When I was preparing yesterday’s blog entry, I kept thinking about a famous sermon by 19th-century Scottish preacher Thomas Chalmers. When I say the sermon is famous, I mean that it is reprinted even today in the books of great sermons. The sermon is called The Expulsive Power of a New Affection (pdf). Even though the language and style is ou…
I received an email from a man who asked a very particular question. He is a Christian, divorced, and in his forties. He met a Christian woman who seems to be an answer to prayer. Over time they have fallen in love and hope to get married eventually. But they can’t marry right now because of financial reasons. Meanwhile they have starte…
Josh Harris is doing preachers everywhere a service by creating website called Preaching Notes that contains examples of sermon notes that preachers take with them into the pulpit. So far he has examples from Mark Dever, Mike Bullmore, C. J. Mahaney and Ray Ortlund, Jr., with more to come.I really like this idea because young preachers often strugg…
This afternoon the members of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL voted overwhelmingly to call Dr. Todd Wilson as their next pastor. He comes to the church with a wealth of experience—Wheaton College undergrad, Wheaton Graduate School, a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in England, and two years on staff at Bethlehem Baptist Church …
News, Notes, Comments . . .During our visit to Birmingham for our 34th anniversary, we stayed at the Hotel Highland near Five Points. Almost everywhere you look, you can see evidence of regentrifying as a younger generation rediscovers downtown Birmingham. We had supper with Nick and then ate lunch with Nick and two of his friends before driving ba…
I recently ran across a website that I highly recommend to all Bible students, especially to pastors and other Bible teaches. Best Commentaries does exactly what its name implies. It is a website devoted solely to ranking the best commentaries on every book of the Bible. The website is both thorough and up-to-date. The website develops its own rank…
Marlene and I were married 34 years ago today—on a hot Thursday night in Mesa, Arizona. Thirty-four years is a long time if you think about it—over 1/3rd of a century—so I try not to think about it. This morning Marlene looked on the Internet to see what symbol they use for your 34th anniversary—25 is silver, 50 is gold. I w…
Here are the last questions from the Q&A at Living Waters last Friday:16) Is there an exact time appointed for us to die that only God knows? Does that mean that no matter what the circumstances around us, nothing can be done to change it?The questioner then added (wisely, I think) two words, “Time’s up.” The answer across the…
We have just posted a podcast called Curing the Itch Mites. The title comes from an attack of the itch mites that happened to most of the people who attended Mark and Vanessa’s wedding reception in Chicago in August 2007. Those tiny insects (invisible to the naked eye) left itchy red welts on most of our guests. Marlene and I were definitely n…
Here is Part 2 of the Q&A last Friday at Living Waters: 7) How do you deal with someone who repeatedly asks for your help but seems completely closed to the advice you give? What do you do when it seems like they are coming not for help but almost using you as a confessional?The answer is, you continue for a while to give advice and pray that a…