Blogs

Does Christology Matter? | Sinclair Ferguson, Ligonier Ministries 
“…Jesus Christ Himself is the gospel. Like loose threads in a tapestry—pull on any of these views, and the entire gospel will unravel. If the Christ we trust and preach is not qualified to save us, we have a false Christ.”

Where does happiness come from? | Denny Burk
“It is not an overstatement to say that happiness comes from the Bible—not the Bible as an end in itself, but the Bible as God’s written revelation and as our only means of knowing Him.”

GREEKONOMICS: How to set goals, manage your time, and grow your Greek | Robert L. Plummer
Robert L. Plummer gives you the tools and encouragement to keep your Greek New Testament open.

5 Types of Mental Health Professionals: Title, Education, and Purpose | Brad Hambrick
“The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recognizes at least five areas of independent professional practice for the diagnosis and treatment of Mental Health issues. While NAMI’s recognition of professional Mental Health Practitioners may not be exhaustive, it is perhaps the most concise and descriptive of Mental Health services provided by different disciplines. It can be helpful for churches to be aware of the education and primary purposes of each type of mental health professional.”

How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Sermon | Marty Duren, LifeWay Pastors
“This post is not concerned with things outside the pastor’s control: people having coughing fits that go on for several minutes, children (or adults) making repeated restroom visits, Sister Sue clipping her fingernails, or someone snoring. We are considering only things the pastor/preacher might do to ruin a perfectly good sermon.”

The Sabbath Day Brings Real Rest and Refreshment | Sean Michael Lucas, Ligonier
“The grace of the fourth commandment is that God promises to give us real rest and real refreshment when we find our rest in Him. As we remember the Sabbath day, as we keep it holy to the Lord, we find that we begin to enter into the rest that God offers and gain a foretaste of the heavenly rest to come, the rest of the new heavens and new  earth.”

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.

Core Christianity: Finding Yourself in God’s Story by Michael Horton ($2.99)

A Place for Weakness: Preparing Yourself for Suffering by Michael Horton ($1.99)

Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andrew David Naselli and J. D. Crowley ($2.99)

Video

UW-Madison students support freedom for Muslim singers. What about Christian photographers? | Alliance Defending Freedom

What do you think it is?

Globalization? Population growth? Terrorism? Inequality?

Nope. None of these.

Technology.

Oh, Murray’s off on one of his digital tirades again, is he?

Nope. Ross Douthat, New York Times columnist, actually.

In his most recent column, Resist the Internet, Douthat argues that Internet enslavement is the biggest threat to the human future.

He highlights how “our day-to-day, minute-to-minute existence is dominated by a compulsion to check email and Twitter and Facebook and Instagram with a frequency that bears no relationship to any communicative need.”

Used within reasonable limits, of course, these devices also offer us new graces. But we are not using them within reasonable limits. They are the masters; we are not. They are built to addict us, as the social psychologist Adam Alter’s new book “Irresistible” points out — and to madden us, distract us, arouse us and deceive us. We primp and perform for them as for a lover; we surrender our privacy to their demands; we wait on tenterhooks for every “like.” The smartphone is in the saddle, and it rides mankind.

He calls for “a social and political movement — digital temperance, if you will — to take back some control.” Only a movement, he says, can save us from the tyrant in our pocket.

Some of the measures he advocates are:

• Create more spaces in which internet use is illegal, discouraged or taboo.
• Toughen laws against cellphone use in cars.
• Keep computers out of college lecture halls (I’ve already done this in my classes).
• Put special “phone boxes” in restaurants where patrons would be expected to deposit their devices.
• Confiscate smartphones being used in museums and libraries and cathedrals.
• Create corporate norms that strongly discourage checking email in a meeting.
• Get computers — all of them — out of elementary schools and let kids learn from books.
• The age of consent should be 16, not 13, for Facebook accounts.
• Kids under 16 shouldn’t be allowed on gaming networks.
• High school students shouldn’t bring smartphones to school.
• Kids under 13 shouldn’t have them at all.
• “Voice-only” phone plans available for minors.

That’s not just a movement; it’s not just a digital resistance; it’s a revolution, but one that’s sorely needed.

Resist the Internet by Ross Douthat.

