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
15/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 15)

Today’s Kindle deals include just a few minor deals. However, Amazon also has a good selection of their most-gifted books up to 85% off in Kindle format. Finally, Crossway will send you a free Kindle copy of Joe Thorn’s Experiencing the Trinity if you fill out a brief survey.

Why Are Jesus’ Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different?
Two gospels, two genealogies. Why the difference? Dr. Mark Strauss offers up three possible reasons.

No Gullible Bumpkins Here
And speaking of Jesus, Mike McKinley discusses his virgin birth. “Mary and Zechariah and Elizabeth were not gullible bumpkins who didn’t know how babies were made and believed fantastical stories (nor, for that matter, were Luke and his original readers). They found the whole idea just as unlikely as you and I might, but that’s exactly the point!”

The Most Common Baby Names (Video)
Here’s a neat interactive map that shows the most popular baby names in each state from 1910-2015. It’s fascinating to see names come and go. (Don’t m..

By micoots
14/12/2016 0

Jesus Isn’t Threatened by Your Christmas Gifts

Christmas is fast approaching and, not surprisingly, my kids are looking forward to seeing what’s under the tree. The girls, at least, are still young enough that they are waiting with bated breath to learn what treasures they’ll be receiving. I love this. I enjoy their anticipation and am excited to experience their joy as they unwrap what Aileen and I have bought for them. It promises to be a good morning.

At the same time, I think we all feel a little bit of tension between the dual purposes of Christmas—the giving of gifts and the birth of the Savior. It is this time of year when we encounter all kinds of articles about the real gift of Christmas and when we are warned about spending too much money or buying gifts that are too lavish. We need to keep Christ in Christmas and not succumb to materialism, right? We need to ensure that we don’t look forward too much to unwrapping new toys, new clothes, new books. The implicit messaging is that Christmas is a kind of either/or propositi..

By micoots
13/12/2016 0

When God Goes Big And I Go Small

The Bible often speaks in broad words, in great sweeping statements. We often observe so little nuance in its words, so few exceptions to its commands. As we read the Bible we come across statements like these:

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25). Here’s how I understand that: Every time you pray you need to forgive everyone for everything. I don’t see exception clauses there. Do you?
“Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). What is an appropriate excuse for anxiety? Nothing. When is it appropriate to be anxious? Never.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love everyone, even people you barely know, even people who have hurt you. Oh, and look out for their best interests with the same passion and enthusiasm with which you look out for your own.
“Honor your father and your mother.” “Children, obey your parents in everything.” Every child owes honor to..

By micoots
13/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 13)

Today’s Kindle deals include picks by D.A. Carson, C.S. Lewis, and several others. There are some good choices there.

I’ve often mentioned the Circle device for protecting your family online (my review). They’ve just updated the app with some excellent features that extend the functionality. Here are details on version 1.4.

Why My First Church Hire Was A Woman, And Yours Should Be Too
After visiting Niddrie Community Church and 20schemes in Edinburgh, I asked Mez McConnell to write this article and tell why he believes a church should (often) hire a woman as its first hire after the lead pastor.

Five Myths About the Ancient Heresy of Gnosticism
Gnosticism is the heresy that never dies. Michael Kruger address 5 common myths about it.

The Too Visible Church
Now here’s an interesting question: Can the visible church sometimes be too visible?

The Neuroscience of Imagination (Video)
“Imagine, for a second, a duck teaching a French class. A ping-pong match in orbit around a black hole. ..

By micoots
12/12/2016 0

What Every Christian Should Give their Pastor for Christmas

This sponsored post was prepared by Books at a Glance.

Being a pastor is not easy. It doesn’t always pay well, it’s emotionally taxing, and many times we fail to appreciate or even thank our pastors for their tireless work on our behalf.

So, What SHOULD You Give Your Pastor?

Obviously the best and most helpful thing that you can do for your pastor is to pray for him, but in a more “earthly” sense, what should you give him, especially with Christmas being right around the corner? Know it or not, your pastor is constantly learning, and when you help him learn MORE in LESS time with this resource, you will be giving the gift of knowledge…which will in-turn help him in his ministry!

Here’s this Gift of Knowledge Works

Books At a Glance is a Christian book summary service. They take the newest and most significant books that Christian publishers, such as Crossway, Zondervan, IVP, B&H, Baker, etc. publish, and then every week take one or two of those books and condense them into a 7-10-..

