Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: July 2025


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Writing Music for God’s People: A Conversation with Matt Papa, Songwriter. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dan and Matt Papa discuss the reasoning behind writing hymns for worship, the inspiration for writing “His Mercy is More,” and the ability that songs like “I Set My Hope (Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend)” have to connect with us emotionally.
  • Work Well with All Types of People. In this podcast, Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor talk with their colleague Ann Westrate about how understanding each other’s gifts has enhanced their work as a team. They discuss how much the Working Genius assessment helped them understand why what might be easy for one of them is hard for someone else. Understanding what different gifts are represented in a team can enhance morale and strengthen relationships. We all have gifts, but none of us has all the gifts.
  • Loving God the Most: Working for God Instead of Work as God. Wes White writes “One of the greatest blessings that humans can enjoy in this world is to be able to do work that blesses oneself and others and glorifies God.”
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).

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Leadership Attributes: Leaders are Credible

In our series on leadership attributes, we now look at credibility. Leaders are credible. But what does it mean to be credible? Dictionary definitions include:

  • Offering reasonable grounds for being believed or trusted, and
  • Good enough to be effective.

In Albert Mohler’s book The Conviction to Lead, he writes that the most essential element in determining whether others will follow you is your credibility to lead them, and to guide the organization to the right future. If you are a credible leader, you are worthy of your follower’s confidence and trust. You are reliable, accountable, and dependable. Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Music Review:
Every Kind of Uh-Oh by Charlie Peacock
***

I’ve long been a fan of multi-talented (singer/songwriter, producer, author) six-time Grammy award winner Charlie Peacock’s music, back to his West Coast Diaries cassettes in the late 1980’s. Every Kind of Uh-Oh is his latest vocal album of ten new songs all written in a two-week period, which he co-produced with his son Sam Ashworth.

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  • More of this review and a review of The Still Point by Sandra McCracken and Ben Shive
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “The First Hymn” by Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

BOOK REVIEW:
Sunday Matters: 52 Devotionals to Prepare Your Heart for Church by Paul David Tripp. Crossway. 289 pages. 2023
*** ½

I’ve read several of Paul Tripp’s books, most of them being his books of devotional readings (daily, Lent, Advent, etc.). This new book features a reading for each week of the year (reading 51 is for Easter week and 52 is for Christmas). The brief devotionals are intended to help prepare your heart for the beauty of what Sunday worship has to offer you. After each reading, there are suggested scripture passages to read, reflection questions and a family discussion section.
I enjoyed these readings, and commend this book – and all of Paul Tripp’s books – to you.
Here are 20 of my favorite quotes from the book:

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BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by  R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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The Incredible Ministry of Charles Spurgeon

I have read several books about the life and ministry of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon, including the recent Spurgeon: A Life by Alex DiPrima. Our former lead pastor quoted Spurgeon so often in his sermons that after a while, he just began referring to him as “Spurgie”.
Spurgeon had an incredible ministry in London. So incredible, that when I first read about him, I thought that some of his accomplishments were legend, rather than fact. I first read about Spurgeon’s accomplishments in John Piper’s 1997 book A Godward Life, in a reading titled “Mountains Are Not Meant To Envy: Awed Thoughts on Charles Spurgeon”.
Piper tells us that Spurgeon preached as a Baptist pastor in London from 1854 until 1891 – thirty-eight years of ministry in one place. He died January 31, 1892, at the age of fifty-seven.
Here are some of Spurgeon’s incredible accomplishments. I’m trusting that you will be as amazed by this man as I am: Continue reading →


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A New Song About the Value of Our Work

One of my passions is writing and speaking about the value of our work. How Christians do their work for the Lord, serving Him, no matter what that work is.
Recently, CityAlight released a new five song EP, titled Hear the Hallelujahs Roar. One of the songs on the project is titled “My Labour Is Not In Vain”, a beautiful song written by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, Tiarne Tranter and Michael Farren, with Tranter singing lead vocals.
The first verse of the song is:
My work in Christ is not in vain
My labor will not fail
For when I toil in Jesus’ name
His purpose will prevail

This verse is based on 1 Corinthians 15:58, which reads:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

It is of such comfort to know that the work we do in Christ is not in vain. Some believe that it is only the work of a pastor or missionary that is of value, but that is not the case at all. All work done serving the Lord is of value.

The second verse of the song is:

The tasks that You have set for me
I may not understand
Yet I will follow where You lead
I trust Your sovereign hand

Have you ever felt that the work you were doing was of no value, that it was worthless? You may not understand why the Lord has you doing that work, but we are to trust him and follow Him where He leads us.

The chorus of the song is:

So may all I do, be it great or small
Bring glory to Your name
In Your grace alone I will carry on
Your promise to me remains
My labour is not in vain

The chorus brings 1 Corinthians 15:58 and 1 Corinthians 10:31 together. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reads:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That verse is similar to Colossians 3:23, one of my favorites regarding our work, which reads:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

The remaining two verses encourage us to seek the lost, just as the Lord searched for us, to persevere, for soon we will be home at rest in our work, complete in Him.

This is a wonderful new song about our work, be it great or small. May all we do bring glory to His name. Our labor is not in vain.  You can watch the video for the song here.


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My Decades Long Love for Illinois State University Basketball

Horton Field House

Sports has always played a big part in my life. Basketball, baseball and golf would be my favorite sports to either play or watch. But likely no sport has played a bigger part than that of Illinois State University (ISU) Men’s Basketball.
I like to walk 5-6 miles a day. I started walking during the pandemic in 2020, when we were “locked down”. A part of that walk included a call to my Dad, who was 84 years old, and we were not able to see each other in person during that period.

CEFCU Arena

These days, a typical walk will take me past Illinois State’s Gregory Street Tennis Courts and Weibring Golf Club, named after the school’s greatest golfer D.A. Weibring. Occasionally, I will walk down Adelaide Street where the ISU men’s baseball field, named Duffy Bass Field is located.After that, there is the women’s soccer field, Adelaide Street Field and the women’s softball Marian Kneer Softball Stadium. Continue reading →


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My Review of F1: The Movie

F1: The Movie
***

F1: The Movie is an exciting summer film that is primarily about two car race drivers. The film was directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), who wrote the film with Oscar nominee Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick).
Sonny Hayes, played by two-time Oscar winner Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, 12 Years a Slave), is a veteran race car driver. Thirty years ago, Sonny’s Formula 1 career ended when he badly crashed his car. Now, he goes from town to town looking for a race, most recently winning at Daytona.
An old friend of Sonny’s, Ruben Cervantes played by Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), finds him in a laundromat. Ruben is desperate. His Apex Grand Prix team hasn’t won a race all season, and as a result, the board of directors is threatening to sell the company.
Ruben asks Sonny to come to England to race on his team and mentor the up-and-coming racing star on his team Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. After initially hesitating, Sonny agrees to do so. But the two drivers do not get along, and the Apex team’s results suffer. Will the two drivers be able to turn things around and save Ruben and the team’s jobs with Apex?
The film includes themes of friendship and teamwork. Joshua has a close relationship with his mother Bernadette, played by two-time Emmy nominee Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso).
The film contains some adult language, intense car crashes and a bedroom scene between Sonny and  technical director Kate McKenna, played by Oscar nominee Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), (though nothing explicit was shown).
This was an enjoyable movie, with a good cast and thrilling race scenes, though the film seemed a bit long at two hours and thirty-five minutes.


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Read Through the Bible With Everyday Gospel by Paul Tripp

Have you ever read the Bible all the way through – from Genesis to Revelation? I wonder how just how many people who have been Christians for many years have actually done this? Many have good intentions to read the Bible all the way through. They begin reading with joy through the book of Genesis, which includes many familiar stories. After Genesis, many still get through the book of Exodus which features the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. But they run into trouble and many stop when they get to the book of Leviticus, and after that Numbers. It’s likely that far more people have read completely through the New Testament than have the entire Bible.
Paul Tripp’s new book Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life can help you with your desire to read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This book includes 365 readings that correspond to the listed chapters from the Bible for each day. In addition, the ESV Everyday Gospel Bible hardback edition includes the full ESV Bible text.
The reading pace can be challenging, as you will need to read multiple chapters each day. As I work through the book, I am choosing to listen to the Bible on the free ESV Bible app.  I generally do this while I am outside either walking our dog Clara or taking an afternoon walk.
Everyday Gospel is a valuable resource for those who would like to read through the Bible in a year.


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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • Will Heaven Ever Grow Boring? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper answers a question that reads in part “I have been struggling with the concept of eternity lately. At first, I had difficulty imagining what heaven could be like, even for a short time. But after reading, I began to understand joy for thousands, millions, or even billions of years. However, even a hundred trillion years still seems nothing in light of eternity. I struggle to process something with no end. How will we not get bored?”

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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