I’m all for resolutions. Resolutions represent possibilities. Resolutions sharpen my focus and provide me with a sense of progress. Resolutions can bud like new leaves, and I make them gladly. Here’s what I’m thinking for this new year… I resolve to read more. My faith and thinking are more robust when I read. I am less cliche. I am more articulate. I am more nuanced. I am sharper. So my plan is to sneak in more reading with perhaps an audio book or two. I may take the Kindle plunge as … [Read more...] about My 2012 Resolutions
Archives for December 2011
One Resolution Worth Making Again
Resolutions come and go. But there's one resolution worth making again and again: Bible reading. What's your plan for reading the Bible this year? Sure, you'll forget. You'll get busy. You'll get behind. But it's still helpful to have a plan for reading the Bible. So what's your plan? Blogger, Justin Taylor, provides a fairly exhaustive list of options in his post, Bible Reading Plans for 2012. Take a look.As you look, here are two suggestions for deciding… Be honest. Pick the … [Read more...] about One Resolution Worth Making Again
Share the Bible Day
Today is "Global Share the Bible Day" (at least according to YouVersion). I'm not sure about the event, but I am sure about the Bible. So why do I read the Bible? Here are a few reasons… I want the truth. The Bible contains truth.I want to see God but can't. The Bible reveals God.I want a better life. The Bible acts as life's instruction manual.I want to go Home. The Bible points the way Home.I want personal insight. The Bible reads me. … [Read more...] about Share the Bible Day
The Hallway of Evangelicalism
Kevin DeYoung reflected recently on the future of the "Young, Restless, and Reformed" movement. In his article, one line stuck in my mind. DeYoung writes, "it’s better to live in a specific ecclesiastical room instead of in the hallway of evangelicalism." It seems Evangelicalism is no place to be after the bell rings. When it's time to go to class and get to work, we must enter an "ecclesiastical room" (a.k.a "denomination"). DeYoung's admonition moves but creaks. The kinks are not yet … [Read more...] about The Hallway of Evangelicalism
Extra Ending in the Gospel of Mark
Most Bible translations include a perplexing parenthetical comment in Mark 16. For example, after Mark 16:8, my ESV translation interjects in brackets, “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.” If you’ve ever wondered about this manuscript question, consider this helpful note from the ESV Study Bible: "Some ancient manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel contain these verses and others do not, which presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. … [Read more...] about Extra Ending in the Gospel of Mark
Forgiveness
In an earlier post, I said the term "Gospel" refers to good news. So what exactly is that good news? In the smallest, tweetable nutshell, the good news of Christianity is we can be forgiven because of Jesus. More could be said about this statement… We could talk about why we need forgiveness in the first place (sin and the holiness of God). We could discuss how Jesus won that forgiveness for us (on the cross). We could talk about how we access that forgiveness … [Read more...] about Forgiveness