Cici Christ: “Here’s to another year of a life well spent.”

Today’s my birthday. My fortieth, or as I like to call it, my thirty-tenth. I’ve joked that turning forty is traumatic, but it’s really no big deal. I’ll not be getting an earring, a ponytail, or a sports car. Frankly, forty feels a lot like thirty-nine did. Still, this particular birthday has caused me to [...]

Twelve Books to Start 2012

I’m not a great reader, but I love to read. I finished 2011 reading some mission books and several older novels (Moby Dick, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Scarlet Letter). I’m trying to plan my 2012 reading a bit more, enabling me to read more widely and intentionally. (I’ll default to old novels sans a [...]

MacArthur on Burnout

Here’s an extremely helpful perspective on pastoral burnout and faulty expectations from John MacArthur: “The very fact that I can stand here and open the Word of God and proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ is a mercy to an unworthy sinner. And the elevation of this is so staggering. The privilege is so overwhelming. [...]

J.C. Ryle on Christ in the OT

This caution regarding “unauthorized” allegories kind of surprised me, considering its source, though I agree: “The use of the brazen serpent in [John 3:14], as an illustration of Christ’s death and its purpose, must not be abused, and made an excuse for turning every incident of the history of Israel in the wilderness into an [...]

Gospel Meds for Christmas

ChurchWorksMedia.com is still shipping Gospel Meds books for Christmas gifts  and New Year’s devotionals (Men, Women, Missions, Combo), but time is running out. Please get your orders in soon. “XLNT. It’d make a fine Christmas gift.” (Phil Johnson tweet) “The writers of this little book are striving to live gospel-centered lives, and their insights will [...]

Authority and Affection PDF

I’m preaching a very brief series on Christian Leadership using Paul’s address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-38 as a springboard. I’m not preaching verse by verse through the wonderful passage, but simply addressing the topic of leadership by highlighting Paul’s example of Character, Affection, and Instruction. The first two messages can be found [...]

Dan Forrest’s Choral CDs

I was thinking recently about the prominence of Dan Forrest’s music in my home and church. Before I knew who Dan was I was enjoying his Christmas solo CD, Prepare Him Room, and I love the quiet medativity (which should be a word, but isn’t) of his Communion solo CD, In Remembrance. (Both of those recordings [...]

Gospel Meditations for Missions: Sample and Endorsements

Gospel Meditations for Missions ships this week. You can read about it here, see a PDF sample here, and order it here. The book received a kind nod and link from my friend Andy Naselli, as well as endorsements from Thabiti Anyabwile, Dave Doran, Will Galkin, David Hesselgrave, and Matt Hoskinson. You can read the endorsements below. I’m grateful [...]

Choral Arrangement: Come Quickly, Lord

I’ve looked forward to someone arranging Come Quickly, Lord for choir ever since Greg Habegger and I wrote the hymn version a few years ago. Brian Buda has now done so, and it’s being published by SoundForth as part of it’s ChurchWorks Choral Series. Brian does a beautiful job capturing both the lament and the [...]

“Love must have vent.”

Puritan Thomas Watson speaks of missions and evangelism as the inevitable expression of our love for God: “He who loves God will endeavour to make Him appear glorious in the eyes of others. Such as are in love will be commending and setting forth the amiableness of those persons whom they love. If we love [...]