilt of Pastoral Ministry.

Five Questions to Ask Before You Start Dating | Desiring God
“I just turned nineteen, and I have never been on a date. Seriously, no coffee, no dinner, no movie, no one-on-one — ever. That’s not because I don’t like boys. Or because I never want to get married. I do, on both counts. It’s because I’m waiting to date until I can marry, and I’m not ready yet.

Kindle Books

Unveiling the Kings of Israel by David Down $2.99

Preaching with Bold Assurance $2.99.

New Book

God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture — What the Reformers Taught…and Why It Still Matters by Matthew Barrett.

Video

God’s Word Alone by Matthew Barrett
Matthew’s new book is on Sola Scriptura. Also, Keith Mathison is starting a “Five Solas” series over at Ligonier. Here’s a the introduction: Top Five Books on the Five Solas.