"Tim Keller Wants to Save Your Yuppie Soul"

That’s the title of a profile of Tim Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the current issue of New York Magazine. I'm looking forward to reading it on my day off tomorrow.

It's exciting to see how Pastor Keller's ministry is continuing to expand in a city as secularized as NYC.

The Good News Isn't about You

From The Gospel-Centered Life:

"The good news of the gospel is not that God favors us because of who we are, but that he favors us in spite of who we are." (emphasis added)

Grasping the Whole Bible -- Resources

Yesterday I began a five week series, giving a bird's eye view of the entire Bible. We'll spend four weeks looking at the Old Testament, and then one Sunday examining the message of the New Testament (You can download the first message in the series, on Genesis 1-11, here).

Preparing for these messages is unlike any sermon preparation I've done before, because of the large amount of Scripture I'm handling each week. To aid my study, I've been using a few resources that trace out the overarching storyline of the Bible. I thought maybe some blog readers who are listening to the messages on Sunday mornings would be interested in digging a bit deeper, so here's a list of them (they're all available at discounted prices here):









































































And one for the kids (which I think should be required reading for every adult!):



















Also, a series of messages called The Bible: The Whole Story (Part 1 and Part 2) from Tim Keller provides a rich overview of the Bible's central storyline.

Prayer Needed

From the To Every Tribe twitter feed:

please join in us pray for David Sitton's brother Jim & his wife Muriel who lost thier daughter (6) & 3 other family members last night.

Read a news report of the tragic killings here.

A Little Thanksgiving Fun

This is a great commercial:

A Thanksgiving Prayer

(Via Michael McKinley)

From The Valley of Vision. This is a Thanksgiving Day favorite...

O My God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

When Your Child is Disobedient...

That never happens to any of us, does it?

Well, for those of you who have to deal with disobedient children (and that includes me!), this might be an encouragement:

10 Things To Remember When Your Child Is Disobedient

Ruth Simons:

Here are 10 Things I had to remind myself today when the job of correcting my children felt especially difficult…

1. You disobey the Lord…and He is the perfect Father.

2. His kindness leads us to repentance.

3. God disciplines those He loves.

4. Your child’s disobedience does not measure your value any more than his obedience showcases your achievement.

5. Your child’s disobedience teaches you dependence on God.

6. And sometimes it’s more than dependence He’s after, it’s complete desperation for Him.

7. Your child is clearly a sinner, and needs to hear the truth of the Gospel, and see it lived out through you.

8. Times of correction serve to remind, or establish within your child, his own sense of need for a Savior.

9. It’s not good behavior you really desire…you want his heart.

10. Your child is a person, not a project.

One more thing about missional living...

In my sermon last Sunday, I did my best to explain the marks of a missional life. In essence I made two points:

A missional life spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14), and, a missional life adorns the gospel of His grace in everything (Titus 2:10).

Since my text was Acts 28, I really should have added this:

A missional life will be spoken against everywhere. At least that's what was said of the "sect" of Christianity in Acts 28:22: "With regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

So let's drop all illusions that living missionally is going to make us popular. If we aren't being spoken against as we engage in Christ's mission, we're probably not being faithful.

Don't Forget to Groan, 11/26

Roha, an infant, is left sleeping on the sidewalk of a busy street in Mumbai, India.

(Why should we groan?)

The De-Churched

Knowing who they are and where they've come from helps us to minister to them more effectively:

The Gospel

As defined in the Gospel Coalition's Theological Vision for Ministry, which I posted last night:

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has come to reconcile individuals by His grace and renew the whole world by and for His glory.

I love the second "and" in this statement: the gospel is that through Jesus, God has come to reconcile individuals AND renew the whole world. It's difficult to hold tightly to both sides of this "and", but I think it's very important to do so.

If not for this"and", Jesus only gets half of the glory He's due.

That's why conjunctions matter!

Richard Dawkins' Poster Children

Jim W will like this one:


"The two children chosen to front Richard Dawkins's latest assault on God could not look more free of the misery he associates with religious baggage. With the slogan 'Please don't label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself', the youngsters with broad grins seem to be the perfect advertisement for the new atheism being promoted by Professor Dawkins and the British Humanist Association. Except that they are about as far from atheism as it is possible to be. The Times can reveal that Charlotte, 8, and Ollie, 7, are from one of the country's most devout Christian families."

Read the whole thing.

The Gospel Coalition Vision for Ministry

Sometimes I just post things on this blog so that I know I'll be able to find it when I want to examine something more deeply.

This document from the Gospel Coalition would be one such thing. It looks like a document worthy of much reflection for church leaders. So maybe you would find it edifying as well.

The TV is My Shepherd

Before you read this, understand that it's not my intention to overstate the danger of television or condemn people who watch television. Those who know me will know that I have a television in my home, and I watched half of the Eagles game last night. So I am not condemning TV; if I was to do that, I'd be condemning myself!

But there's still a much-needed challenge and reminder in this re-writing of the 23rd Psalm:

The TV is my shepherd,
I shall want more.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the faith;
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence
for the sponsor's sake.
Yeah, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibility,
there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
It's cables and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldliness;
It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism;
My coveting runneth over.
Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house watching TV for ever.

(Via Thabiti Anyabwile)

The Ultimate Crisis

Michael Horton, in his new book The Gospel-Driven Life:

"We may have problems in our marriage, child-rearing, stress at work, low self-esteem, and worries about our health or the financial market. However, the ultimate crisis facing us is summarized in Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth."