Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Tag Archives: Coram Deo


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


The Power of the Gospel: A Year in Romans by R.C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministries. 535 pages. 2024
****

This devotional book is based on the preaching ministry of R.C. Sproul at Saint Andrews Chapel in Sanford, Florida. Portions of the devotional were previously published under the title Romans: An Expositional Commentary. The book includes readings and an “Application” for Monday through Saturday each week of the year. I used this book as a part of my devotional reading in 2025.
Below are 30 helpful quotes from the book:

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEW ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza Wins Heisman Trophy While ‘Always Praising Jesus Christ’. Kevin Mercer writes “Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza entered the college football history books on Saturday evening, becoming the latest winner of the Heisman Trophy. Mendoza is the first Hoosier ever to win college football’s highest award.
  • New Year’s Goal-Setting for People with Actual Lives. Joe Carter writes “What we need isn’t a better to-do list but a better grid for making wise decisions across every domain of life, whether we’re planning our fitness goals or our prayer habits. Such a grid should work for anyone, in any season, pursuing faithfulness in any calling. Three biblical priorities can serve as this grid: Prioritize your priorities, prioritize your energy, and prioritize your limits.”
  • A Roundup of Roundups. Tim Challies offers a roundup of his various roundups for 2025.
  • My Favorite Movies of 2025. Brett McCracken shares his favorite movies and documentaries of 2025.
  • God Wants Your Resolve. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the questions “In the Christian life, can New Year’s resolutions serve a meaningful purpose in helping to align our lives with God’s will, or do they often lead to frustration and spiritual burnout? Are they truly helpful in fostering growth and obedience, or are they ultimately harmful, perhaps setting us up for inevitable failure in our pursuit of holiness? And as we seek to approach this topic from a biblical perspective, how does Scripture guide us in navigating the art of goal-setting, resolutions, and the pursuit of personal change in a way that honors God and reflects the grace he offers?”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
§  More interesting article links
§  Favorite Quotes of the Week Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Resist the Peer Pressure of a Secular Job. Miranda Carls responds to the question “Since I started working in a secular environment, I have started struggling as a Christian. Help!”
  • 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).
  • Why You Should Use Your Annual Review to Check for Mission Drift. Joshua Nangle writes “Mission drift is one of the greatest threats for Christian leaders and organizations. Whether in church ministry, compassion ministry, or the corporate world, leaders will regularly fight the temptation to become focused on things—even good things—that are not in alignment with the organization’s primary purpose.”
  • Three Models of Serving. Russ Gehrlein writes “No matter what our primary motivation is for serving or performing acts of mercy, it is all for His glory.”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

The King is Still the King – Chris Tomlin
****

Chris Tomlin returns with The King is Still the King, his eighteenth studio album, and first since 2022’s Always, which featured the song “Holy Forever”. The new album features sixteen new recordings, including four emoji-titled interludes.
I’ve long enjoyed and been blessed by Tomlin’s music. This new praise and worship album is an excellent addition to his catalog and will surely be on my top albums for 2025.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More of this review and a review of Wings (Deluxe Edition) – Wings
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Sandra McCracken

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


Union with Christ: The Blessings of Being in Him by Sinclair Ferguson. Ligonier Ministries. 157 pages. 2025
****

In this book, Sinclair Ferguson introduces the reader to the vital theme of the believer’s union with Christ, with the hope that it may act as a catalyst to a lifetime of reflection on it. He explores the theme by reflecting on specific key passages in the New Testament. The book expands on his earlier twelve message Ligonier teaching series of the same name.
The author tells us that in the sixty or so pages in our Bible that contain Paul’s thirteen letters we will find the expression “in Christ” or a variant of it over eighty times. Equivalent expressions “in the Lord” (or sometimes “in the Lord Jesus”) virtually double that number. He writes that if you belong to Christ, this is who you really and truly are, every day of your life—a man or a woman who is “in Christ.”
Ferguson writes that living in union and communion with Him is surely the highest privilege that we could have in this world.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2025. Collin Hansen shares his “To 10 Theology Stories”, an annual compilation of the top stories that have shaped evangelical life, thought, and mission over the previous year.

