Love, Hate, And A Counter-Intuitive God: I suppose I’ll end where I started: the Bible doesn’t always say what I expect it to, even when it comes to love. Then again, I’d be suspicious if it did. My love is so weak and so paltry at time. It’s really a tired, half-hearted thing if I’m honest. When I come to the love of God, the surprising, counter-intuitive love of Jesus displayed on the cross, the cross which exposes all my darknesses and shames, should I not expect to find some edges I’d never imagined?

Gospel And Race: Make sure to listen to Bob Thune and Joshua Eggerson discuss about the Gospel and race in the context of Ferguson. 

Why It's Wrong For Christians To Mistreat Creation: God gives us the opportunity to reflect him in his work of caring for and transforming all of creation. To follow this aspect of our multifaceted calling as humans is to image in our lives the One who is at work in the world and in human life, creating, sustaining, and liberating creation. Jesus’ resurrection is God’s first step in making all things new, which will culminate in a renewed world that completely honors Jesus, who rules it.

5 Current Church Views Of "Discipleship": I have been in many settings with church leaders where the question was posed, “What is your church doing for discipleship?” I am grateful that church leaders are asking questions about the church’s fundamental mission—making disciples. After all, a church can excel at anything and everything else, but if the church fails to make disciples, she has wandered from her fundamental reason for existence. But the question almost always needs to be answered with a follow-up question: “What do you mean by discipleship?” People could mean at least one of these five common and current views:

Need And Desire: Is it wrong to want to live in comfort with a big house and a new car? No, as long as those desires don’t consume you. Is it sinful to long for people in your life that love, respect, and cherish you? No, those things are beautiful in God’s eyes. But in a fallen world, where life doesn’t operate the way it should, there’s a difference between need and desire. Need means essential for life; desire means a strong feeling of want. Many of our desires aren’t wrong, as long as they don't rule us, but they’re simply not needs.

Michael Brown And My White Son: I’m thankful for Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement but this moment reminds us of how blind and numb we can become to the racism and injustice that still exists in our fallen world. This moment is not about the teenage lifestyle or behavior of Michael Brown but about the insanity of his death. The outrage for justice that this moment has induced is not only justified but long overdue. We must address the reality of racism and privilege. As Chandler writes, “we want to move past it, but we are not past it. Clearly, we are not past it. So, let’s press in to it”.

Edwards On The Christian Life: Edwards is a complicated figure who defies scholarly consensus, even among evangelicals. For that reason, even scholars and informed pastors who disagree with Ortlund on these or other points will appreciate this fine book. Edwards on the Christian Life is an excellent introduction to Edwardsean spiritual thought that is well researched yet written at such a level that students, pastors, and engaged laypeople will benefit. It is a welcome contribution to Edwardsean studies and a worthy entry in what continues to be a fine series on historical and spiritual theology.

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Study My City: For everyday missionaries, the questions are endless. Bank clerks, grocery store checkers, hair stylists, and property development workers can tell you so much of what you need to know about your city because they are in the city, working in the city, and up to date on what’s going on in the city. Perhaps if you don’t know where to start, you should go get a trim and practice asking the person cutting your hair questions. Dear Christian, are you studying your city?

5 Myths You Still Might Believe About Puritans: Many of us have grown up with an understanding of Puritans as those gloomy religious folk who found joy in making sure others had none. The tale of spoilsport Puritans continues to be told, and it couldn't be further from the truth. Here are 5 myths about Puritans which you may still believe.

Talking About "Man-Boys": The solution to immaturity among young Christian guys is not remembering truths or tightening regulations, but a Person, who did not avoid our realities, but rushed into them for our sake: Jesus (Luke 2:52; Philippians 2:6–9) — Jesus, with his intercession, charity, and grace. What can single Christian women do about this phenomenon of immaturity besides vent and name-call? Here are some ways that they can help:

5 Great Reasons To Memorize Scripture Today: There are few areas of the Christian life where there is a wider gap between what Christians want to do and what Christians actually do than in this area: memorizing Scripture. We all know that we should, we all have some appreciation of the benefits, and we would all love to be released from the guilt of doing it so little. Here, are 5 great reasons to memorize Scripture today.

Help For Those Fighting Or Grieving Suicide: For most of us, depression is an indication of what we are believing. Let us not listen to the darkness and it’s seductive, hope-depleting half-truthed lies. It leads to a black hole. Listen to and move toward the Light. Light will dawn for those who trust him (Psalm 112:4). It’s a promise.

He Survived Brain Cancer and Leads a Church of 11,000 – but Have You Heard of Him?: Chandler’s story is just a small part of a larger one he hopes his church conveys: The story about what Christ can do. It’s especially important during a time when Christians are increasingly being marginalized.

God Does Not View Your Labors As Filthy Rags: So what does God think of our good works after we are saved? Here, unfortunately, Christians often receive mixed messages. Somewhere along the way we have begun to believe that our pride is best held in check, and God’s grace is most magnified, when we denigrate all our efforts and all our labors as merely “filthy rags” in the sight of God (Is. 64:6). But does God really view the Spirit-wrought works of his own children in such a fashion? Is God pleased only with Christ’s work, and always displeased with our own?

Do I Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian?: While we could go on for a few more pages here, you get the point. “Can you be a Christian and not go to church?” I suppose the better question is, “What kind of Christian are you trying to be?"

5 Things You Can Do For The Christians In Iraq: Like many believers around the world, I am horrified at the persecution of Christians in Iraq. It is a sobering moment to realize that the type of persecution I’ve read about so many times in the Book of Acts is happening in our day. Even our Lord Jesus spoke of the reality and the blessing that He will give to those who suffer for the faith. As I’ve pondered it all, here are five things that we can do about the persecution of the church in Iraq.

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Look! A Distraction: We are distracted. We are so distracted, and so accustomed to it, that after a while we almost become distraction. We lose the ability to be still. We fear the quiet. We are intimidated by the moments where there is nothing to look at, nothing to do...We are learning. We are learning the costs so that we might also learn the solutions. Here are three of the costs of all of this distraction.

She's Not Perfect, But She's Perfect For Me: The doctrine of providence helps me even in the suffering that inevitably comes in marriage. If my wife is quarrelsome or difficult, then I can embrace this suffering as from God. If my husband is overbearing or passive, then I embrace this circumstance as part of God’s plan to shape me. Ultimately, marriage is about our sanctification. He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me. She’s not perfect, but she’s perfect for me. Do you believe it?

Stumbling Into The Future: So consider the next century, if the Lord tarries his return. James reminds us, “You do know not what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14). All we can be sure of is that we can’t be sure of what will be tomorrow. Whether for an individual or for a nation, we just don’t know what the world of 2114 will look like. What wars, what murderers, what marvelous human achievements are pocketed in the decades ahead? How much will any of us actually see of it on this side of the thin line of life? So we know what we don’t know, but what, as Christians, do we know? Here are four certainties with which to face the uncertainties of the next year — and the next 100 years.

In Heaven, Can There Be Thrills Without Risk?: Because God’s design wasn’t an accident—because he doesn’t make mistakes—we can be sure that excitement and exhilaration will be more, not less, a part of our experience in Heaven than it is now.

10 Myths About Lust: If you embrace these 10 myths about lust, then you will find no remedy for your lust. Instead, you will dive into a “black hole” of sin. Embrace Truth; reject these 10 myths.

Your Work + My Life = Balance: It is hard to see how we could turn back the clock to the time of restricted shopping hours. But it is important to note how weaker members of our society once more have to pay for the pleasure and convenience of others. The poor, the ‘battlers’, the migrants like this Russian shop keeper—have to pay for the leisurely pleasure of others. It is the strugglers who often have to work on weekends, late at night or in the early hours of the morning if they want a job at all.

Should I Tell My Spouse About Struggles With Sexual Purity?: Help each other to heaven. Talk about these things. Cultivate intimate trust. Make a plan. Make love. Cast yourselves upon the grace of God. And do this all with your hope fixed on the glory that is to be revealed. We will be home with Jesus soon, so help each other toward that Day.

Personal Organization For The Sake of Fruitful Ministry: So, even if you don’t consider yourself an organized person, I encourage you to consider the ways your ministry to others and your capacity to do good would be enhanced by a little more attention to where you keep your pens and how you track your budget.

A Weak Mother Is A Good Mother: The most important thing I can do for my children each day is to trust God and acknowledge my weakness, not rely on myself. He will take my meager offering and turn it into a miracle.

Unrealistic Expectations (And Where They Come From): So while I have a list of burdensome expectations for myself, God holds out a whole different perspective. A life-giving perspective. The question is: will I listen to accusation and go again to my list of expectations to prove I'm not a disappointment? Or will I believe first that I'm not a disappointment (because of Christ) and let that freedom inform how I love and serve?

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The Parable Of The Lawn Mower: We all know that words, without deeds, are dead. All of us have seen the terrible effect of a person who doesn’t practice what they preach, and if we haven’t, then we have read the New Testament and found such people in its pages. But fewer of us recognize that deeds, without words, are also dead.

7 Signs We May Be Worshipping Our Family: By all means, let us enjoy and treasure our families. Let us celebrate the gift they are. Let us pour out our lives and hearts into ministering to our spouse, rearing our children in Christ, and filling our homes with the love and truth of Christ. However, in so doing, let us also be worshippers of the Christ we are seeking to honor. Let us worship Him in our worshipping families, rather than worship our families in the name of worshipping Him.

The Pastor's Kid: Who should read The Pastor’s Kid? It’s a must-read for PKs and their parents. It also is an invaluable guide for church members that will gently correct some misconceptions about how to minister to PKs. Piper speaks with the heart of not just a PK but a parent who is seeking to love his own children well. The Pastor’s Kid deeply stirred my memories of growing up and encouraged me to know that my feelings and journeys were not wasted. Barnabas, from one PK to another: thank you!

