Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkman (January - 5 out 5 stars) Life in the Negative World by Aaron (January - 2.5 out of 5 stars) Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston (January - 5 out of 5 stars) Fighting Shadows by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson (January - 3 out of 5…
Better than Boring: How to Deliver Engaging Christ-Centered Sermons. Pt. 4: Preach the Text
Engaging preaching avoids merely using the Scripture text as a trampoline to jump to the topic the preacher really wants to talk about. Instead, faithful and engaging preachers preach the text. Preaching the text requires studying the text. Studying the text requires attention to placing the text in context and understanding its genre. Once these…
What I’ve Learned on Sabbatical
I've read a few different articles and listened to a few podcast episodes about pastoral sabbaticals. I've also had conversations with various pastors about their sabbatical experiences. And the one thing I've come to realize is that no one knows how to sabbatical. There are no pre-determined rules or ways that a typical sabbatical unfolds.…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.13 | Earthly vs. Heavenly Knowledge
Despite the impairment of humanity's reasoning ability, people's efforts are not always completely futile. Especially when they direct their minds to non-spiritual things, they usually get some results. Even when people investigate spiritual matters, they will make at least a little progress. Yet, people's abilities are more limited in spiritual matters. People are never made…
Better than Boring: How to Deliver Engaging Christ-Centered Sermons. Pt. 2: Preaching the Text
Some preachers treat the Bible like a trampoline: they "bounce" from the verse they read to the topic they really wanted to talk about. Handling the text of Scripture like an afterthought elevates the words of a mere human (the preacher) and denigrates the most important words, the words of the living God. Therefore, it…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.8 | Free, But Not Freed: Augustine’s Problem with ‘Free Will’
The Church Fathers constantly use the term "free will," but thankfully, they often what they mean by it. In particular, Augustine calls the will a slave. In another passage, he is offended by those who deny free will. But he explains the reason for his offense, "Some who deny freedom of will use it as…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.2 | How Philosophers Think about the Soul and its Abilities
Let's see how far the power of the soul, which is located in the heart and mind, extends. Philosophers generally maintain that our reasoning ability is in our mind. They argue that, like a lamp, it illuminates all of the minds thoughts. They also liken reason to a queen who governs our will. They think…
2 Corinthians 1:12-22 (Paul Defends Himself)
Paul now begins the body of his letter as a defense of his personal behavior (1:12-22). He first explains that his conscience is clear in how he treated the Corinthians, especially concerning his travel plans (1:12-17). He moves onto a theological aside, explaining that his word to the Corinthians can be trusted because it is…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.1 | Two Wrong Responses to Total Depravity
The dominion of sin not only extends to all humanity but also dominates every individual soul. Because of the utter pervasiveness of sin, do people have any freedom of the will? If there is any freedom for people, how far does its power extend? To find the answer, we need to consider the dangers that…
10 Things I’ve Learned about Parenting in 10 Years
Inspired by this post, I wanted to reflect on things I've learned over the years about parenting so far. Your marriage is most important. What inspired me to write this was ultimately Bryan Caplan's statement that "you can't be a good parent and a bad spouse." Yes and amen. Marriage is God's design for human…
Raising Lazarus 