My teenage and college years were the most formative years of my life as a Christian. It was during those years that I learned to study the Bible and develop and appetite to know God. Yet it seemed that a lot of what people would call normal means of grace was missing in my life. [...]
Archive for September 2011
Review: ESV Student Study Bible
September 19, 2011The Gospel Alphabet: C is for Contextualization
September 18, 2011A | B In his book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way, J.I. Packer has a chapter entitled “The Gospel as of First Importance.” In that chapter, Packer discusses the pastoral and formational applications of the Gospel. Many are familiar with the quote from Tim Keller that “the Gospel is not the ABC’s of [...]
50¢ Word(s) of the Week, Part 16
September 17, 2011Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8 Part 9 || Part 10 || Part 11 || Part 12 || Part 13 || Part 14 || Part 15 Monday: theologia crucis » theology of the cross (term used by Luther; true knowledge rest upon the hiddenness of God) Tuesday: unio cum Christo » union with Christ (the marrow of Christian theology, the heart of the gospel) Wednesday: viator [...]
Bloodlines by John Piper
September 15, 2011Last night, I picked up on Kindle John Piper’s latest book, Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian (foreword by Tim Keller). I have always enjoyed reading works by Piper, but I’m especially interested in this one because of the topic and how it relates to my life and work. There are two parts to the book: [...]
GCM National Conference
September 14, 2011Today through Friday, I will be in Huntsville, AL for the GCM Collective National Conference. If you are unfamiliar with the GCM Collective, I encourage you to check out their website and join their online community. Their vision is simple, and I love it: A gospel community is a group of believers that lives out [...]
Take off with Rocket Republic
September 13, 2011Last Saturday evening, I had a conversation about packaging. Not packaging as in UPS packaging, but packaging as in presentation. I had a mini-rant where I expressed frustration over the fact that the guys who have the best content often times do the worst job in packaging it. Websites are goofy, cumbersome, and aesthetically off-putting [...]
The Gospel Alphabet: B Is for Belief
September 11, 2011A | In his book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way, J.I. Packer has a chapter entitled “The Gospel as of First Importance.” In that chapter, Packer discusses the pastoral and formational applications of the Gospel. Many are familiar with the quote from Tim Keller that “the Gospel is not the ABC’s of [...]
50¢ Word(s) of the Week, Part 15
September 10, 2011Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8 Part 9 || Part 10 || Part 11 || Part 12 || Part 13 || Part 14 Monday: obedientia Christi » obedience of Christ (Christ’s obedient work as Mediator, performed for our redemption) Tuesday: primum movens » the first mover (God as the first, efficient cause of all things) Wednesday: praecepta caritatis » precepts or commands of love [...]
More Thoughts on Sermon Manuscripts
September 9, 2011Since my last post, I have enjoyed considerable feedback on the use of a full manuscript in preaching. I thought I’d comment on some of the questions I’ve been asked, including practical inquiries. 1. Preaching from a full MSS is not for everyone. But even if it is not for everyone, I would argue that [...]
Preaching, Manuscripts, and Fraternal Critique
September 6, 2011“Pharaoh, let my people go!” That’s a joke my mother uses on occasion with my friends regarding my first sermon preached. Admittedly, it was not that great, and I did preach everything I knew in the Bible in one sermon. Prior to coming to Grace, I had eight years of Bible college and seminary training [...]
The Gospel Alphabet: A is for Alignment
September 4, 2011In his book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way, J.I. Packer has a chapter entitled “The Gospel as of First Importance.” In that chapter, Packer discusses the pastoral and formational applications of the Gospel. Many are familiar with the quote from Tim Keller that “the Gospel is not the ABC’s of the [...]
50¢ Word(s) of the Week, Part 14
September 3, 2011Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8 Part 9 || Part 10 || Part 11 || Part 12 || Part 13 I started a new series on Twitter several months ago, called “50¢ Word(s) of the Day”. Here’s the fourteenth installment from this past week: Monday: metanoia » repentance, change of mind (leading to a change of action) Tuesday: lux dei » the light [...]
Game Time Baby
September 3, 2011Here’s some pre-game hype to get this season started right!
J.I. Packer’s “Three Facets of Faith” or Triperspectival Catechesis
September 2, 2011J.I. Packer, in his excellent book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way, unpacks the practical out workings of the “the glorious Gospel of our blessed God” in what he calls the “three facets of faith.” Here is how Packer explains it: “The essential content of the Faith, then, includes first of all [...]
Creed by Winfield Bevins
September 1, 2011I’m excited to see my friend Winfield Bevin’s new book Creed: Connect to the Basic Essentials of Historic Christian Faith (NavPress) releases today. Winfield is a gifted writer and theologian who rebels against what C.S. Lewis called “chronological snobbery” with a true historical consciousness. One of the growing trends I’m seeing today among the younger [...]
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