Category: Informing the Reforming

Blog can be found on:

www.challies.com

Brief Biography

Proper introductions begin with names, so let me tell you how to pronounce mine. It’s pronounced CHALL-eez and rhymes with “valleys” and “rallies.” It’s quite simple, really, but is almost always the first question I’m asked.

I am a Christian, a husband to Aileen and a father to three children aged 10 to 16. I worship and serve as an elder at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario. I am a book reviewer, co-founder of Cruciform Press, and have written five books:

The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Crossway, 2007)
Sexual Detox: A Guide For Guys Who Are Sick of Porn (Cruciform Press, 2010)
The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion (Zondervan, 2011)
Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity (Cruciform Press, 2015)
Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God (Zondervan, 2016)

I began this web site in 2002 and have been writing here daily since 2003. It is my place to think out loud and in public while also sharing some of the interesting things I’ve discovered in my online travels.

By micoots
31/12/2016 0

Weekend A La Carte (December 31)

Today’s Kindle deals include several big lists of general market books as low as $0.99 each, as well as a few Christian selections.

The Appeal
“If you have not heard it yet, you have probably not been online for a few weeks. If you have heard it once, you have probably heard it many times. For many organizations, institutions and associations, it is the time of year for the appeal. You know how it goes.” Jeremy Walker interprets and applies.

2016: The Bible in Review
Bible Gateway presents some fascinating information. “Based on over 1.7 billion pageviews and over 180 million unique visitors to Bible Gateway from December 2015 through November 2016, this data provides a glimpse at how people engaged with the Bible in 2016.”

The Rise and Demise of Rasputin
Here’s the rise and demise of Rasputin in comic form. He was assassinated 100 years ago under mysterious circumstances.

Tired of Controversy?
Mike Leake is tired of controversy and offers encouragement for a peaceful 2017.

Why Co..

By micoots
30/12/2016 0

2016: A Year in Review

It’s the time of year for blogs and other sites to provide their annual round-up of the year’s most popular articles. I don’t know why we do this, but it seems to be a tradition. Down at the bottom of this article I’d love for you to tell me what you think about this kind of annual roundup. But in the meantime, let me tell you who visited and what they read in 2016.

The site served up well over 15,000,000 pageviews this year from somewhere around 6,000,000 people. These people visited from 237 different countries with 74% of them representing the United States. The top 5 countries were the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. Following those nations were Philippines, India, Singapore, New Zealand, and Kenya. Facebook was the largest source of visitors, followed by Google and Twitter. Visitors clicked a little over 12,000,000 links to visit articles listed in A La Carte. Beyond all of that, the site generated around 6,500,000 emails to the people who choo..

By micoots
30/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 30)

Today’s Kindle deals include several short guides to the Bible and doctrine as well as Scotty Smith’s prayer book Everyday Prayers.

Spiritual Depression is Coming for You
“If you’ve been a Christian believer for any amount of time, you’re familiar with the feeling: It’s like you’re . . . off. Foggy. You’re not connecting with God, even after you’ve asked Him to search your heart and reveal to you any unconfessed or secret sin.”

4 Christian Principles For Making New Year’s Resolutions
Burk Parsons: “The Word of God gives us not only permission to make resolutions, it gives us good reasons for doing so. Various biblical passages seem to provide us with reasons for resolutions and examples of men of God who resolved to live for Him in a particular manner for a particular reason. As such, in considering how to glorify God in all that we do in our particular circumstances and callings, we would be wise to resolve to make particular resolutions to assist us in our sanctification.”

The Apo..

By micoots
29/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 29)

Today’s Kindle deals include a list of three classics by Francis Schaeffer. They are nice and short which is ideal if you’re participating in a reading challenge this year. Yet they also pack a punch.

Borrowed Convictions
This is a helpful reflection from Jeremy Walker. “A list of gurus is not the same as a developed set of theological convictions. Neither is it the same as having a spiritual home with true shepherds caring for your soul.”

The Great American Word Mapper
This is brilliant. You can plug in words and see where in the US those words are used. Be sure to click the “foods” button (and probably avoid the swear button).

Pro-Lifers Look Forward to 2017
Whatever else 2017 has brought, it’s brought a new sense of optimism to the American pro-life movement. WORLD explains.

One Reason To Dedicate Yourself to Bible Reading in 2017
Here’s just one more good reason to commit yourself to reading your Bible in 2017.

Suffering is a Doorway, Not a Dead End
In that moment of suffering..

By micoots
28/12/2016 0

Do More Better in 2017

With a new year approaching, many of us are considering how we can make the most of the opportunities it will bring. Many of us are considering how we can actually generate opportunities that will help us make the most of 2017.

I have invested a lot of effort into defining and pursuing productivity through a Christian lens and want to offer a couple of options that may help you. I believe you will find them helpful whether you are a student or a professional, a work-from-home dad or a stay-at-home mom. I am confident they will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good unto the glory of God.

Do More Better
I recently wrote a book titled Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity. There I define productivity as effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. I show how to structure your life toward those great goals and how to use appropriate hardware and software tools to build and maintain a ..

By micoots
27/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 28)

Today’s Kindle deals include:

Mapping Religion in the USA (Infographic)
I wish these infographics were a bit bigger. But you can still see some interesting presentations of religion across the US.

Sowell on Class and Economics
I’ve enjoyed reading Thomas Sowell and was sorry to hear that he’s retiring from his syndicated column. In his honor, Joe Carter rounded up some great quotes.

Download the Ligonier App
Download the free Ligonier app for daily teaching from R.C. Sproul and access to an on-demand digital library of trusted messages from years of conferences and teaching series. (Ligonier Ministries is this week’s sponsor.)

This Day in 1797. 219 years ago today American theologian Charles Hodge was born. Hodge was a principal of Princeton Theological Seminary and was well-known for his three-volume ‘Systematic Theology.’ *

The History of Iron and Steel (Video)
You may enjoy this video on iron and steel and how, in their own way, they made the world as we know it.

Flashback

Em..

By micoots
25/12/2016 0

For They Know Not What They Do…

Today we celebrate the events that marked the beginning of Jesus’s life: The angelic announcement, the virgin conception, the difficult birth, the unexpected visits, the prophetic blessings. But even as we remember that Jesus came to live, we need to also remember that Jesus came to die. As we think about his birth we do well to think about his death.

Recently, one of my Patreon patrons asked if I would write about some of the last words Jesus spoke. While he was hanging on the cross, or perhaps even while they were driving the nails into his flesh, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Kent Hughes aptly sets the context: “The cosmic trauma had begun. There never had been such pain as physical and spiritual evil now came against Jesus in terrible conjunction. Body and soul recoiled. The initial shock of crucifixion had rendered him paralyzed and quivering. Physical disbelief screamed from severed nerves. And even greater spiritual horror closed ..

By micoots
24/12/2016 0

God Hates Sexual Immorality

Those who love must also hate. Those who love what is good, what is beneficial, what is honorable must hate what is evil, what is harmful, what is deplorable. We are defined by the things we love as well as the things we loathe. And what is true of us is true of God as well (or, said better, what is first true of God is subsequently true of us). For God to love he must also hate.

The Bible tells us of many things that God hates, sometimes by right-out saying “God hates this” and other times by describing such things with words like “abominable” or “detestable.” When we put it all together we find there are eight broad categories of things he hates. We have already seen that God Hates Idolatry. Today I want to show that God hates sexual immorality.

God Hates Sexual Immorality
Human beings are sexual beings. We are far more than that, of course, but we are not less. Our sexuality is a part of who and what we are, a good gift of God given to bind together a husband and wife and to expan..

By micoots
24/12/2016 0

Weekend A La Carte (December 24)

I’ll keep looking for Kindle deals, but haven’t found anything yet.

If you’re looking for a movie to enjoy with the family tonight, Amazon has $0.99 movie rentals at the moment (about 50,000 to choose from). Browse the list here and use coupon code MOVIE99. It can be used just once per account.

Amazing Animals 2016
Here are some amazing animal photos from 2016. On a downright hilarious note, try this video called Planet Earth II: Screams.

Pastor, Am I a Christian?
Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has a fascinating written Q&A with Tim Keller.

An Odd Sort of Mercy
“Evangelical Christians have fallen too much into the habit of believing God exists to affirm our deepest desires, whether material or sexual. We have forgotten that sometimes God, for reasons of His own, calls us to nail our desires to that ugly, painful, bitter cross.”

Actresses, Amphetamines, and Old Hollywood’s Exploitation Scheme
It seems that Hollywood has always been a dark place. This article shows just how ..

By micoots
23/12/2016 0

My Favorite Bible-Reading Plan for 2017

In general, there are two approaches to daily Bible-reading: intimacy and familiarity. Intimacy with the Bible comes through slow, meditative reading that focuses on small portions—deep study of key books, chapters, and verses. Familiarity with the Bible comes through faster reading of much larger portions—the entire sweep of the biblical narrative. Both are wonderful approaches to the Bible and Christians thrive on a healthy mixture of the two. There is great benefit in knowing the Bible as a whole (familiarity) and in knowing the most important parts in detail (intimacy). (See Intimacy or Familiarity)

My favorite daily Bible-reading plan is the 5 Day Bible Reading Program from Bible Class Material which I was introduced to by Melissa Kruger. It has several features I love:

It is a familiarity plan that covers the entire text of the Bible over the course of the year. Between January 1 and December 31 those who follow it read every word of the Bible.

It is a pseudo-chronological pla..