Blogs

Death to Clickbait! | Tim Challies
“I hate clickbait. I absolutely despise it. Clickbait is lazy. It’s manipulative. It’s distracting and disappointing. It’s an abomination. Death to clickbait!”

3 Mistakes Churches Make When They Talk Money | Todd Harper, The Exchange
“It may be one of the most dreaded and uncomfortable sermon topics—both to preach and to hear. Money and giving can stir all kinds of emotions and reactions in even the most faithful Christ followers.”

Preparing Sermons with John Owen | Jeremy Walker, Reformation21 Blog
“This, I would suggest, is pastoral preaching of the highest order – ministry of God’s truth that flows from the heart of a true shepherd of souls, a man who has drunk deeply of the sweet waters of the gospel, and is persuaded from the depths of his being that others need to taste and see that the Lord is good, and to obtain the blessing designed for those who trust in him.”

Hillary Needs To Meet More Women Who Have Had Late-Term Abortions | Theresa Bonapartis, The Federalist
“The Guttmacher Institute, a former arm of Planned Parenthood, admits at least 10 percent of women who have an abortion are adversely impacted. With 60 million abortions in our country since Roe vs. Wade, even by their standards, millions of women have suffered adversely as a result of abortion. Think about it — we all know someone who is suffering: a relative, a friend, a co‑worker. We are quite literally surrounded by the walking wounded.”

Instead Of A Late-Term Abortion For My Disabled Child, I Chose Life | Cassy Fiano, The Federalist
“Carrying my son in my body did not give me the right to take his life because he didn’t fit into the preconceived notions I had about what I wanted out of a child.”

New Book

Martin Luther: Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr

Kindle Deals

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

Calvin on the Christian Life: Glorifying and Enjoying God Forever by Michael Horton ($5.99)

They Say We Are Infidels: On the Run from ISIS with Persecuted Christians in the Middle East by Mindy Belz ($3.99)

Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life by John Chapman ($2.99)

Video

This Sweet Couple’s Engagement Video Will Melt Your Heart | Bre Payton, The Federalist
Chloe and Jason both have special needs, but the young couple doesn’t want that reality to stop either of them from living life to the fullest. “I love her heart,” Jason said. “She loves people, like me, she loves to help people, loves to serve them, but most of all she loves Jesus. Chloe is a prime example of a godly Christian lady, and I’m so excited to be getting to marry her.”

Last night our congregation was privileged to hear a memorable sermon by Rev. David Vanbrugge, pastor of Heritage Reformed Church in Grand Rapids and an alumnus of PRTS. He was preaching on God’s defense of His church and his text was:

As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it (Isaiah 31:5).

One of the most vivid sections of the sermon was David’s description of a video of a peregrine falcon defending her brood from both a flock of pelicans and a snake. I found the video on Youtube and thought it was a powerful illustration of God’s vigilant care for his church.

Blogs

Illustration Variation | Biblical Preaching
“None of these are bad sources of illustrations, just be sure to vary it for the sake of your listeners.”

The Joy of Seeing Christ in the Old Testament | For The Church
“How do we steer from reading the Old Testament in an unhealthy way, to seeing Christ in the passages? First, we must see the big picture.”

That Sunday Morning My Sermon Notes Disappeared | TGC
To me, the most important lesson that Erik draws here is one that many pastors could do with learning:

When I got home that afternoon I went to my laptop and reviewed my notes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I certainly did not get every word, I did cover most of what was in my notes. My application, implications, and overall sermon followed the notes. This made me realize that I can probably do more than I think. My (detailed) notes are nice to have but not absolutely essential.”

The Key to Evangelism in the 21st Century
“In our progressively post-Christian society, the importance of hospitality as an evangelistic asset is growing rapidly. Increasingly, the most strategic turf on which to engage unbelievers with the good news of Jesus may be the turf of our own homes.”

Preacher’s Toolkit: 8 Lessons Calvin Teaches Us About Preaching
“Calvin was better some days than others. This should be encouraging to us regular preachers. Even the greats have off days. This is why we must always rely on God’s Word, and not our own ability.”

Why Christians Love Books | Desiring God
“Early Christians embraced the technology of the day, and used it for serious truth. They wrote long, and they wrote a lot — but they didn’t wait until life was comfortable to write. Their writing habits were counterintuitive to the image-building pattern of the Greco-Roman world. And this is our heritage today: We are bookish people — people of words, words, words, in service of the God who is holy, holy, holy.”

Founders Website
Founders Ministries is providing free access to thousands of resources on recovering the gospel and reforming churches on their new website (www.founders.org). In celebration of the new site launch, Founders is offering a copy of a new edition of the book “Dear Timothy” at the prepublication discount of 50% off for the next two weeks. You can order through their new website (Discount Offer ends November 7).

Sign up for the Founders Newsletter on our new website and you will be mailed 5 vintage Founders Journals gaining access into the work of reformation that has occurred over the past 25 years.

Founders provides daily featured content on everything from the devotional Christian life to theologically informed pastoral ministry. Visit their new website and explore online articles, interviews, book reviews, the Founders Journal, and a number of past and present books published through Founders Press.

Kindle Books

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

It Is Not Death to Die: A new biography of Hudson Taylor by Jim Cromarty $2.99.

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen Nichols $3.99.

Experiencing the Truth: Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church by Anthony Carter $3.99.

Video

Introverts v Extroverts

Blogs

You Get What You Pay For | Samuel D. James
“Ours is a culture of cheap, low-quality entertainment; cheap, low-quality politics; cheap, low-quality religion; cheap, low-quality education. We are so adapted to the tradeoff between inexpensive and mediocre that we hardly notice it anymore–until, of course, we have nothing else to choose from except the vulgar, the dishonest, and the middlebrow. And at that point, often a point of no obvious return, we lament, ‘How on earth did we get here?’”

3 warnings from a pastor leaving the ministry | Scott Hollingshead, The Cripplegate
“After several years of ministry the church plant disbanded and the pastor left the ministry. He and I still kept in touch after the church shut down, but that communication dwindled over time. I found out he wasn’t going to church much anymore, and when I challenged him about that, he cut me out of his life.”

The Ashley Madison Scandal One Year Later | Jimmy Dodd, For The Church
“I have been deeply troubled over the past year as I have head story after story of pastoral repentance. Many well meaning articles have been written by respected leaders declaring fallen leaders repentant – only weeks after the initial exposure of sin. My concern is grounded in the fact that all too often, identifying an act of sorrow as repentance is premature, misleading and unbiblical.”

Help Me Teach the Bible: Michael Horton on the Campaign for Core Christianity | Nancy Guthrie, TGC
Nancy Guthrie speaks to Michael Horton about his book Core Christianity: Finding Yourself in God’s Story, we discuss why those we teach need training in doctrine, the way God speaks to us today, and whether the purpose of our lives as Christians is to change the world.”

10 of the Greatest Leadership Questions Ever Asked | Ron Edmondson
“One of the best skills a leader can develop is the art of asking the right questions – and, even better – at the right times. Here are 10 of the greatest leadership questions ever asked:”

New Book

How Should I Manage Time? by Ryan M. McGraw

Kindle Deals

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur W. Pink ($3.99)

Five English Reformers by J. C. Ryle ($0.99)

The Dating Manifesto: A Drama-Free Plan for Pursuing Marriage with Purpose by Lisa Anderson ($2.99)

Video

Life on Campus

Another in my series on A Prof’s Life.

IHOP breakfast with a student started the day, followed by a couple of hours of preparation for my chapel address at 10am. I preached on 1 Timothy 6:11-16 on what it means to be a man of God. My outline was:

I. The Warning (vv. 11-12)

A. Flee these things (love of controversy, of division, and of money)

B. Follow after righteousness, etc.

C. Fight the good fight of faith

D. Fasten your mind on eternal life

II. The Witnesses (vv. 12-15)

Be encouraged by these witnesses/motives:

A. Because many saw your confession (at baptism/ordination)

B. Because God sees you

C. Because Christ sees you

D. Because the whole world will see Christ openly at the judgment day

III. The Worship (vv. 15-16)

You have a great calling but you also have a great God:

A. He is Invincible

B. He is Immaculate

C. He Is Immortal

D. He is Invisible

E. He is Infinite

Two hours of admin followed that – mostly emails but also chasing up some incomplete coursework from last semester.

At 2pm, I Skyped into the Theological Education Committee (TEC) of the Free Reformed Churches of North America, the federation that my own congregation belongs to. The TEC is responsible for the theological education of Free Reformed Students at the Seminary and also has an oversight role regarding my own teaching.

I left the Seminary at 3:45pm to visit a member of my congregation who is in hospital and then drove an hour to Grant Christian Reformed Church. I counseled a pastor over the phone as I drove, in a pre-arranged call, and then grabbed a McDonald’s meal before speaking to the congregation about leadership. I talked the congregation through the elder checklist and the deacon checklist which we use in my congregation to keep one another accountable and to inform the congregation of what to expect from our church leaders.

Got home just before 9pm, and after a day of preaching and teaching about the ideals of leadership and now I’m just about to depress myself by the sad reality in the final presidential debate.