For more resources on Digital Detox, click here.

There’s an excellent short post on marital abuse by Becky Castle Miller over at Scot McKnight’s blog. Please click through to read it: The Ethics of Jesus Are Anti-Abuse. Two things that stood out to me were the definition of abuse and the questions to ask.

Definition of Abuse

“A pattern of coercive control that proceeds from a mentality of entitlement to power, whereby, through intimidation, manipulation, and isolation, the abuser keeps his target subordinated and under his control. This pattern can be emotional, verbal, psychological, spiritual, sexual, financial, social and physical.”

Questions to ask

Remember that some abuse victims have not yet understood that their spouse is an abuser. They may think what’s going on is normal or that they deserve it. Try questions like these:

• Does your husband call you names or insult you? (verbal abuse)
• Do you have to account for every penny you spend? (financial abuse)
• Do you feel like a child instead of an adult in your relationship? (overall pattern of abuse)
• Does he make you do things sexually you do not want to do? (sexual abuse)

There’s more practical advice towards the end of the article, most of which I agree with.  I do have questions about the justice of not telling an abuser the charges against him. I understand why that might be wise but it seems contrary to a basic principle of natural justice. I also have reservations about the “Black and Blue” book.

These hesitations apart, I’m grateful for articles like this that push the church to face these issues honestly and deal with them more justly and compassionately.

The Ethics of Jesus Are Anti-Abuse by Becky Castle Miller.

This is a guest post by Sarah Ivill (B.A., University of Georgia; Th.M. Dallas Theological Seminary) who has been leading, teaching or writing women’s Bible Studies since she was eighteen.  She is the author of Hebrews: His Hope, An Anchor for our Souls; Revelation: Let the One Who is Thirsty Come; Judges & Ruth: There Is A Redeemer; and 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude: Steadfast in the Faith.  Presently a stay-at-home mom, she continues writing and teaching Reformed Bible Studies for women.  A member of Christ Covenant Church (PCA), Sarah lives with her husband and four children in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. You can find more information about Sarah and her ministry by visiting www.sarahivill.com.

Besides Sunday, my favorite day of the week is Thursday morning. As hard as it is to get four children out the door to women’s Bible study, it is an effort that bears much fruit. I’ve been involved in women’s Bible studies for over twenty years, and over those years I’ve been richly blessed by how it’s anchored me to truth and anchored me to community.

This has been true for several reasons, but here are six:

(1) Scripture alone teaches us what we are to believe about God and how we are to live in relation to Him and others. There is no other book that is more worthy of our study, time or attention than the Bible. We need to challenge one another to spend more time reading Scripture, verse-by-verse, book-by-book. This guards us against empty words that threaten to tickle our ears and starve our hearts.

(2) The Scriptures bear witness about Jesus. We can’t know Jesus without studying the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation each passage of Scripture reveals who God’s Son is so that we might know Him more, love Him more and serve Him more. Such a Christ-centered study of Scripture keeps us from buying into a legalistic lesson (do this and you will live), a moralistic lesson (be a good person and you’ll be saved), a therapeutic lesson (I’m good, you’re good, God’s good, everything’s okay), or an allegorical lesson (I’m going to make this verse about Christ no matter what interpretive principles I have to ignore).

(3) Older women in the faith are to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3-5). The foundation of older women teaching younger women is sound doctrine. If we don’t have sound doctrine, then we can’t teach younger women in the faith what is good, we can’t train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, to be pure, to be working at home, and to be submissive to their husbands in a way that will not discredit the word of God. The difference isn’t whether or not we will teach them or train them. The difference is whether or not we will teach them and train them in a Christ-centered way.

(4) Studying God’s Word in the context of community sharpens me. Not only do I learn from my sisters’ answers to the exegetical and theological questions, I learn from my sisters’ shared struggles with suffering, sin, and service.

(5) Praying with my sisters one day a week and praying for my sisters the rest of the week cultivates a love for them rooted in God’s grace.

(6) I am my sister’s keeper. Cain’s question to the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9) is answered in 1 John 3:11, the context of which is John’s exhortation to the church to love one another. We are to know who our sisters are and what they are doing so that we can encourage and exhort them in the ways of the Lord.

In a nutshell then, Women’s Bible studies help to drive out the individualism and isolationism that has plagued mankind all through the history of redemption, pointing us to Jesus Christ, who took the curse of our sin upon Himself, freeing us from self-reliance to God-reliance, and freeing us from isolation to interdependence in the community of grace.

1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude: Steadfast in the Faith by Sarah Ivill (Published by Reformation Heritage Books).

Blogs

Productivity tips from experts and busy people
Some well-known tips and some surprises.

Productivity and Leadership in the 21st Century: A Live Interview with Tim Challies and Chris Larson on Wednesday at 2:30pm
“Tim Challies, pastor, blogger, and author of Do More Better, and Chris Larson, president and chief executive officer of Ligonier Ministries will discuss a Christian understanding of productivity and leadership to help us better serve and glorify God in our vocations.”

4 Theories of How a Leader Becomes Controlling
They are faith (lack of), failure, fanfarem and fear.

Break Bad Habits with a Simple Checklist
Some neat do-able advice in this piece:

No matter how sophisticated your strategies to rid yourself of bad habits and create good ones, you’re less likely to succeed if you don’t track and review your progress frequently. Noting your improvements each day encourages you to keep going. And by identifying where you’re falling short, you’ll notice patterns and make adjustments, so you won’t feel stuck in habits that feel unnatural or aren’t producing real change.

I Had Postpartum Psychosis. ‘Praying More’ Didn’t Make It Go Away
Lord, hasten the day, when such articles will never be necessary again.

Kindle Books

Real Scientists, Real Faith: 17 leading scientists reveal the harmony between their science and their faith $1.49.

Taking God Seriously: Vital Things We Need to Know by J I Packer $2.99.

Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God by Gloria Furman $2.99.

New Book

No Little Women: Equipping All Women in the Household of God by Aimee Byrd.

Blogs

Passing of Rev. Dr. Iain D Campbell
I join the wider church in extending my deepest and prayerful sympathies to Iain’s wife, Anne, their children: Iain, Stephen and Emily, his mother, Lily, together with the wider family.

It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Rev Dr Iain D Campbell, minister of Point/Knock Free Church. Last Sunday Dr Campbell was transferred from the Western Isles Hospital to Glasgow where he passed away early this morning. He was 53.

What Professors Are Writing… No One Is Reading
Yep. True of theological journals too.

“Most Western academics today are using their intellectual capital to answer questions that nobody’s asking, on pages that nobody’s reading.”

Roe v. Wade Is A ‘Jealous God’ That Demands Blood And Generates Rage
As the late Chuck Colson wrote, “The right to an abortion has proven to be a jealous god. In exchange for sexual freedom, it demands everything else: cherished ideals, right priorities, the First Amendment, and even decency. It insists that nothing be spared in its defense.”

Today Is My Birthday Because My Mom Chose Life
“The terrified young woman who gave me life is my hero. She made a courageous choice to be my mother, even if it meant she could only remain in the role for a few days. The only tie she will ever have to me is her blood and her genes. Another woman, equally heroic, stepped into my life. She willingly became my mother, and made me her permanent daughter. Both women loved me. Both made choices that will affect my life forever.  Every day, thousands of women face similar decisions. Many demand control over their bodies and the “right to choose.” How do we convince them to make the same life-saving decision I’m eternally grateful my mother made for me? ”

4 Reasons to Soak Yourself in the Psalms
“If you don’t know the Psalter well, try spending a month or two or 12 in the Psalms. To read the Psalms in a month you’ll need to read about five per day. Most are pretty short, which should leave time for prayer, reflection, and reading elsewhere in the Scriptures. Even on the day you read the 176 verses of Psalm 119, it won’t kill you. Let’s join with God’s people through the millennia and again learn to sing the songs of the Messiah.”

Performing a “Time Audit” of Your Life
This looks like a good resource.

A Few Observations From My Recent Time in the Pit
Mike Leake writes honestly and helpfully about his latest descent into the darkness of depression:

At times I have to tap out. I have to say, “Man down!” And I have to plead with the church to pray for her wounded…like me.

Kindle Books

A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships $3.99.

Loving the Way Jesus Loves $3.99.

The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World’s Most Notorious Atheist $1.99.