Recently I’ve been exposed to a number of families who do “Family Worship.” When I first heard of this, I was both intimidated and uninterested. I had little desire to try to replicate what I think of as a worship service (prayers, hymns, sermon, etc.) on a nightly basis at home with my family. Don’t …
Category Archives: Spiritual Discipline
Counseling and the Authority of Christ
Praise God for Russell D. Moore. And praise God for the new direction in which he is pointing the Biblical Counseling program at Southern Seminary. Hallelujah! I am elated to see somebody stand up and call it like it is. Somebody with the guts to “sell the mills” (see Good to Great). I cannot commend …
Piper on Pain
I don’t know anybody in the world who thinks about life like John Piper. Right before he had prostate surgery he wrote Don’t Waste Your Cancer. Here’s a preview, which will hopefully prompt you to read the whole thing: 1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you …
Salvation History for the Wee Ones
My friend Rob Lister recommended to me The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm, illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. Following Graeme Goldsworthy, this fine volume teaches the Bible’s story to little tots. What a great thing to read to the children before bed! I found its depiction of the fall particularly moving. Thankfully, unlike presentations …
Seeking to Pray like Jesus and Paul: Without Ceasing
In addition to the daily pattern of reciting a liturgical prayer at regular intervals on a daily basis (see earlier post), Paul and Jesus would have engaged in "continual prayer." This does not mean that they disengaged from life, hid themselves away in a monastery, and gave every conscious thought to prayer. Rather, continual prayer …
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Seeking to Pray like Jesus and Paul: Daily Patterns
It is no surprise that many pastors are unsatisfied with the way they pray. I think some of this dissatisfaction is due to unrealistic (unbiblical?) expectations, and some more of it is due to a desire to be "pressing on" toward more faithfulness (Phil 3:12). When asked if we are satisfied with our prayer lives, …
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Prayer and the Knowledge of God
“When you think about your practice of prayer and, perhaps, some of the problems you experience, do you mainly consider: what you are like as a praying Christian, or what God is like as our heavenly Father who saves us?” (19). Graeme Goldsworthy, the church’s biblical theologian, has written a beautiful little book that I …
Putting the Bible First
Maybe you’re like me and you often find that at the end of the day you’ve read a lot of stuff but somehow neglected to read the Bible. Here’s a suggestion: Set the homepage of your Internet Explorer to the ESV’s One Year Bible Reading Plan and don’t go anywhere else on the internet until …