Confessions – Book 2
Reading through the first chapter of Book 2 in Confessions, I couldn’t help but notice Augustine’s use of words when describing those dark times in his adolescence when his sin and distance from God was at its peak. The closing line “”I became to myself a wasteland” pretty much sums it up. Descriptions like ” mists of passion steaming up”, “puddly desires of the flesh”, “hot imagination”, “boiling over in my fornications”, “barren fields of sorrow”, “tides of my youth”, and “foaming...
read moreMissional Leadership Diagnostics
HT: Timmy Brister If our church would cease to exist in our city, would it be noticed and missed? If all the pastors were tragically killed in a car accident, would the church’s ministry cease or fall apart? If the only possible means of connecting with unbelievers were through the missionary living of our church members, how much would we grow? (I ask this because the early church did not have signs, websites, ads, marketing, etc.) What are the subcultures within the church? Do they attract or detract from the centrality of the gospel and mission of the church? Is our...
read moreGetting Your Lent On
The guys at Christ the King Presbyterian in Raleigh, NC (Elliot Grudem, Bruce Benedict) have put together some solid Lenten resources. Lenten Resources: A Brief Guide to Lent (Christ the King Pres) On Keeping a Holy Lent (Craig R. Higgins) 40 Days of Readings for Lent (Missio Dei...
read moreChrist and Culture
This is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I’ve come across on the role of Christians in culture. From D.A. Carson’s Christ and Culture Revisited: Created by God, this world cannot ever lose all the glory that God has built into it (Psalm 8), and God himself continues to do good and bestow good gifts. For a start, he sends his sun and his rain upon the just and the unjust; he orders governments to reduce the dangers of anarchy in a world of malignity; he demonstrates his patience in holding out for repentance. All of the potential of the so-called “natural”...
read moreHero Worship vs. Holy Emulation
Oftentimes people ask me about my love of pastors, preachers, and authors, and wonder if it is an unhealthy thing that I listen to and read the thoughts of men whose opinions most Christians could care less about. Many of my friends in Christian community hear me quoting Puritans and other dead and living theologians like Tim Keller, D.A. Carson or John Piper and write me off as another “fan-boy” of celebrity Christian culture, if there were such a thing as celebrity in this small corner of Christian world known as “The New Reformed.” They call it being a...
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