  • How We Fight: A Devotional Message by Sinclair Ferguson. The Apostle Paul called his young friend Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). This same call is for all of God’s people. But how are Christians to engage in this spiritual battle? In this devotional message, Sinclair Ferguson exhorts us to be courageous witnesses for the gospel, conducting ourselves with integrity and faithfulness to the Lord.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Why the Faith & Work Movement Matters. David Bahnsen writes “The faith and work movement has a “next step” theological concession to make: that our work is core to the created design of our lives, and our efforts in technology, finance, entrepreneurialism, marketing, agriculture, manufacturing and commerce are not merely venues for living in the fruits of the spirit; these are domains of God’s Kingdom itself.”
  • 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).
  • Your Influence on a Workplace for the Gospel. Simon van Bruchem shares a few ways that you can do something to make a difference to the people you work with and even the culture of your workplace.
  • Good Church Music: A Conversation with Keith Getty, Songwriter. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Keith Getty joins Dan to talk about his life in music: how he started in a household full of music, how he continues to fill his house with music, and why Keith believes the church needs good music.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

My Review of SONG SUNG BLUE

Song Sung Blue, rated PG-13
***

Song Sung Blue is the true story of Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee based husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act in the 1990’s. It was an enjoyable film, though much heavier than I had expected.
The film was directed by Craig Brewer, and was written by Brewer, based on Greg Kohs’s 2008 documentary Song Sung Blue.
The film begins at the Wisconsin State Fair with a Legends show. Claire Stingl, a divorced  mom of two, played by Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), is portraying Patsy Cline. Mike Sardina, played by Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables), is a Vietnam veteran, mechanic, and alcoholic who has been clean for twenty years and attends AA meetings. He is divorced and the father of a teenage daughter. When Mike, who prefers to portray Elvis, is asked to fill in as Don Ho, he refuses to do so, and quits the show. But he is soon taken by Claire’s performance as Patsy Cline.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for more of this review…
Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

My Review of the movie DAVID

David, rated PG
***

David is an animated musical drama film that covers the latter half of the biblical book of 1 Samuel. The film is very well made, with excellent animation and catchy songs, and will be enjoyable for children and adults, though some of the film may be too dark and scary for very young children.
The film from Angel Studios (Sound of Freedom), was directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, and written by Dawes, Kyle Portbury and Sam Wilson.
The film begins with the young David, voiced by Brandon Engman, happily tending to his sheep. We then see Samuel, voiced by Brian Stivale, come to anoint David as Israel’s next king, as God has rejected Saul (1 Samuel 15), voiced by Adam Michael Gold. The film covers the familiar story of David confronting the giant Philistine Goliath, voiced by Kamran Nikhad, Saul pursuing David, through to the battle with the Amalekites from 1 Samuel 30.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for more of this review… Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

When I Think of Christmas – Amy Grant and Vince Gill
***

Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s annual Christmas at the Ryman is one of the most successful residencies in the history of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry).
Since 1993, Grant and Gill have celebrated Christmas with hometown concerts. What began at the Opry House as “A Tennessee Christmas”, opened Bridgestone Arena, moved to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and finally took up residence at The Ryman Auditorium. They have now performed their Christmas show more than 100 times in front of nearly a quarter-million people. This new collection of songs captures the spirit of those shows.
When I Think of Christmas is a compilation featuring nine of Gill and Grant’s favorite holiday songs along with two brand-new recordings. The new songs are  including Grant’s version of the album’s title track and “Til the Season Comes Round Again,” a Grant/Gill duet, the song they end their Christmas concerts with.
The track list includes holiday favorites like “The Christmas Song”, “Winter Wonderland”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “O Holy Night” and more.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More of this review and a review of Hallelujah! It’s Christmas by Phil Wickham and In Excelsis (EP) by Matt Redman
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

Continue reading →