Blogs

A Statement on Marriage from Oceanside United Reformed Church to the Us Government | Danny Hyde
Danny speaks truth to power.

The Local Pastor’s Special Joys | Barry York
Barry York reflects on what he misses about being a pastor of a local congregation.

Tolkein, Lewis, and the Blessing of a Messy Desk | Michael Kruger
This made me feel a whole lot better.

Seven Signs Success Has Outgrown Your Character | Eric Geiger
“Success has plagued many leaders. They experience the Lord’s blessing, see the fruits of their labor, and receive recognition. And many times, the success goes to their heads and hearts and pulls them away from utter dependence on the One who gave success in the first place. King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26) is an example.”

Two Books About — And For — Widows | TGC
Gaye Clark writes: “When my own husband, Jim, passed away, it seemed nearly every visitor offered me a book I “just had to read.” Most of these books put a heavy emphasis on “rejoicing in tribulation” and didn’t give me permission to grieve. Other books advised me to not spend too much time watching TV and to make sure I didn’t overindulge in spending or eating. And others simply presumed I faced widowhood as an elderly woman. Few offered me the gospel salve Life After Breath articulates and extends.”

35 Things I Wish I’d Known in High School | True Woman: Erin Davis
I think I could write one entitled “10,000 Things…”

3/4 Time | Clare De Graaf
“I’m 67 now, and statistically 3/4 of my way through life. Millions of Christian men, baby boomers they call us, are facing the last 1/4 of life and if we’re not careful, we’ll end up like so many, simply killing time pleasantly in warm places. A wasted life! Here’s how to make sure you finish strong.”

Kindle Books

Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke $4.99.

Theologians on the Christian Life (Free). An assortment of chapters on the church from volumes in the Theologians on the Christian Life series.

Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection by Ed Welch $0.99.

Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise $1.99. Lots of common grace truth in here. Imagine what could happen if Gospel-motivation was at the heart of this and the Holy Spirit was added to will-power.

Recommended New Book

Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief by John Frame $9.99. Out today!

Video

The Sixth Planned Parenthood Video

Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts–Becoming the Person You Want to Be, by Marshall Goldsmith, is a secular book about the environmental and psychological triggers that can derail us at work and in life.

While Goldsmith’s prescription is totally gospel-less, his diagnosis of the inner beliefs that trigger failure are full of truth. Not surprising really when you consider that while he’s helped thousands of people to change their behavior, he’s also had hundreds of failures along the way. In Chapter 2, he lists the most common inner beliefs that stop behavioral change in its tracks. See if you recognize any of them in this summary:

1. If I understand, I will do. Just because people understand what to do doesn’t ensure that they will actually do it.

2. I have willpower and won’t give in to temptations. Overconfidence means we don’t use available helps and supports to change.

3. Today is a special day. When we want to make an excuse for errant behavior, any day can be designated as a “special day” in which we indulge ourselves before we return to self-discipline tomorrow. Always tomorrow.

4. At least I’m better than… We award ourselves a free pass because we’re not the worst in the world.

5. I shouldn’t need help and structure. We believe that we are above needing structure to help us on seemingly simple tasks.

6. I won’t get tired and my enthusiasm will not fade. When we plan to achieve our goals, we believe that our energy will not flag and that we will never lose our enthusiasm for the process of change.

7. I have all the time in the world. We chronically underestimate the time it takes to get anything done AND we believe that time is open-ended and sufficiently spacious for us to get to all our self-improvement goals eventually.

8. I won’t get distracted and nothing unexpected will occur. We get down to work without accommodating the fact that life always intrudes to alter our priorities and test our focus.

9. An epiphany will suddenly change my life. Implies that change can arise out of a sudden burst of insight and willpower.

10. My change will be permanent and I will never have to worry again. If we don’t follow up, our positive change doesn’t last. Even when we get there, we cannot stay there without commitment and discipline.

11. My elimination of old problems will not bring on new problems. We forget that as we usher an old problem out the door a new problem usually enters.

12. No one is paying attention to me. We believe that we can occasionally lapse back into bad behavior because people aren’t paying close attention.

It’s almost biblical in its penetrating exposure of our deceitful human hearts, isn’t it?

As Christians, we are obviously interested not just in behavior-change but in heart-change. However, that too begins by recognizing the slippery excuses we use to deny our need for change, to hide our unwillingness to change, and to cover up our inability to change.

Blogs

Hey Christians, Say Goodbye to Religious Freedom | The Federalist: David Harsanyi
“The position of these businesspeople, unlike Southern racists decades ago, in no way undermines the newfound right of gay Americans to marry, nor does it inhibit them from enjoying freedom or finding happiness. In this case, only one side is attempting to legislate morality.”

Why Gay Marriage Proponents Can’t Appeal to the Abolitionist Movement | TGC: Ben Reaoch
Useful historical research here for when the Christian view on gay marriage is compared to “the Christian view of slavery.”

Why Gay Marriage Can’t Be Christian Marriage | Patheos: Ben Witherington
Seven brief and persuasive “talking points.” See also Gay Teens Have Higher Rates of Pregnancy than Straight Teens.

Lead Well, At Home | Ed Stetzer
“I don’t simply want my children to survive my ministry life. I want them to thrive in the calling God has placed on our lives. I am passionate about this and have made three personal commitments.”

Want Sustained Happiness? Get religion, study says
Washington Post: “A new study suggests that joining a religious group could do more for someone’s sustained happiness than other forms of social participation, such as volunteering, playing sports or taking a class.”

Living in our Stories | R C Sproul Jr.
Touching and beautiful from R C Jr.: “My parents are wonderful parents. They took me to Disney World when I was a kid; they took me to Sea World when I was a kid. We went to the beach and we went to Washington D.C. and I have all sorts of these kinds of great memories, but do you know what I remember about my childhood? I remember those very ordinary afternoons when my friend Randy, from up on the hill, would come down to my house and we would get out the football and my dad would come out into the yard with us and he would be the quarterback and one of us would be the defensive back and one of us would be the wide receiver and we would run our pass patterns and he would throw the football to us. It might have been 20 minutes or it might have been two hours, but those are the things that I treasure from my childhood. Not the unusual spectacular events, but those ordinary things.”

Kindle Books

God Is Red: How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu.

Text-Driven Preaching: God’s Word at the Heart of Every Sermon Edited by David Allen $2.99.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp $4.99.

Recommended New Book

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung.

Video

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden

Blogs

Colorado Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against Christian Baker | World Magazine
“The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld a ruling today that a Christian baker must make wedding cakes for same-sex couples or pay fines.”

Was Jesus Morally Depraved? An Assessment | Ref 21: Carlton Wynne
Very important subject with massive and serious consequences if you answer “yes.”

Undercover Videos Critical To Exposing Abuse | USA Today
An animal rights activist defends the use of undercover videos in general because “wrongdoing would go unseen, unpunished without undercover video investigation.”

Short Studies in Biblical Theology | Dane Ortlund
Dane introduces an excellent new series of short books on biblical theology. Yes, you read that right, short books on biblical theology.

Target To Move Away From Gender-Based Signs | Denny Burk
Time to move away from target perhaps.

Kindle Books

Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids by Jack Klumpenhower $0.99.

Cross: Unrivaled Christ, Unstoppable Gospel, Unreached Peoples, Unending Joy $0.99.

Picture Perfect: When Life Doesn’t Line Up by Amy Baker $0.99.

Preaching in the Holy Spirit by Al Martin $3.99.

Radical Integrity: The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Michael VanDyke $0.99.

New Book

The Dating Manifesto: A Drama-Free Plan for Pursuing Marriage with Purpose by Lisa Anderson $7.66.

Videos

A Conversation with Don Whitney on Praying the Bible

What would you think if your Dad addressed you 23 times “My son, my son, my son…” and so on. It would get your attention, wouldn’t it?

That’s what God does in and through the book of Proverbs. Yes, Solomon and his co-authors are addressing their sons. But through them, God is revealing Himself and His heart towards us.

23 times he calls out “My son!” It’s a term of ownership, of relationship, of affection, of appeal, and of hope for all who will hear it.

Read through the 23 occurrences and feel the cumulative power of the passionate desire behind them. (Maybe substitute “daughter” for “son”, if female).

Or print them out and give them to your children as a plea from a father’s heart, both God’s and your own.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. (Proverbs 1:8)

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. (1:10)

My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path. (1:15)

My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you… (2:1)

My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands. (3:1)

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction. (3:11)

My son, let them not depart from your eyes— keep sound wisdom and discretion. (3:21)

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. (4:10)

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. (4:20)

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, (5:1)

For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? (5:20)

My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger… (6:1)

So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; for you have come into the hand of your friend: go and humble yourself; plead with your friend. (6:3)

My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. (6:20)

My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. (7:1)

Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. (19:27)

My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself. (23:15)

Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. (23:19)

My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. (23:26)

My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste. (24:13)

My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those given to change. (24:21)

My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me. (27:11)

What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? (31:2)