Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview


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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • The Church and Israel: The Issue. World events have led many to wonder what is the role for Israel. Cornelis Venema writes “In order to orient the discussion of this critical issue, we need to begin with a clear understanding of the major views on this question that are represented today within the church. These views illustrate not only the importance of the question, but the wide diversity of positions.”
  • Listener Questions (Live at TGC25) [The Everyday Pastor. In this special episode of The Everyday Pastor podcast, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan answer listener-submitted questions, recorded live at The Gospel Coalition’s 2025 National Conference.

God’s Good Design for Marriage: 5 Doctrinal Dimensions. Robert Yarbrough offers a doxological tribute to marriage, a celebration and commendation of God’s good and glorious design.

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  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

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A Prayer for the End of Summer

Our Father in Heaven,

You created each of the seasons – spring, summer, fall and winter. Because You created them, I can imagine that you love them all equally. My personal preference, however, is summer, spring, fall, with winter a distant last.
I love the warm days of summer, with it staying light to nearly 9 pm in late June. My standard “uniform” in summer is a t-shirt, shorts and KEEN sandals. But where we live, I may only be able to enjoy the warm weather six months of the year, at the most. Continue reading


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Meanwhile – Eric Clapton
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Meanwhile is the latest album from Eric Clapton, whose career spans more than six decades, during which he has achieved success both as a solo artist and as a member of legendary bands like The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominos. The new album includes six newly released songs and eight previously released singles, including collaborations with Jeff Beck, Van Morrison and others.

Here are a few brief comments about each song:

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  • More of this review and a review of I Love Jesus by Mac Powell
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “All My Boast is in Jesus” by Matt Papa, Bryan Fowler and Keith Getty

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze. Grand Central Publishing. 232 pages. 2025
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If you enjoy the comedy of Nate Bargatze, you’ll enjoy this book, his first. I listened to the audiobook edition, which was read by Bargatze, and I would recommend that version to you as he reads it with his deadpan, self-deprecating delivery.
This light-hearted book has Bargatze telling stories about McDonald’s, shopping, his family, his barber, who is also his trainer, dogs, his car named “Old Blue”, his best friend Pee Pee, his wife Laura and daughter Harper, his unfailing love of Vanderbilt University football (who will never win the national championship), and his father, who was a magician and still opens Nate’s shows. He tells us about growing up in a small town in Tennessee, where you could never say the “F-word” in his home (no, not that “F-word”), his poor performance in college, living in a rat-infested apartment in Chicago as he learned standup comedy, and playing basketball in the NBA (no, not that NBA). The book includes blank pages, and random food thoughts. Throughout the book, Bargatze makes reference to his and his family’s Christian faith.

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BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music by Charlie Peacock
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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New and Upcoming Books You Might Be Interested In

I enjoy reading books in a variety of genres (theology, faith and work, leadership, biography, etc.). A few times each year I like to share about new and upcoming books that I am aware of that you might be interested in. Here are eleven of them: Continue reading


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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • How to Care for Sufferers. On this episode of the The Everyday Pastor podcast, Joni Eareckson Tada joins Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan to share lessons she’s learned about enduring hardship and give practical advice for pastors who wish to care for sufferers well.
  • How Can Isaiah Comfort Christians Today? In this video, Derek Thomas describes the comfort Christians can find in the book of Isaiah.
  • Is There a Right Way to Pray? Joseph Harrod answers this question in this episode of Honest Answers.

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Work Matters. Here is Bryan Chapell’s sermon from Ephesians 6:5-9.
  • A Leader Worth Following. My new book A Leader Work Following: 40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Masteris available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Read a sample of the book (found under the book cover in the above link).
  • Beware Toxic Servant Leadership. Jacob Crouch writes “A view of servant leadership that strips the actual authority of the one leading removes the truest service of the leader.”

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Leadership Attributes: Decision Making

In our series on leadership attributes, we now look at decision making. Good leaders take responsibility and know that when those important and difficult decisions have to be made, “the buck stops here”. They gather all information that is needed to make an informed decision, and they lead with sound judgment. But not all leaders are good at making decisions when it counts the most. Sadly, we saw how poor decision making on our country’s evacuation of Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of thirteen Americans.
Leaders must demonstrate courage in making difficult choices. They should surround themselves with talented team members who can provide them input into those areas where decisions must be made. John Maxwell states that no matter how good of a leader you are, you will always miss some details when making decisions. As a result, you should partner with people who see what you don’t. Leaders should be humble in listening to these advisors, and be willing to change their minds when provided with information.  Where I worked, we used to refer to leadership courage. This is where leaders make the difficult decisions, even those that will not be popular but which need to be made. Continue reading


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

House of David: Music Inspired from the Prime Video Original Series (Season One) – Various Artists
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This project features songs inspired by the new House of David series on Prime Video, which tells the story of the ascent of the biblical figure, David, who becomes the most celebrated king of Israel.
The album features some excellent artists. My favorite songs are “40”, the 1983 U2 song covered by for KING + COUNTRY, “I’ve Got a Story” by NEEDTOBREATHE and Tori Kelly, “Take Courage My Heart” by Drew Holcomb and Ellie Holcomb, and “After Your Heart” by Chris Tomlin.
Among the other artists on the album are Lecrae, Anne Wilson, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and Blessing Offor.

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 More of this review and a review of NEEDTOBREATHE
 Music News
 Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Heaven on My Mind by TobyMac and Forrest Frank Continue reading