Blog Casserole – 09/27/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• Some pictures of the devastation from the Colorado flooding. Pretty amazing for Colorado.

• If you are a parent and your children have trusted in Christ… you may not be seeing them for who they really are.

• Did you know that bad moods lead to procrastination? Makes sense… my friend Loren writes about it.

• Maybe this is an odd thing to post, but it has to do with justice for “the least of these.” The issue is prison rape.

• Tim Keller gives some insight on the issue of true justice. He writes, ”
  

  Most people think of “wickedness” as disobeying the Ten Commandments, as actively breaking the law by lying or committing adultery. And those things are, of course, wicked! But lying and adultery are best understood as the visible tip of the iceberg of wickedness.

  Below the surface, less visible but no less wicked, are things like not feeding the poor when we have the power to do so, or taking so much income out of the business we own that our employees are paid poorly, or shoveling snow from our own driveway without even thinking to do the same for our elderly neighbors. In all these ways we disadvantage others by advantaging ourselves.” Read more here.

Blog Casserole – 09/20/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• With the recent “coming out” of Miley Cyrus into the sexed-up cultural scene, there’s a very natural backlash from Christians about where “true beauty” lies. I get that and I agree with that. HOWEVER, let’s not cast out the role that beauty plays in life… God has a lot to say about it.

• All creation shows the glory of God, and we as His creation often mimic what He’s already done. Here’s a great example – insects with anatomy that resembles “gears” – but it’s really that the gears resemble the insect’s biology (God did that).

• Over at my other blog, I have a weekly set of “Conversation Starters for Couples” that will help your marriage communication move to the next level. Wanna know more? Go here.

• And here are six questions from Justin and Tricia Davis that you can ask your spouse to help your marriage grow! BTW, Justin and Trisha have an amazing story… you can hear my interview of them here.

• The human face of a public shooting. Here’s the story of one of the men who died.

 

Blog Casserole – 09/13/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• There is this amazing, mysterious aspect of Christianity that allows you to drink beer (really), get a tattoo (REALLY), or have long hair (if you’re a guy) and still be “O.K.” with God. It’s called “Christian Liberty” and is somewhat of a sticky wicket. Sinclair Ferguson gives us 4 Principles for Christian Liberty that are very, very helpful (After reading this article you might not think the beer and tattoo things are not quite as simple as I made them out to be…)

• Creepy abandoned amusement parks. Enough said.

• What your passions say about you… a great article to provoke thinking.

• Here is an amazing graphical map of world history… amazing.

Blog Casserole – 09/06/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• Do you like discipline? The author of this article says that mature people learn to love it. Here’s a taste of what he says, “Parents who don’t discipline their children are emotionally and spiritually abusing their children, and are setting them on a path of self-destruction. Pastors who don’t discipline their people by preaching the unvarnished Word of God in season and out of season are not good shepherds but masked thieves. Churches that do not consistently practice church discipline are not churches at all. And if we do not receive the discipline of God, it means we are not his children and that He is not our Father.”

• Have you ever wondered, “What is the unforgiveable sin?”

• The world can be a dark and painful place, even for Christians… and the Bible is not shy to admit that fact. But it holds out something greater than temporary relief or “Don’t worry, be happy” – it holds out true, eternal hope.

• Finally, here’s a great video from the standpoint of what is known as the “Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God.” Very well done.

Blog Casserole – 08/30/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• With all the truly strange trendiness going on about bacon nowadays, I found this approach to the subject to be very clever and truly instructive at the same time.

• Were I a betting man, I’d bet that you could NEVER guess which country sends out the most Christian missionaries compared to the percentage of its Christian population. Go ahead guess…

• Why do you need rest? There are all kinds of physical reasons, but did you know the Bible has reasons to add to the list?

• J.I. Packer is one of the 20th/21st century’s greatest theologians. He’s just turned 87 and gave the following 3 minute testimony about the influence of C.S. Lewis on his life as a teen, and how he came to faith in Christ.

Blog Casserole – 08/02/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective.)

• HEY ALL YOU CHRISTIAN MEN OUT THERE! I’ve long been saying (learned from John Piper and my wife) that spiritual leadership is all about INITIATIVE!

• Here’s another thing I’ve long been saying… “Pschological disorders are WAY over-diagnosed!“

• Seeing pleasure through a demon’s eyes. Many believers need to learn this lesson.

• Are you taking the LORD’s name in vain without realizing it?

• Here is what the night sky would look like if the planets in our solar system were the same distance from earth as the moon. (I just thought it was fun).

Blog Casserole – 07/26/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• Have you ever been confused about what “the sovereignty of God” actually means? Does it mean He causes all things (good and bad)? Does it mean He “allows” all things (good and bad). Here are 3 mistakes one author believes are common in talking about the sovereignty of God.

• 14 free ebooks from Desiring God. If God used John Piper to write it, it’s worth reading.

• In the many years of counseling I’ve done as a Pastor I’ve continually struggled to adequately understand addiction. In most recent years I’ve come to the conclusion of this author… addiction is worship gone wrong.

• This is a fairly lengthy synopsis of a book I read a few years back, “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler. My original reading of the book was very helpful to my study life… and this refresher (think of it like cliff notes) has done a good deal to help me rebuild some neglected reading skills.

• Here is an absolutely free E-book from Covenant Eyes addressing the topic of breaking free from sexual addictions.

Blog Casserole – 07/19/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

• Somebody has way too much time on their hands. I’m just saying…

• Here are some amazing landscapes caught with some amazing digital photography. Notice the Creator’s creativity in color, shape, shadow, and light… and worship!

• How can you rest fully in God when you face the most extreme, unthinkable horrors? As you might guess, John Piper has some thoughts on the subject.

• There is a much-neglected doctrine referred to often as “the sufficiency of scripture.” It’s not about whether scripture is true or reliable… it’s about whether scripture is ENOUGH. Here’s a quick overview of the doctrine and why it matters.

• Now this is love. It’s gotta be. Or maybe a little insanity… but I don’t know these people so I shouldn’t say that.

• I read this quote last week and as a retired preacher (who’s had time to reflect) I can endorse it whole heartedly – “Every preacher should enter the pulpit with his resignation letter in his pocket.”

Blog Casserole – 07/12/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

 

• Just for fun… here are 8 strangely weird houses from around the world. Some of them look like fun… others are just weird.

• In a world where a variety of Christians are into courting, non-dating, and kind-of-sort-of-dating – is it possible to date in a way that glorifies God.  Yep…. read about it

• Time management is important as part of our stewardship before our God. But can time management be more about filling up our own sense of inadequacy? My friend Loren thinks so.

• My first novel is coming out Fall of 2013. You can get in on a drawing to win a signed paperback copy here.

• Below is a quick video tour of our nearest galaxy-neighbors. More reason to be filled with wonder at our Creator’s might.

Blog Casserole – 06/28/2013

Blog Casserole!

The best or worst or slightly interesting of the web over the last week (from my humble perspective)

• Why does it seem (or is it only me) that when cultural shifts or radical departures from the norm happen, CHRISTIANS ARE THE FIRST TO PANIC AND THE LOUDEST IN DOING IT? It’s always bugged me. We are people of faith in the everlasting, all-powerful, Creator of all that is. We should be the least panicked of anyone. Mark Dever agrees.

• Sin is a lying, thieving, soul-destroying cancer that eats away at the human soul. Here are 5 lies that sin tells you.

• Here is a brand new and totally free E-book from John Piper about the influence C.S. Lewis has had on his life. Enjoy!

• There have been many Bible translations over the years. Some helpful, some not so much. One of my favorites is the “Da Jesus Book” which I learned about while pastoring in Hawaii (which I’d put on the “helpful” side of the scale). It was only a matter of time until this happened… now I present to you, “The TEXAS Bible.”

• If you’ve ever been totally confused by all those multi-syllabic coffee drinks at your local coffee shop. Below is a chart I found at this site that can help you out. Really (click on it for a larger version).