Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

Leave a comment

  • An Anti-Culture of Nothingness. Carl Trueman writes about the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics. He writes “And that brings out the real horror of this “queering” of The Last Supper. In desecrating God’s grace, it denies the real solution to humanity’s problem. We need to be consecrated. And that comes only through the means of grace, the Word, and the sacraments.”

  • Cultivating a Healthy Marriage. “Cultivating a Healthy Marriage” with Tim Keller is a short podcast series featuring the messages from the most popular sermon series of Keller’s time at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Preached in 1991, this series was the basis for the bestselling book by Tim and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage. Whether you’re single, married, widowed, or divorced, through this podcast you’ll learn new ways to apply God’s wisdom about marriage to your life.
  • Outrage is Not a Fruit of the Spirit. Randy Alcorn writes “In today’s digital world—and especially in an election year—it’s heartbreaking to see God’s people become a bickering, angry mob.”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Who Wrote the Gospels? On this episode of Honest Answers, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones addresses this question.
  • Can We Pray for God to Teach Someone a Lesson? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “I know the Bible says to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I want to pray for God to change their heart and ways. But sometimes I want to pray that they are affected by their actions so they will wake up and change their ways. Is it wrong to want them to be shaken up by some event to change their ways, or is praying that someone gets taught a lesson the same as saying, ‘I told you so’? Or is all of this unchristian to begin with?”
  • Theological Questions and Answers with Ligonier Ministries. In this Q&A compilation, watch as R.C. Sproul, the Ligonier Teaching Fellows, and other gifted teachers provide clarity to a wide variety of theological subjects.
  • Seven Encouragments for Parents of Prodigals. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I am the mother of a prodigal son in his early twenties. I read Luke 15 over and over. I have studied it a hundred times. I was wondering, if you were to talk to the parent of a prodigal son or daughter, how would you give hope to them from this text? I want my life to reflect the life of the father in this story as I wait on the porch.”

  • Ask Ligonier Live with Stephen Nichols. Recently, Ligonier Teaching Fellow joined Nathan W. Bingham to answer biblical and theological questions. The program begins at the 9:10 point.
  • Tim Keller’s Neo-Calvinism. This article was adapted from Tim Keller’s chapter, “Pastoral Ministry,” in T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism, edited by N. Gray Sutanto and Cory Brock.
  • Is Every Sin the Same in God’s Eyes? Kevin DeYoung writes “The assumptions embedded throughout redemptive history make clear that some sins are worse than others.”
  • What is Hell? In this short video, Thomas Schreiner tells us that “Hell is eternal conscious punishment where sinners are separated from God’s gracious presence.”
  • Do You Believe Hell is Real? Tim Keller writes “Not only are there plenty of people today who don’t believe in the Bible’s teaching on everlasting punishment, even those who do believe it can find it an unreal and remote concept. Nevertheless, it is a very important part of the Christian faith for several reasons.”


  • Your hope is not based on how well you are doing, but on what Jesus has done for you. Paul Tripp
  • The gospel isn’t a summons to work harder to reach God, it’s the story of how God sovereignly worked all things together to reach you. Burk Parsons
  • We should habitually seek out others who know more than we do about a subject and learn from them. We should have an entire life marked by being teachable rather than opinionated. Tim Keller
  • Nothing built for the glory of man will survive God’s scrutiny. But what is done for His glory will endure forever. R.C. Sproul
  • No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than pray for me. Charles Spurgeon
  • All my hopes and comforts may be summed up by saying, I have a rich and gracious Savior. John Newton
  • God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them. John Piper
  • We need never shrink back from His touch. We need never fear a harsh word from Him; though He might well chide us for our weakness, He rebukes not. Bruised reeds shall have no blows from Him, and the smoldering wick no damping frowns. Charles Spurgeon
  • God will call you to do what you cannot do, but will provide everything you need to do it. Paul Tripp

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals and Illinois State University Men’s Basketball fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church for thirty years. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses and Romans 8 my favorite chapter of the Bible. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns and classic rock. My books Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace, A Leader Worth Following: 40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Master, and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. Go to amazon.com/author/billpence or amazon.com/author/tammypence

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Coram Deo ~

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading