A friendly reminder from Jonathan Edwards that we will never know all there is to know of God in a single lifetime.

Real men repent.

Three lessons Michael Hyatt learned from getting fired.

Ever feel the need to preface a quote with the phrase, “I don’t agree with everything they say, but…”? Why do we do this?

Francis Chan, with an excerpt from Erasing Hell.

Should the church accountant be the one with the title of worship pastor?

Is it humble to think all paths lead to God?

“One another’s” you won’t find in the New Testament.

If you had one song to sing to tell the world who you are, what would it be?

Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.

Stuck in the theological closet?

Thoughts on calling SOME Calvinists “mean”.

10 reasons to UNDER-PROGRAM your church.

Willow Creek, homosexuality and the future of evangelical response.

Can God make a rock so heavy even He can’t lift it?

FREEBIRD!!!!!!!!

I love studying theology and going deep in discussions with both believers and unbelievers, but, as David says, I would trash it all in an instant in exchange for just one glimpse of what it all stands for.

It’s been said that all religions basically teach the same thing, but is that really true?

The late John Stott with some insightful thoughts on sincerity in preaching. And, just to be clear, there is a HUGE difference between sincerity and arrogance.

Many Christians act and talk as if some callings are more important than others, but in 1 Corinthians 7:20, Paul said “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” Tullian Tchividjian expounds upon this. In a similar post, Relevant Magazine stresses the need for boring Christians.

Are your church’s elders hospitable? It’s an oft-forgotten qualification, but it is found in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:8. In this two minute video, Jeff Vanderstelt of Soma Communities explains how his church takes this qualification seriously.

The Gospel and Sex.

I, as I’m sure many of you, have heard people quote Revelation 21:4, which says there will be no mourning, crying or pain in Heaven. This excerpt from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons definitely had my brain working overtime. I don’t know if he’s correct, but he definitely has me wanting to study this further.

In case you haven’t heard, John Stott passed away Wednesday at the age of 90. Rather than picking just one post dedicated to him, I’ve chosen three; one from Ray Ortlund, one from John Piper and one from Paul Zahl.

True peace passes understanding.

Holy vs. Holier than Thou.

Marriage: A Happy, Holy, Beautiful Mess.

Dear Modern Day Church Structure…

The truth about David & Goliath.

In case you haven’t heard, singer Amy Winehouse was found dead yesterday. She was only 27 (cue references to Janis, Jimi and Kurt). Carlos reminds us that before we use Amy as an example in our sermons, the demons she was fighting are the same demons we fight daily.

Casey Anthony is out of prison, but you’re not.

“I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.” Not your typical surprise party.

What can the church learn from truth in advertising?

What are the rewards in Heaven Jesus talks about?

It scares me when I hear someone arguing for their religious freedom, but when you propose the same rights for other religions, they suddenly turn a 180. Ed Stetzer reminds us freedom of religion has to be freedom for everyone.

The milder the label, the deadlier the poison.

Is being a worship leader even Biblical?

I posted something similar last week from Jon Acuff, but Carlos also makes a great point with this post: regardless of your political slant, if the church (and by church he means the whole church, not just a few local churches) would be what Jesus asked us to be and do what Jesus asked us to do, the need for government to step in and care for the poor, hurting and helpless would be non-existent.

What does it mean to serve God?

Preaching, when done correctly, should unburden people. Challenge, yes. Burden, no. Great thoughts from Steven Furtick.

Addiction and the return of an unclean spirit.

Could same-sex marriage benefit traditional marriage? A very insightful post from Gabe Lyons, and if you don’t like the questions he asks, you do need to consider one fact he points out: “the degradation of marriage is due not to the 2.8% of those who identify as LGBT in our society, but to the heterosexuals with spoiled marriages and the increasingly popular hook-up culture in the younger generation.” Case in point – you can’t blame the skyrocketing divorce rate on those who, for the most part, don’t even have the right to get married.

