The memoir meets spiritual formation literature in Nathan Foster's The Making of an Ordinary Saint; and in case the name "Foster" has a familiar ring to it, think "Richard Foster" of the seventies-era classic Celebration of Discipline. Nathan is Richard Foster's son, and a handful he was, apparently. Now with addiction and bitterness in the rear-view… Continue reading “Going Saint”
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Getting a Clear Sense — A Letter to a Much-loved Child
In Chapter X of John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, he urges his readers toward a "clear sense" of: 1. The guilt of sin -- "It is one of the deceits of a prevailing lust to extenuate its own guilt." 2. The danger of sin -- "Of being hardened by deceitfulness; . . . of some great temporal… Continue reading Getting a Clear Sense — A Letter to a Much-loved Child
Essential for Teachers and for Learners
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin: A Book Review I can't recall the last time I devoured a book in one evening, but that's what happened with Women of the Word. I'm sure the reason is Jen Wilkin's laser focus on the topics that (after my family) are most important to me -- knowing the Bible… Continue reading Essential for Teachers and for Learners
The Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Son
A Mom's Prayers for Her Son by Rob & Joanna Teigen: A Book Review There's nothing like becoming a mother to ratchet up the frequency, sincerity, and desperation of one's prayer life. My husband and I had four boys in eight years, and I was horrified to realize that a new blender comes with more instructions than… Continue reading The Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Son
Danger Signs
John Owen did not exactly hang a sign saying, "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here" over the door of this chapter, but he has given a stern warning to those who would dally with sin. Over all six of Chapter 9's ominous symptoms, Owen's exhortation from Chapter 2 hangs like a dark banner: "Do you mortify;… Continue reading Danger Signs
50 World Changers
50 Women Every Christian Should Know by Michelle DeRusha: A Book Review The fifty women profiled in this feat of meticulous research were definitely world changers. Covering over 900 years of Christian history, Michelle DeRusha has included the familiar names of recent history (Flannery O'Connor, Ruth Bell Graham); the less familiar names of previous centuries… Continue reading 50 World Changers
Image Management and the Gospel
Over-eating is an embarrassing sin. There may be a few others that rival the obvious and detectable nature of its presence in a person's life, but I don't think so. Those extra calories are there for all the world to see, filling up waist bands, bulging behind buttons, and squishing out over a starched collar. I hate it.… Continue reading Image Management and the Gospel
Proverbs for Wise Living
Get Wise by Bob Merritt: A Book Review Thank you, Bob Merritt, for doing what I have always wanted to do: sifting through the random assortment of life-giving wisdom in the book of Proverbs and categorizing the verses according to theme. As a pastor, Merritt knows that the book of Proverbs contains the wise words that our hearts… Continue reading Proverbs for Wise Living
Traffic-Proof Your Children
Stolen by Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD and Cecil Murphey: A Book Review When my children were small, the traffic I worried about had four wheels and was engine-powered. We could avoid the danger by staying away from the road. Stolen will open the reader's eyes to another danger which shares the same name, but with grave differences: it comes looking for… Continue reading Traffic-Proof Your Children
What Do They Really Need?
Fourteen years as a missionary in Cambodia changes your view of God. It changes the way you stand in front of a church and give a report. "This is what God did" somehow gets sorted out from "This is what I thought He was doing at the time" and "This is what I expected." In fourteen years, a… Continue reading What Do They Really Need?
Living Our Days 