By micoots
12/12/2016 0

Do Not Be Surprised if the World Hates You

There is no source of comfort as true or as good as God’s book, the Bible. For millennia, God’s people have turned to its pages to find solace, to find hope and encouragement. Sometimes comfort is found in unexpected places, in unlikely words. I found it this morning in a simple sentence written by Jesus’s dear friend John: “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).

Every Christian has endured times when we have been hated, when we have faced the scorn, the fists, or the swords of those opposed to God. We who put our faith in Jesus agree to bear the cross of Jesus. That cross comes with inevitable suffering and shame. We who follow a hated Savior cannot be surprised when we experience a measure of his suffering, when we bear a measure of his shame.

But why? Why are we hated? Why is it that we should be not surprised when the world turns against us?

Because Cain hated Abel. Just one verse earlier John has spoken of these two brothers and asked why one mu..

By micoots
12/12/2016 0

A La Carte (December 12)

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good titles by John Piper as well as some other good picks.

Logos users will want to check out the 12 Days of Logos sale that begins today.

The Christmas Present in Lot’s Cave
“The cave seemed like the perfect hiding place but soon it became the setting for one of the most heinous scenes in all of the Bible. But even here amid the darkness of depravity God was laying the tracks for an especially shocking revelation on Christmas morning.”

A Survivor of the Killing Fields
WORLD tells “How a Cambodian Christian overcame tragedy and horror thanks to the love, faith, and courage God gave him.”

Big Bother Is Watching
If you’re a Slack user, you may be interested in this look at the highs, lows, and future of Slack.

The Christmas Miracle of the Incarnate, Omnipresent Word
This is important: “In the end, the Incarnation is not for analysis but for worship.”

This Day in 1808. 198 years ago today the Bible Society of Philadelphia was organized, the ..

By micoots
04/12/2016 0

Lay Aside Your Cheap Running Shoes

One of the pleasures of diverse reading is finding unexpected connections between unrelated books. I found one of these recently as I was reading Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (a book about the founding and growth of Nike) and Devoted to God by Sinclair Ferguson (a book about the Christian’s growth in holiness)—two books I thoroughly enjoyed. The books and authors could hardly be more different, yet in this one way they agreed.

While most of Shoe Dog is focused on Nike, Knight offers some “wisdom” on faith, and says some of the most ridiculous things you could ever read. Things like this: “Have faith in yourself, but also have faith in faith. Not faith as others define it. Faith as you define it. Faith as faith defines itself in your heart.” Say what? That makes no sense! Meanwhile Ferguson says some of the strongest, most life-shaping things about faith. “God never throws us back to rely on ourselves and our own resources. He encourages us to grow up as Christians by digging down ever more..

By micoots
02/12/2016 0

Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier Ministries Edition)

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries who also sponsored the blog this week. They have two offers for you. The first is this: They are offering everyone a free copy of R.C. Sproul’s hardcover book The Truth of the Cross. If you simply pay for shipping, they will send it to you. This offer ends today at 11:59pm ET, so don’t dawdle!

Then there will also be a giveaway for those who care to sign up to win. 5 winners will receive a free copy of Stephen Nichols’ Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas.

In Peace, meditations, Bible passages, and hymns unite with beautiful illustrations inviting you and your family to enter into the true peace of Christmas. With its heirloom quality, this book is an appropriate gift for family and friends to be passed down for generations and enjoyed every Christmas season.

Enter Here
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased..

By micoots
02/12/2016 0

Tim Turns 40 Today (A Note from Aileen)

Today is my fortieth birthday. A few days ago Aileen asked if she could have access to my site and share something she wrote for the occasion (as well as choose the photo to accompany it). To be honest, I feel a bit awkward about it all, but who am I to refuse her? This is what she wrote…

Very few of you have ever met my husband. The odd reality of this online world means that many of you have heard of him and read his articles and books, but few of you actually know him. Today is Tim’s 40th birthday and it seemed important to mark this occasion. As I sat trying to figure out exactly what to say about him, I decided to give you a deeper glimpse into the man that makes up the writings of challies.com. A tribute of sorts, to a man who has loved, cherished, provided, and cared for our family all these years—a small glimpse into our lives and our journey through this grand adventure.

I met Tim when I was 18. We were in a twelfth-grade history class together, sat beside each other, and q..