Answering Alternatives To The Resurrection: When it comes to the resurrection of Christ, there are an infinite number of possible alternative explanations for the development of belief in a risen Christ other than opting for the most obvious (Christ actually rose from the grave). For centuries skeptics and non-believers have offered their possibilities, but, in my opinion, they are never a probability.

7 Different Ways To Read A Book: Reading is kind of like repairing a bicycle. Kind of. For too long now my bike has been semi-operational. It has one brake that just doesn’t want to behave and all my attempts to fix it have failed. Why? Well it turns out that I haven’t been using the right tool. To get the bike working I need to use the right tool. And when it comes to reading, well, you’ve got to use the right tool—you’ve got to know what kind of reading to do. Here are seven different kinds of reading.

Preaching 'God' And Justifying The Self: Okay, so what I’m saying is, if you can see how that can work in the self-justifying God-rhetoric of the left, isn’t there just a chance those of us on the more conservative end of things can fall prey to this too? I mean, surely, if you’ve got a Reformed understanding of the power of indwelling sin, you can’t put this past yourself, right?

9 Things You Should Know About The Male Body Image Issues: Body image is the mental representation we create of what we think we look like; it may or may not bear a close relation to how others actually see us. Body image issues are often treated as if they were only a problem for women (see here for 9 Things on female body images issues). But men suffer from many of the same debilitating problems caused by skewed perceptions of their bodies. Here are nine things you should know about male body image issues...

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Mining And Refining: So, friends, when these trials and grievances come your way, preach the gospel to yourself and to others. God could not love you and be satisfied with leaving you as a piece of ore. You have so much potential in Christ, and the Lord will refine you so you can reach your highest level of strength and beauty!

The Danger of Coasting: I’ve been thinking about this lately because I see in my own life a tendency to coast—to coast in my relationships, to coast in my pursuit of godliness, to coast in my pursuit of God himself. And here are some things I’ve observed:

Praying for Our Child's Salvation: There is nothing automatic about salvation. There is no room for mere presumption; Christian parenting is an enterprise of faith. God’s promise gives us a solid foundation for all our prayers and for all our hopes for our children. But He also commands us to use the appointed means to obtain His good gifts. Do you pray daily for your children? Do you pray daily with your children? If not, what can you expect from the Lord? Whether they are saved or not, are you able to say, by God’s grace, that you storm the mercy seat for them with a heart aflame for their well-being and God’s glory?

7 Ways To Love Your Pastor: When my husband (my favorite pastor!) was ordained to be a minister of the gospel, one of the elders who ordained him, Pastor Paul Martin, spoke to our congregation and charged us with this: Beloved, let me give you this one charge: Love your pastor! In this charge, Pastor Paul shared seven ways that a congregation can love their shepherd, and his words of encouragement are applicable to every local church context.

Push Through The Awkward: There is one piece of advice I give myself and other women more than any other and it is this: push through the awkward. We are women who long for community and to live lives of purpose, but as anything that is good and beautiful and worth having, these things don't come just because we want them. They are invited by those who push through the awkward.

Gospel-Driven Productivity: I’m not saying that there should be no exceptions to this. But it is the foundational guideline for effectiveness. By working in this way, you actually get more done, not less, because you are able to get in the zone and reduce the amount of time that your tasks actually take. 

Television's Rape Epidemic: Here is what I wonder, and here is what we ought to be asking ourselves: If Christians won’t allow explicit scenes of sexual violence to keep them from watching television shows, what will? If scenes of rape are not over the edge, what is? If we won’t draw the line there, will we draw it anywhere?

Christ The Educator: There is a great richness of meaning in these texts that goes beyond our discussion here. But with renewed eyes as disciples of Jesus we can hear him invitation to learn and be trained in soul by our gracious Christ, the Educator.

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Four Things To Do When Bringing Home A Child From A Hard Place: My biggest advice when you bring your kids home is to know that this is a journey. Two steps forward and three steps back is how I look at it. It’s a long and hard journey and if you thought that your wait for your child was grueling, you have no idea what the next few months/years have in store for you.

Confessing Our Sins Together: When we bring our sins to another Christian, they become concrete and their ugliness cannot be hid from view.

Darkness Is My Closest Friend: One of my biggest frustrations with western Christianity is our tendency to fake spiritual maturity. We use theological words and phrases that sound impressive – like kingdom, worship, and die to self – but they have little meaning in our daily lives.

A Different Kind Of Millennial Problem: But the most shocking part? 90% of our church is under 30 years old. We have the exact opposite problem of most churches. When someone who looks older walks through our door, we pray they are solid and that they’ll stick around to pour into the mass of youth we have.

What To Do When You Don't Like The Bible: So what should we do when we come up against those passages and parts of the Bible that just seem to be hard for us to embrace? Here are a few things I talked with my friend about.

On Daughters and Dating: How To Intimidate Suitors: So let’s talk frankly about what you need to do to guard her(Daughters) interests when it comes to dating. Instead of brandishing a shotgun or breaking out an application, you need to build a wall.

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