Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • A Christian Vision for Exercise: Ten Lessons from a Ten-Year Project. David Mathis writes “My main concern is how exercise can serve spiritual joy, and so glorify God, and make us into the kind of people who honor him through doing good for others. To that end, consider a list of ten key principles I have learned on this exercise journey.”
  • Fitness is Not and End in Itself. David Mathis writes “A Christian motivation for exercise is the good of others. Or we could say, for love’s sake. I exercise to make myself a better servant of others, to be fit for good works.”

  • Does God Condemn Nations Today? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “I’ve been thinking a lot about the judgment Jesus pronounces on the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum in Luke 10:13–16, as well as his declaration of woe upon an entire generation in Luke 11:51. My question is, what actually happens to these groups of people and the individuals within them when Jesus condemns a city or a generation?”
  • What is Blocking My Life – Satan or Jesus? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that can be summarized as “How do you distinguish between being hindered by Jesus versus being hindered by Satan? Or does it even matter?”
  • Coming to Christ for All the Wrong Reasons. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that can be summarized as “As I reflect on how Christian Hedonism helped me see that my longing for joy and my desire for God go hand in hand, my question is: Are there any wrong reasons to come to Christ? Is coming to him for the sake of finding joy truly sufficient?”
  • How Can I Share the Gospel with a Family Member Without Pushing Them Away? Timothy Beougher answers this question on this episode of Honest Answers.
  • What Really Is the Gift of Tongues? Pastor Adriel Sanchez discusses what the miraculous gift of tongues is (and isn’t) according to Luke’s description in Acts 2 and Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.
  • Loving God in Life’s Biggest Disappointments. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that can be summarized as “How do I trust ‘ask, and it will be given’ when my deepest longing remains unmet?”
  • Why Do You Focus on God’s Role in Our Suffering? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I recently came across your 2013 article ‘Dubai: Amazing and Strategic City.’ In it, a question about Job’s suffering was answered by quoting Job 42:11: ‘They showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him.’ I was shocked that this was the go-to verse, as it seems to state that the Lord directly brought suffering upon Job. Why not refer back to chapters 1 and 2, which clearly show that Satan caused Job’s suffering? God allowed it, but he did not bring it upon Job. Many lessons can be drawn from Job’s trials, yet this response made it seem as though suffering comes directly from God rather than being something he sovereignly allows for a greater purpose. Could you clarify why Job 42:11was chosen instead of highlighting the conversation between God and Satan in the opening chapters?”

  • Truth and Creation Order. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Professor Robert P. George, a world-renowned scholar on Natural Law and the overlap of religion and jurisprudence. It is his most recent book: Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth: Law and Morality in Our Cultural Momentthat is the topic of this episode.

  • Culture is never so bad that it can’t be redeemed, nor so good that it can’t be critiqued. Tim Keller
  • Whatever you think is going to give you ultimate satisfaction in life is what you worship. Ligon Duncan
  • Loss of interest in the word of God is loss of interest in God. John Piper
  • It’s impossible to have met the real Jesus and be indifferent. You either bow down in wonder OR go away offended. Tim Keller
  • Take heart today, your Savior sits in active sovereign control over all the things that would confuse, overwhelm, surprise or disturb you. Paul Tripp
  • I cannot comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called. Charles Spurgeon
  • When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Martin Luther
  • God doesn’t call the worthy; he makes you worthy. God doesn’t call you because you’re able, he makes you able. Paul Tripp
  • It is more crucial than ever that believers understand what the Bible is and why they can trust it wholeheartedly. R.C. Sproul

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

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