I’ll admit it – at nearly 29 years of age, I am still a wrestling fan. Sadly, what WWE and TNA have been calling wrestling (or “sports entertainment”) over the last few years have been sorely lacking in entertainment value (one more reason to love my DVR’s fast-forward button), but one of the few entertaining aspects of the wrestling business over the last decade has been C.M. Punk. Last week, GQ interviewed Punk in what may be the most honest and transparent interview ever given by someone still working for the company they’re speaking so candidly about.

Probably the best review I’ve read of Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut.

Being a Gentleman in the Age of the Internet: 6 Ways to Bring Civility Online

Do you bring meaning to your work?

“Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable.” Have you been wrecked by grace?

This post is a great example of why I remain subscribed to Matthew Paul Turner’s blog, Jesus Needs New PR, even when I disagree with him: What I Believe (and What I Know).

Last week I mentioned an article Scot McKnight wrote for Relevant where he asked, “Have we become so obsessed with grace that we’ve left holiness behind?” Here’s a link to the actual article, now featured on the Relevant blog.

Speaking of last week, I also posted a link to a blog that addressed a recent statement made by Mark Driscoll on Facebook. Mark takes a lot of flack, much of it undeserved in my opinion, and he rarely responds to it. This time he responded.

Where is God when we suffer?

Christ did not die on the cross so we could live moral lives.

“When the preferences of the church members are greater than their passion for the gospel, the church is dying.”

Can our generation end poverty?

Casey Anthony shows up to your church today - how do you respond?

In this month’s issue of Relevant, Scot McKnight asks have we become so obsessed with grace that we’ve left holiness behind? Personally, I’ve noticed a lot of Christians (myself included) talking a lot about grace, but very little about sin. McKnight’s article can be found on page 62.

Creative inspiration and the myth of passion.

Several posts concerning church buildings asked some very intriguing questions: Should churches be allowed to meet in public schools?, Should churches spend money on nice buildings? and Do buildings even matter?, along with a couple responses: Why the local church should be light, mobile, flexible and ready and Ways we can reform church architecture.

Speaking of church, is membership in a local church Biblical?

I love Mark Driscoll. I’ve never met him in person, but as a preacher and author God has used him greatly in my life. That said, even he makes the occasional mistake. Last week, Driscoll posted a rather interesting question on his Facebook wall – one that crossed the line in my opinion, and this post calls him on it, and in a very loving way too.
HT: Tyler Braun

Red Rover, Red Rover, send SAFE CHURCH right over!

In this short interview Zamibian pastor Conrad Mbewe talks about spiritual junk food disguised as the Gospel. Prosperity gospel, “name it and claim it” gospel, positive thinking gospel – call it what you want; sadly, it’s something the American church has exported to the rest of the world.

In Matthew 11:28, Christ says “Come to me…” Not “Come hear a sermon about me” or “Come to a priest”, but “Come to me.” Sometimes, we all need to be reminded that Christ accepts us just as we are.

Happy early Fourth of July to everyone! I’ll be wrapping up my weekend tonight by seeing Merle Haggard in concert, but for the rest of you, stay safe. Fireworks and alcohol aren’t exactly best friends, so if you use either, use caution.

Are the actions, structure, budget, time and energy of most local churches based upon the example Jesus set in the Gospels, or are they based more upon other churches?

After watching this video, it boggles my mind how any local church could appoint unqualified elders. As Don Carson states, the Biblical qualifications for eldership are “remarkable for being unremarkable”.

True Christianity may be personal, but it’s not private. It is wildly, unashamedly, thoroughly public.

How bloggers can get legal protection from libel and slander.

What is obvious to you may be amazing to others.

Jesus was killed because of the way he ate.

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

I think John Calvin may have had the best remedy for getting his parishioners out into their community.

A great story about a girl with albinism and her iPad.

Speaking of Apple, an original Apple 1 has come up for sale. My, how for we have come.

Carlos asks some questions that we as the church need to be discussing.

A conversation with worship pastors on complementarian relationships.

Every leader needs a Jonathan and a Nathan.

Ed Stetzer presents a five part series on offering criticism.

As Christians, we talk a lot about forgiveness, but we seem to have forgotten restitution somewhere along the way.