Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview


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My Interview With Kirk Billiter, author of “Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others”

We recently had a chance to visit with Kirk Billiter, author of the new book Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others, and a long-time friend.

 CD: Writing a book is a significant undertaking. What led you to write this book?

KB: My short answer is: I had stories—many of them, lived, remembered, and redeemed by God. I began gathering them years ago, writing about God’s redemptive hand in my life and the quiet, steady ways He has proven faithful through both ordinary days and seasons marked by deep struggle and change.
The second thing my wife Rebecca and I did in 2021 that led me to write this book was join our friend, Eric Elder’s on-line writer’s cohort. We learned so much from him and others in the cohort. In 2022, the whole writer’s cohort went up to Starved Rock to meet for a weekend of writing and training.  That jump started me to begin gathering the ideas for writing this book. Continue reading


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Praying That God’s Will Be Done

For the Christian, there are many ways to approach prayer. Some have a daily time set aside for prayer built into their schedule, perhaps in the morning with a cup of coffee and their Bible and devotional reading, or perhaps it is as you rest your head on the pillow. I  tend to pray throughout the day, but do most of my praying as I take walks, with a brief time of prayer as I rest my head for sleep at night.
There are also a number of ways to organize our prayers. I used to use a written prayer list. These days I use the ACTS model. The ACTS model is:
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication Continue reading


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Go-Go, Slow-Go or No-Go? What Stage are You in Now?

Aging is an important aspect of finishing well. It doesn’t matter what our age is, we all tend to age differently. When I retired, I went out with a large group of co-workers. A financial planner that the organization brought in to speak to us told us something that I remember clearly, even though it has been more than eight years ago as I write this.
He said that as we were leaving the organization we were still relatively young, had a lot of time, money, and were probably pretty healthy. He called those the “Go Go Years”.  During those years, we would be active. He told us that we might be playing sports such as golf, pickleball, and tennis. We would most likely be in a good position financially, and so we would probably also do some traveling. He stated that as we continue to age, and run into some health problems, we will inevitably slow down. It will become more difficult to travel and we won’t play as many sports. He called those the “Slow Go Years”. Finally, as get even older, we will be more limited. Health problems may make it difficult to do things such as play golf or travel. He called this stage the “No Go Years”.
If you are married, you and your spouse may be in different stages. For example, your wife may be in excellent health and still in the “Go Go Years”. You, on the other hand, may be facing a knee or hip replacement, and find yourself in the “Slow Go Years”, or even the “No Go Years”.
How can we finish well whether we are in the “Go Go”, “Slow Go” or “No Go” Years?

 I am considering this question as I write my next book, tentatively titled Use Us Up Lord: Finishing Well for Our Good and God’s Glory


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Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 3

Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to  you.
But what is spiritual formation? Like me,  you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may  have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.
In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation.  Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading


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Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 2

Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to  you.
But what is spiritual formation? Like me,  you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may  have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.
In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation.  Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading


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Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 1

Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to  you.

But what is spiritual formation? Like me,  you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may  have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.

In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation. Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading


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A Prayer for Summer

Our Father in Heaven,

Although the calendar tells us that summer doesn’t begin until June 21, summer has always seemed to begin for me when school gets out and we celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. I’ve always thought of summer as the months of June, July and August. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Summer is by far my favorite season of the year.
Thank you, Father, for the season of summer. I love the warm temperatures, the green grass, trees blowing in the wind, and the fact that here in the Midwest it will stay light until nearly 9:00 pm.
Thank you for seeing us through a cold, sometimes bitterly cold winter. Also, thank you for protecting us from several severe storms early this spring. Continue reading


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My Favorites from the First Half of 2026

As I have done for several years now, I am sharing my favorites in a variety of categories. All items listed were released or took place during the first half of 2026, except for books, which reflect books that I read during the first half of 2026, regardless of publication date. I hope you enjoy this list, and find some good recommendations.

Movies

Top Pick:  A Great Awakening Continue reading


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What is Biblical Stewardship?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to finish well for our good and God’s glory. To finish well, we need to embrace stewardship. The concept of stewardship is defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. For the Christian, we can refine this definition as the management of God’s resources – time, talent, treasure, and creation – according to His purposes. Christians know that the resources we have – money, giftings, talents, property, etc. – are not our own, but we are stewarding them for God. Continue reading


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What is a “Just War”?

When a war breaks out, we want to know that the action was justified. So, when is it justified to use military force? In other words, when is war morally permissible?  “Just War Theory” was primarily established by Augustine in the 5th century, and further developed by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. It is the Christian understanding of when war is morally justified, and how a morally justified war should be undertaken.

On a recent episode of The Briefing, Albert Mohler shared seven criteria that have to be met for a war to be just and justly fought. He stated: Continue reading