Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • Retirement: What are you retiring from? What are you retiring to? Keith Knight writes “Most of us can expect to live 20 to 30 years after we reach retirement age. That’s an entire career! Prayerfully take a sabbatical to determine where God wants you to serve next and who you should be mentoring. Then approach this new chapter in your life with the same zeal that you had in your former career.“
  • Daily Grace. Each weekday morning, I watch Bryan Chapell’s Daily Grace video devotional as he takes us through the Bible.
  • Why Our Age Celebrates Desecration. Carl Trueman writes “This world isn’t characterized simply by disenchantment. It’s also characterized by a delight in the destruction of things once considered sacred.”
  • We Can Simultaneously Make Room in Our Hearts for God, People, and Animals. Randy Alcorn writes “One of the strangest assumptions people sometimes make is that if we love animals, we can’t sufficiently love God and But love is not a zero-sum game.”

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  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • What Does It Mean to be “In Christ”? Sinclair Ferguson writes “If you belong to Him, this is who you really and truly are, every day of your life—a man or a woman who is “in Christ.”
  • Will You Be Happy in a Million Years? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I am a teen who struggles with strong and frequent anxiety attacks. I have a question about heaven that sometimes worries me a lot. It’s at least part of my problem. Will God ever get rid of people in heaven to be done with them or simply to start over and make new people for some other reason? I’m not talking about those who aren’t in heaven (the annihilation of the wicked). I mean the annihilation of the godly. Is that possible? And if not, what do you think life will be like for us in one million years?”
  • The Wrong Kind of Cross-Centered. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question that reads in part “We get there, Pastor John, because you say some controversial, even perplexing things in your book on preaching, Expository Exultation, specifically in chapter 16, “Expository Exultation and Christ Crucified, Part 2: ‘That We Might Live to Righteousness,’” on 1 Peter 2:24, a key text for you here (231). Not only preachers but lots of people who listen to preaching would love to hear you explain more fully what you are getting at when you criticize the method of preaching that begins with the text and makes a beeline to the cross. You say the beeline should be to the cross and then from the cross (239). Explain why this matters so much.”
  • Why Is It Important To Understand God’s Triune Nature? In this video, Michael Reeves describes how God’s triune nature distinguishes the living God from idols.
  • Where AI Fails. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “My friend believes that emotions aren’t all that important in the Christian life. I completely disagree with him. To do so, I point to Psalm 73:25–26, where the psalmist expresses deep affection for God, saying, ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.’ How do you view the role of emotions in our relationship with God? I know this is big for you. How would you talk to my friend?”
  • Long Sorrows Set the Stage. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question, which reads in part “The people of Israel continually sinned, which led to oppression by surrounding nations. Why do you think God allows such long cycles of sorrow to occur when his people compromise with sin? How should this long pattern challenge us to pursue holiness and avoid spiritual complacency in our own relationship with God today?”
  • If God Created Everything, How is it That God Didn’t Create Evil? Watch Michael Reeves address this question.
  • What is Heaven Like? God hears every groan and cry that His people utter in the midst of suffering. And the great day is coming when He will perfectly satisfy our longing with Himself. Watch as R.C. Sproul lifts our eyes to the hope of heaven.



  • Sin is not superficial to us, a mere flesh wound. It is a deep distortion, a twisted hostility toward God and his reign over us. Sinclair Ferguson
  • I grant you that true repentance is never too late, but I warn you at the same time, late repentance is seldom true. J.C. Ryle
  • It can take thirty years to build a reputation, and only five minutes to ruin it. Alistair Begg
  • Sin is ugly. It should be killed daily. I die every day, because Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily” and crosses are for dying. John Piper
  • Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it all wrong. Tim Keller
  • Resolve today to use your words for the good of those with whom you interact, honoring Christ in your heart and letting His sweet aroma fill your speech. Alistair Begg
  • Never do the flowers of grace grow more, than after a shower of repentant tears. Thomas Watson
  • You are either a Christian or you are not a Christian; you cannot be partly a Christian. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • The Sabbath ought to be treasured for what it is: a gift of a day on which we enjoy, uninterrupted by leisure commitments or (if at all possible) by employment, the privilege of God’s presence, the study of God’s word, and the fellowship of God’s people. Alistair Begg

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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