This is a glorious day in our house because football season has returned. People who have heard me preach know that I often say, “Football explains everything,” and it does. Last year, on this same Saturday, the opening day of college football, I wrote about what Ole Miss football means to our family. With us, as with many families, it&…
For 40 years Rev. Jacob E. Eppinga wrote a column called “Of Cabbages and Kings” for the Banner magazine published by the Christian Reformed Church. He wrote his final column, at the age of 90, earlier this year. He went to be with the Lord on March 1, 2008. Knowing that he was dying of cancer, he summed up his faith and his fears and h…
A friend who has gone through a hard time sent me a list of things he has learned about forgiveness. His list started me thinking about forgiveness. Most of what follows comes from my friend, but I have rephrased a few things and added a few items of my own. This is obviously not a comprehensive statement about forgiveness—just a place to beg…
This morning I found this deeply moving version of “Be Thou My Vision,” one of my all-time favorite hymns. Wonderful words set to a beautiful Irish melody. Listen and be blessed. If you know the words, sing along. Augustine said, “He who sings, prays twice.”
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…