~ UPDATED PAGES ON THE BLOG ~
Reflections on my time at Covenant Theological Seminary
Book Review: Double Play by Ben and Julianna Zobrist with Mike Yorkey
Leadership Library – Books by John Maxwell: Home Run: Learn God’s Game Plan for Life and Leadership by Kevin Myers and John C. Maxwell
Movie Reviews: 12 Years a Slave, Noah, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Music Review: Hymns by Michael W. Smith
~ THIS AND THAT ~
- Just two days after announcing it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages, World Vision U.S. has reversed its ground-breaking decision after weathering intense criticism from evangelical leaders. Read more here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-reverses-decision-gay-same-sex-marriage.html
- Check out this short article and two-minute video from Matt Chandler on how to fill your life with joy:http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-to-fill-your-life-with-joy
- Tim Keller’s next book will be Prayer: The Essential Guide, which will be released November 4.
- And speaking of Tim Keller, he is the series editor of the new Cultural Renewal series. An upcoming book of interest is The Stories We Tell: How TV and Movies Long for and Echo the Truth. Author Mike Cosper shows how modern entertainment reveals humanity’s universal longing for redemption as he explores a variety of genres, influential films, and shows, ultimately teaching us how to engage with and evaluate what we watch. The book releases August 31.
- The Northampton Press, the ministry of our friend Dr. Don Kistler, is making available a collection of sermons by the great Charles Spurgeon in e-book format. These sermons are all from the Song of Solomon, and are titled “The Fairest of Ten Thousand.” For the time being it is only available as an e-book. It is available now on Amazon and soon on Barnes and Noble and Kobo.
LIGONIER MINISTRIES –
- Our favorite aspect of the Ligonier National Conference is the question and answer sessions. See the below video for highlights from those sessions from the recent 2014 National Conference: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-questions-and-answers/
- And speaking of the question and answer sessions, see this short clip from the recent Ligonier Ministries National Conference on how R.C. Sproul suggests to explain sin to an unbeliever: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/heres-one-way-explain-sin-unbeliever/
- Recently, Lee Webb of Ligonier Ministries sat down with Steven Lawson to discuss the life and ministry of George Whitefield. Check out the video of the interview here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/evangelistic-zeal-george-whitefield-interview-steven-j-lawson/
- Tim Challies recently started a new Sunday series called “The Bestsellers”, in which he looks at some of the best-selling Christian books of the recent past. He starts with Joshua Harris’ book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Check it out here: http://www.challies.com/articles/the-bestsellers-i-kissed-dating-goodbye
- “God’s Not Dead” did another $9.1 million in ticket sales, bringing its two week total to an amazing $22 million, remaining in the top five films in the country for the second week in a row! Read more here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/03/30/noah-sabotage-divergent-box-office/7077011/
- Fleetwood Mac have announced a North American reunion tour that will kick off Sept. 30. As expected, it will be the band’s first trek since singer-keyboardist Christine McVie rejoined the classic rock group after a 16-year absence. Read more here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6028766/fleetwood-mac-with-christine-mcvie-announce-north-american-tour?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily_digest&utm_campaign=Daily%20Digest
- In 1967, Bob Dylan recorded more than 100 tracks with the Hawks (who would later become The Band) in and around his Woodstock, N.Y., home, including I Shall Be Released, This Wheel’s On Fire and You Ain’t Going Nowhere. Songs surfaced in bootlegs but not officially until 1975’s The Basement Tapes. Dylan’s recently discovered lyrics for two dozen songs written in 1967 form the foundation for Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, an album featuring Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons and producer T Bone Burnett. Read more here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/03/25/lost-bob-dylan-lyrics-birth-new-all-star-basement-tapes/6890655/
Left to themselves, no one will ever choose Christ.—RC Sproul
If the cross is not foolishness to the lost world then we have misrepresented the cross. —Steven Lawson