Green and Greener

May 11, 2006

We drove all the way back from Chicago to our cabin in the woods in exactly 12 hours. Leaving Oak Park at 6:30 AM, we zipped down I-57, stopping for lunch at Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston, MO, home of “throwed rolls”. Several years ago the Food Network voted Lambert’s one of the top ten home cooking restaurants in …

Two New Books and a New Sermon

May 10, 2006

Shirley Rose has just published The Eve Factor. Subtitled “Resisting and Overcoming Temptation,” the book includes chapters on unhealthy comparison, fear, worry, strife, complacency, and there is even a chapter on overactivity. Lynette Hoy and Ted Griffin have just published the second edition of What’s Good About Ang …

Present at the Creation

May 9, 2006

Tonight Marlene and I attended the inaugural meeting of Keep Believing Ministries (KBM). Eight years ago I began to write in my journal a dream for starting this ministry. Many times since then I thought about it and prayed about it and once or twice almost got it started. Several months ago we concluded that the time had f …

Two Interviews Today

May 8, 2006

I’m doing two interviews today. . .Radio: Prime Time America on the Moody Broadcasting Network at 4:15 PM CDT. We’ll be talking about “Praying for Your Prodigal” that appeared in Part 1 and Part 2 as weblog entries.That topic has drawn the most response of anything I’ve written in the last month.TV: TLN Li …

A Good Day in Arlington Heights

May 7, 2006

This morning I preached three times at Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church. I was delighted to fill the pulpit for my friend Colin Smith who was speaking this weekend in Arkansas. Several years ago I spoke at the church for the National Day of Prayer, and last year I filled the pulpit once when Colin was out of town. …

The Wedding Shower

May 6, 2006

Regular readers of this blog know that our oldest son Josh is marrying Leah Thayer in July. Today there was a wedding shower for some Chicago-area friends at a home in Oak Park. I am no expert on these things, since I can only remember attending one or two showers in my life, and never for the whole time. Leah’s paren …

John Piper on Preaching

May 5, 2006

John Piper has just posted the message he preached at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY a week ago. His message is called Preaching as Expository Exultation for the Glory of God. He began his message with this quotation from George Whitefield:Oh…that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more …

The Kind of Pastors We Need Today

May 4, 2006

A few random notes . . .After a long day on the road, we arrived safely in Oak Park at 7 PM. Except for a few drops of rain in the morning, we had good weather the whole way. Somewhere in Kentucky Marlene saw a sign that read “Used Cows for Sale.” We’re not quite sure what that meant. First high point of the trip: Sto …

Feedback on the Predestination Sermon

May 3, 2006

This week’s sermon is called Straight Talk About Predestination. Now if I were giving someone else advice, I would say that a title like that is just asking for trouble. I think it’s called leading with your chin. It’s hard to think of many topics that get people hot and bothered faster than the whole ques …

Welcome KPRZ Listeners

We welcome everyone who listened to my interview with Dr. Keith Olson on KPRZ in San Diego on Tuesday night. Dr. Olson founded Family Consultation Services in 1971 to provide counseling based on a biblical worldview. During our hour together, we delved into the issue of forgiveness and why it is so important if we want to b …